August 10, 2007

Evergreen Sports

Robert Doorndos takes checkered flag at third annual San Jose
Grand Prix after lap one crash nearly ends his day

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

A near race-ending collision on Robert Doornbos’ first lap of the third annual San Jose Grand Prix didn’t end up ruining the Champ Car rookie’s day.

Robert Doornbos (center) picked up his second Champ Car win at the third annual San Jose Grand Prix on July 29 despite falling into last place after a crash on lap one of the race. Neel Jani (left) placed second in the race, while Oriol Servia (right) placed third. The win boosted Boorndos just 10 points behind Sebastien Bourdais in the 2007 Champ Car points standings. Photo by Dan Miranda

Instead, the Minardi Team USA driver recovered by taking advantage of other drivers’ mistakes and managed to get a bit of luck along the way en route to earning his second win of the season in San Jose on July 29. The win put Doorndos just 10 points behind 2007 Champ Car points standings leader Sebastien Bourdais (Newman Haas Lanigan Racing). Doorndos also picked up an extra point in the standings for picking up the most positions in the race. Neel Jani (PKV Racing), who led the race for 30 laps before being passed by Boorndos on lap 96 at the hairpin, finished second, better than six seconds behind Boorndos. Oriol Servia (Forsythe Champion-ship Racing) placed third after leading the race for 42 laps.

“It's a dream come true,” said Doorndos, a native of the Netherlands. “I mean, I'm still in my first year in the series, and all the circuits are new. It's just a great way. I'm really enjoying myself racing here. The team is just getting stronger every weekend.”

At first, it appeared Doorndos’ day was over before he even finished his first lap. On the first lap at turn 1, the hairpin, Doorndos ran into the back of Jan Heylen’s car, snapping off the rookie driver’s front wing and bringing out a full course yellow flag. Doorndos, who started the race in 15th place on the starting grid, was then towed to restart his car before entering the pits for repairs. By the time he emerged from the pits, Doorndos found himself in last place.

Still, Doorndos managed to bounce back from the early mishap, pitting out of sequence at lap 16 when Katherine Legge (Dale Coyne Racing) slammed into the wall at turn 2 to force another yellow flag. Doorndos eventually climbed into third place before Alex Tagliani, who picked up the lead one lap earlier, pitted, allowing Doorndos to jump out in front of the pack in first place.

San Jose Grand Prix winner Robert Doornbos picked up his second win of the season by taking the checkered flag on July 29. Boorndos moved 10 points behind Sebastien Bourdais in the 2007 Champ Car points standings with the win. Photo by Dwayne Woods

Doorndos held his lead before pitting on lap 54, reentering the track in third place as Jani picked up the lead. Then, on lap 76, luck turned Doorndos’ way, as Paul Tracy (Forsythe Championship Racing), ran out of fuel just short of pit road, forcing another yellow flag and prompting the entire field to pit. Doorndos wasted little time, jumping out in front of the pack coming out of the pits for the lead, followed by Jani and Servia. Jani ended up passing Doorndos on lap 84 at the hairpin, allowing the eventual second place finisher to hold the lead for 12 laps. Finally, on lap 96, Doorndos regained his lead over Jani, passing the PKV Racing rookie at the hairpin before building up better than a six-second gap for the win.

“You should never give up,” said Doorndos. “I mean, the race is so long, it's the longest I've done in my career. I raced in F1, I raced in junior formulas in Europe. 1 hour 45 (minutes) is really, really long. Anything can happen. Street circuits are physically and mentally very demanding so you can wait for other people to make mistakes.”

Other drivers weren’t as lucky as Doorndos. Justin Wilson (CDW-RSPORTS) held pole position for the third annual San Jose Grand Prix but finished 20 laps behind after Dan Clarke (Minardi Team USA), who started on the grid in third, rear-ended the CDW-RSPORTS race car under a yellow flag during the fourth lap. Wilson ended up in pit road for extensive repairs on his drive shaft and rear suspension and promptly fell 21 laps behind before reentering the track. Wilson finished the day in 13th place.

Robert Doornbos celebrates his win at the third annual San Jose Grand Prix on July 29. Doornbos picked up the second win of his rookie season in Champ Car, finishing 6.145 seconds ahead of Neel Jani. Photo by Dan Miranda

“I hadn't even gotten to the exit of turn 6 and I got rammed from behind,” Wilson said. “I do not know what Dan (Clarke) was thinking, he must not have been paying attention and just came flying into the back of me.”

Clarke, on the other hand, was finished by lap 6, getting a damaged front wing replaced in the pits following his collision with Wilson, before losing his nose a second time in a collision with Legge.

Two-time San Jose Grand Prix winner Bourdais also fell on hard times. After briefly taking the lead on the first lap by passing Wilson at the hairpin turn, Bourdais inadvertently stalled his car during the first yellow flag – Boorndos’ accident – causing the Frenchman to fall back into eighth place. Bourdais ended up finishing fifth, holding onto a slim 10-point lead in the Champ Car standings over Boorndos.

“During the yellow I got a little greedy I guess,” Bourdais said. “I just tried to save too much fuel and tried seventh gear with low revs at the hairpin and when I released the clutch the car died. It was a tough day for the McDonald's team.”

Doorndos said one of the key differences in the win was his use of the regular black-walled Bridgestone tires, while Jani opted for the alternate Bridgestone red tires.

Champ Car rookie Neel Jani finished second at the third annual San Jose Grand Prix on July 29. Jani led the race for 12 laps before Robert Doornbos passed him at the hairpin turn on lap 96. Photo by Dwayne Woods

“Coming into the last 20 laps of the race, I saw Neel on the reds and I was thinking, ‘Man, you have the wrong choice of tires because the reds didn't work for me,’” Doorndos said.

Jani noted that his choice of the red tires ended up making a difference as well.

“In the end, the reds were just way too bad and they went on me big time, just under steer then over steer,” Jani said. “It was hard to keep Robert. In the end, he had a good run and he was so quick in the end. I was just looking that I could maybe keep Oriol behind me. Definitely, I'm disappointed after leading so many laps.”

“I saw him going sideways a bit,” Doorndos added, in recalling his pass of Jani on lap 96. “I just lined them up, fair and square going into the hairpin, then I just pulled away. The team was sort of trying to calm me down, like, ‘bring it home, bring it home.’ You know, the minutes couldn't go quicker. It's just a great way to finish the weekend.”

It’s a family matter

Local family-owned Atlantic Series group Sierra Sierra
Enterprises cut from a different racing cloth

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

If the owners of Sierra Sierra Enterprises had it their way, they would probably prefer to hold meetings about their Champ Car Atlantic Series race team in the family kitchen.

And quite frankly, they can, considering the ownership group, which consists of Diane and Dennis Kottke, as well as daughters Stacey Behrendt and Kendra Pacheco, who all own homes on the same block in Evergreen. While Behrendt and Pacheco currently reside in Evergreen, their parents split time between their Evergreen home and their residence in Minden, Nev., where the Sierra Sierra Enterprises team is officially based.

Sierra Sierra Enterprises owner Stacey Behrendt (center-left) had reason to smile after driver Raphael Matos (center-right) won the 2007 Atlantic Series Championship with a fourth place finish in San Jose on July 29. Last year in San Jose, Matos picked up his first career Atlantic Series win. Photo by Dan Miranda

“It makes it very convenient to get together,” Behrendt said. “It’s good.”

The ownership group noted that racing has always been a part of the family, and that the sport is also a part of the reason why the family is so close. Spending summers at race tracks around the country, said Pacheco, is family time at its finest.

“Of course, when we get together, we tend to talk about racing a lot,” Pacheco said. “But it’s a nice thing to do together. Stacey’s kids come to the track, my kids come to the track, so it’s a nice way to spend some time together with the family.”

“I think it’s really special because our summers are based around all of us being together,” added Behrendt. “The amount of time we spend together as a family is something that is priceless.”

All the more special, Behrendt and Pacheco said, because they grew up with a passion for racing, thanks to their parents.

“We watched racing a lot when we were growing up,” Behrendt said. “A lot.”

Diane Kottke also noted the bond the family shares through racing. More than that, however, Kottke noted that she appreciates the hard work her daughters put in to making the team top notch.

“It’s very nice for me,” said Kottke. “I wouldn’t be able to do it without these two.”

All told, the Sierra Sierra Enterprises team has local flavor in spades. The company’s primary sponsor, Proworks, Inc., is a private, Santa Clara-based manufacturing company with two facilities in the area. To that end, a weekend at the San Jose Grand Prix is special, the group said, not only because the family gets to rest in their own beds for a change, but because the team gets to race in front of the home crowd.

Sierra Sierra Enterprises driver Raphael Matos hugs team owner Diane Kottke after clinching the 2007 Atlantic Series Championship with a fourth place finish in San Jose on July 29. Photo by Dan Miranda

Success on the San Jose street course

Sierra Sierra Enterprises driver Raphael Matos kicked off a momentum swing for the group by winning his first Champ Car Atlantic Series race in San Jose last year.

“The win last year was huge,” Behrendt said. “We came off a really disappointing week the weekend before (in Edmonton). Raphael was leading the race the week before and he hit the wall with about seven laps to go in that race. To put everything back together one week later and put everything behind us to get that was just an amazing victory. It was more than you could ever have hoped. It was emotional and overwhelming.”

Since then, there’s been a steadily climb in success for the team. Matos clinched the Champ Car Atlantic Series Championship in San Jose on July 29 with a fourth place finish on the street course—a first for both Matos and the ownership group, which originally became involved with the Atlantic Series in 2002 when Diane and Dennis Kottke initially formed a team.

“They had some time to kill,” Pacheco said with a chuckle, “so they started a race team, because they’ve always loved to race and they kind of met through racing.”

And since family comes first for the ownership group, the rest of the Sierra Sierra Enterprises team is treated accordingly--as family.

“Because racing has such a team environment, it’s very important that everybody within the team has chemistry with each other,” said Behrendt. “You can have a driver who’s fast, but if there’s no chemistry between that engineer, with that driver, or other key people on the team, you’re not going to succeed. …When we choose our drivers, we don’t look strictly during their tests at their speed. It’s how their feedback is and how they get along with the rest of the team. There’s some development you can do.”

The family-themed atmosphere at Sierra Sierra Enterprises hasn’t gone unnoticed by the team’s drivers as well. Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe signed on with Sierra Sierra Enterprises prior to the start of the 2007 season and said he found a difference right away in the way things are handled.

Sierra Sierra Enterprises driver Raphael Matos (foreground) is in his second season with the team and won the 2007 Atlantic Series Championship with a fourth place finish in San Jose on July 29. Matos’ Sierra Sierra Enterprises James Hinchcliffe (background) signed on with the team prior to the start of the 2007 season. Photo by Ron Stenn

“The minute I showed up for the first test I went to, it was pretty apparent that these guys kind of do things a little bit differently,” Hinchcliffe said. “At this level, a lot of these teams are very corporate and they are businesses more than they are race teams. As soon as you walk into the tent at Sierra Sierra, you can just feel that it’s a much more family atmosphere. It’s very passionate. They’re not here because they have to be; they’re here because they want to be. That’s the kind of attitude you love to see in a race team.”

Matos, in his second season with Sierra Sierra Enterprises agreed with Hinchcliffe’s assessment.

“It’s a family team, but at the same time, it’s a very professional manner in which they do everything,” Matos said. “…It’s a really great environment. I think it’s a very important thing to have on a team.”

And despite the rigors of the Champ Car Atlantic Series schedule, such as traveling and other logistics, the ownership group said it wouldn’t change a thing, because after all, they’re still around their family.

“We travel a lot, but we see very little of the towns in all reality,” Behrendt said. “So when you come home, to know that you spent all that time with your family and a team that we consider family is just special.

Monterey’s Bomarito wins Atlantic Series race at San Jose Grand Prix

Raphael Matos clinches 2007 Atlantic Series Championship; pair of youngsters win Formula BMW races

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

It was a particularly good day for two drivers in the Champ Car Atlantic Series race at the San Jose Grand Prix on July 29.

First place finisher Jonathan Bomarito (center), second place finisher Frank Perera (left) and third place finisher Robert Wickens (right) celebrate their podium finishes in the Champ Car Atlantic Series race at the 2007 San Jose Grand Prix on July 29. Photo by Dan Miranda

Pole-sitter Jonathan Bomarito (PR1 Motorsports), a Monterey native, capped off a successful weekend at the San Jose Grand Prix by taking the checkered flag in the Atlantic Series race on July 29, leading the pack from start to finish. To boot, Raphael Matos captured his first Atlantic Series Championship by finishing fourth in the race. Matos came into the weekend leading all Atlantic Series drivers with 291 points and with the championship title, earned a $2 million bonus to be used to supplement sponsorship for a Champ Car ride next season.

Bomarito’s win in San Jose was the first of his 2007 season and the second Atlantic victory of his career. Bomarito, who had approximately 100 family members and friends in attendance, said it was a weekend he won’t soon forget.

“It just feels incredible being here in San Jose, there’s so many friends and family here,” said Bomarito. “With the season we’ve had up to this point, it’s just a remarkable feeling. It’s been a tremendous weekend from the second we put the car on the track. …It’s great to be back up here. What a great feeling.”

Meanwhile, Matos (Sierra Sierra Enterprises) wrapped up his first Atlantic Series Championship by finishing fourth in the race, earning the 25-year-old Brazilian driver a $2 million bonus to be used for a possible ride with a Champ Car team next season. The championship win was also a first for the Sierra Sierra Enterprises team, owned by San Jose locals Dennis and Diane Kottke and their daughters, Stacey Behrendt and Kendra Pacheco.

After winning his first career Atlantic Series race last season in San Jose, Matos returned to the downtown street course in 2007 having won six races this season. His fourth place finish was the 10th top four result this season as well.

Jonathan Bomarito, a Monterey native, took the checkered flag in the Champ Car Atlantic Series race at the 2007 San Jose Grand Prix on July 29. Bomarito said he had a cheering section of about 100 at the race, consisting of family and friends.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Matos. “I can’t really describe what I’m feeling right now. It’s definitely like a dream coming true. I’ve worked my whole life and I’ve dreamed about this moment. …I can’t thank enough the Sierra Sierra Enterprises/Proworks, Inc. team. This is the second year they’ve given me the chance to drive this car. They’re like a family to me. I love them for life, and I appreciate very much what they’ve done for me.”

Rookie driver Frank Perera (Condor Motorsports) finished second in the race, 0.898 seconds behind Bomarito for his seventh consecutive podium. Perera entered the race trailing Matos for second in Atlantic points standings with 251 points.

“It’s good to be on the podium again, for sure,” said Perera, who began the race second on the starting grid. “It was a tough, tough race because Jonathan was quick all this weekend.”

Finishing third in the race was rookie Robert Wickens (Forsythe Championship Racing), who began third at the starting grid before Matos, starting in the No. 4 spot, passed him at the hairpin turn during the early stages of the race. Wickens later reclaimed his third spot, passing Matos at the hairpin with six laps to go following a restart.

Another local driver, rookie Tom Sutherland (Team Jensen), who graduated this year from Los Gatos High School, finished 13th in the race--his best finish of the season.

Teenagers rule the street course in Formula BMW races
Fifteen-year-old driver Alexander Rossi (Team Apex Racing USA) earned his first Formula BMW USA win during the first of two Formula BMW races at the third annual San Jose Grand Prix on July 28.

Atlantic Series driver Raphael Matos placed fourth in the Champ Car Atlantic Series race, giving the Sierra Sierra Enterprises driver the 2007 Atlantic Series Championship. Photos by Ron Stenn

Rossi, a California native from Nevada City, started the race in pole position and never relinquished his lead, leading the pack for all 25 laps, finishing 1.370 seconds ahead of second place finisher Maxime Pelletier.

It’s fantastic,” said Rossi. “There are so many things that make today special. It’s my home race and there are a lot of people here to watch me, so it was great to put on a good show for them. My team have been absolutely unbelievable in giving me a car good enough for the pole and the win.”

Rookie driver Esteban Gutierrez followed suit the next day, taking the checkered flag in Formula BMW USA’s second race of the weekend on July 29, edging out second-place finisher Daniel Morad by 4.685 seconds. Like Rossi, Gutierrez (Autotecnica), who will turn 16 on Aug. 5, led from start to finish in the 26-lap race to earn his third victory of the season

SPORTS BRIEFS

Silicon Valley Tigers youth tackle football now accepting applications
The Silicon Valley Tigers are still accepting applications for players between the ages of 6 and 14 for their youth
tackle football teams.  We are a non-profit organization that was founded in 2006. We are dedicated to preparing
the youths of Silicon Valley to play football at the high school level. We are a member of the highly competitive NYFL football league.

To register or for more information, please go to our web site www.siliconvalleytigers.com and follow the instructions.  We have excellent coaching staffs in place for all teams.   If you have any questions about the Tigers or the NYFL, please contact Mary Ann O'Hara at 408-646-7748, Rod Abarca at 408-836-7844 or email rod@siliconvalleytigers.com.

Bay Area Boot Camp 5K Fitness Training Program
Boot Camp dates are from September 10 - November 4 at South Bay locations. The cost is $125 - All proceeds benefit the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative. The 5K Fitness Training program, developed by Bay Area Boot Camp’s expert coaching staff, is a comprehensive workout series designed to prepare you for the Silicon Valley 5K Run/Walk on November 4, 2007.

Designed for runners of all levels, this 8-week program includes:

8 weekly training sessions led by Bay Area Boot Camp coaches

A detailed schedule of running, speed, and cross-training drills

A Training log to help you track your progress and keep your focus

An 8-week nutrition plan designed to support your training and optimize your energy level

Unlimited phone and email support from our coaching staff of veteran 5K, 10K, and marathon runners

15% off September and October Boot Camp sessions - an ideal way to enhance your race preparations and cross train in a supportive group environment

A pre-race party – get to know your fellow 5K racers and learn more about BAWSI!

For more information, contact Mary Beth Gonzales at marybeth@bayareabootcamp.com or phone 408-425-9475. Visit our website at www.bayareabootcamp.com

Evergreen Valley Church partners with Villages Country Club for
fundraising events to benefit local and international charities
The Villages Golf and Country Club will hold a fundraising golf tournament on August 19 at 1 p.m., followed by a walk-a-thon along Coyote Creek at 2 p.m., and a Hawaiian Luau Dinner and raffle at Evergreen Valley Church that evening. All proceeds raised on this day will go to support three outreach ministries to children from around the world and around the corner.

Hope Enterprises, Dessie Ethiopia: Our church feeds breakfast to 750 orphans every day of the year and we help fund the school and provide for the needs of these children who are living in hunger, poverty, disease and faced with premature death.

Hope Unlimited for Children, Brazil: We support Hope in making a difference in Brazil by offering shelter, rehabilitation, and education to street children. Hope is breaking the cycle of violence and abuse of living on the streets of Brazil.

Kids Club, San Jose: We are working with public schools to provide a safe and fun learning environment that will help our schools and their families build a positive character in the students and learn life skills that will help them for years to come.

Anyone wishing to play in the golf tournament, be one of our hole sponsors, walk in the walk-a-thon, or attend the dinner can contact the church office at 274-7422 or go to our website at www.EVCSJ.com.


Evergreen Valley College soccer to hold summer camps in August
Evergreen Valley College will be holding summer soccer camps for boys and girls ages five and six, as well as ages
7-14 in June and August.

The Baby Hawks summer soccer camps, for ages five and six, will take place on the following dates:

- Session II – Aug. 6-9, 9-10:30 a.m. (boys and girls)
- Session III – Aug. 6-9, 10:30 a.m.-noon (boys and girls)

In addition, the Advanced Hawks summer soccer camps, for ages 7-14, will take place on the following dates:

- Session II - Aug. 6-9, 9 a.m.-noon (boys and girls)

For more information about the camps, call Evergreen Valley Women’s Soccer head coach Felicia Perez at (408) 274-7900 ext. 6910 or email Felicia.Perez@evc.edu.

Sports Briefs: Sports Briefs listings are subject to the following fee structure: $25 per month, per publication for the Evergreen and Almaden Times; $10 per month, per publication for the monthly newspapers. Indicate publication placement at the time the listing/payment is submitted. Sports Briefs accepts checks – payable to Times Media, Inc – VISA or MC. To charge your payments call Sonia Pineda at 494-7000 x205. Be sure to reference your team/organization with your payment. Listings appear once payments are received. TMI sponsored events and full-proceed charity fundraisers exempted. Email, fax or mail listing text to: candy@timesmediainc.com 1310 Tully Road, Suite 107, San Jose, CA 95122. 408-494-7078 (fax) Limit 200 words. Questions? Call 494-7000 x225.