The fix is on!!! Again.

[Stoptheinsanity]

Please do not tell me that I am the only one that finds it far to coincedental that Matsuura and Danica are leading at Motegi? Come on Matsuura hasn't been able to get out of his own way (let alone anyone else) all season. And now he is fastest? Japanese Driver, Japanese Motor, Japanese Track, Japanese Fans. Humm? And for Danica, just as she has come off of 2 dismal rounds, back to Honda's backyard, she and her AGR teammates jump to the top of the timesheets, ahead of the Penskes and TCGR? It must be everything that AGR has been learning running that factory backed Acura that is making them so fast at Motegi huh?

[openwheeler]

<sigh> where to begin

Matsuura has been very fast for the last couple years - results, no, but fast, yes

Michigan '04 for example - HE QUALIFIED 2nd !!!

Kansas last year, he was TOP 5 on the grid


if Penske and Ganassi struggle at a track, then you will see AGR cars do very well as they are doing at Motegi here in the early going - you might also see Panther and other teams step up


it's the same thing as Team Australia capitalizing when Bourdais and PT are struggling


I'd also like to make you aware that Danica has 3 poles (about 10&#37 already, and she was QUICKEST AT INDY at one point

[pdalbey]

Good grief. Danica has always run well at Motegi. She qualified second two years ago, led 15 or 20 laps, and eventually finished 4th. This is why Danica just can't win... Like I said elsewhere, if it was Sarah Fisher who topped the charts, none of this crap would end up on web boards.

[openwheeler]

AGR is dialed in for this one, reading the driver quotes and looking at the timesheets - only Franchitti is having some trouble and he said it was great in the first session but they went out on a limb and made some changes for the 2nd session "and went backwards"

go AGR!

[weeflyonthewall]

How much lighter is she than the rest of the field.

[FerrrariF1]

Good grief. Danica has always run well at Motegi. She qualified second two years ago, led 15 or 20 laps, and eventually finished 4th. This is why Danica just can't win... Like I said elsewhere, if it was Sarah Fisher who topped the charts, none of this crap would end up on web boards.

sarah also doesn't have a 35 lb weight advantage over the field nor is she overpaid for her record which I must remind you is ZERO wins but she does have the field "uncovered" in R rated men's mags....Danica Patrick is the Anna Kornakova of auto racing

the IRL is the only major series that doesn't weight the car and driver together to form a minimum weight thus on ovals she has a major weight advantage 35+ lbs less equals faster speed

a fact that seems to be forgotten

[harvick#1]

It must be everything that AGR has been learning running that factory backed Acura that is making them so fast at Motegi huh?

yep so Penske better bring out his Porsche engineers from the ALMS. they seemed to crush the weekend at St. Petes with a 1-2-3 finish.

[ZzZzZz]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzz.............

[NoFender]

How much lighter is she than the rest of the field.

I don't think she was that much lighter than Jimmy Kite.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Danica always runs well at this track, and it may be because it is very smooth and gradual. Tough physical tracks will wear her out more and work against her, but here, her light weight helps and she is a good oval driver compared to her skills on a road course. We often forget that.

As for this menace that is known as Matusura, he may be fast now, but lets let the race pan out shall we? To parapharse what was once said of the "Masters", the phone book is filled with people who were fast in practice and qualifying.....