Rate this article:
Greenlight Andretti Green Danica Patrick 1st Win 2008
This is a replica of the racecar used during the 2008 Japan race in which she won her first race ever!
Our Price: 1/18th Scale - $45.95 ($41.36 Member)
Ducati Red Team Logo Hat
100% cotton. Embroidered. Adjustable strap.
Our Price: $36.00 ($32.40 Member)
Formula 1 2009 Calendar
Every month is accompanied by a superb action shot from the 2008 season, with essential information about the sport.
Our Price: $16.95 ($15.26 Member)
Written by:
Chris Martin
08/27/2008 - 12:20 PM
Iowa City, IA
Erion Honda's Jake Zemke (Photo: Brian J Nelson) ยป More Photos
2002 -- Formula Xtreme -- Runner-Up, Tied for Championship in Points: Heartbreak #1
"Obviously, '02 we ring up second in the championship in Xtreme again but that one was right to the very end. We were back with the Bruce team and we ended up tied in points for the championship with Jason Pridmore, but he won the tiebreaker because he had more wins.
"It was just a weird season. I could go through race-to-race and point out everything that happened in every race. It was just never even meant to be.
"There were way too many oddball incidents throughout that year that you would never expect, and it just so happened that's where we ended up in the championship -- tied but second.
"One example is Road Atlanta. Myself and Ben Spies were racing at the front for the lead and JP blows his motor on the back straightaway going into the chicane and he oiled the track. The guys behind him were all on a different line so there were no oil flags.
"Me and Spies come down the hill at a buck seventy five and as soon as we sat up and touched the brakes we both went down simultaneously. I was leading and he was second and he actually touched the brakes before I did so he went down and I went down right in front of him. A lot of people thought that he had taken
"Watching the replay -- at full speed it looked like maybe something happened, but in slow motion you can definitely see it was two separate incidents.
"I picked my bike up out of the gravel and I didn't want to start it because I knew there was gravel in it. So I pushed it all the way up the hill at Atlanta, jumped on it, and I couldn't even turn the bars to the right-hand side because the clip-on was wedged into the fairing. The guys were making repairs on it enough to make it go and the Superbike race was coming up and it had a live TV spot so they just said, 'Hold on boys, we'll finish you after the Superbike race.'
"In that hour-time frame, it worked out great for JP. He was able to put a whole new motor in his bike and restart the race.
"That was just one incident that season that typifies how that season played out. The odds were never in our favor for whatever reason.
"That was a tough one. That played on me pretty hard because everything should have been right that year. The bike was great and we had a great crew. But we did also win our first 600 Supersport race at Brainerd against Tommy (Hayden). That was a real positive."
Page 1 of 3
View All Comments
