Oswaldo Negri Jr - News 2004

The 2004 Season

The 2003 Season

The Inside Line: Oswaldo Negri Jr.

12/21/2004

Negri Oswaldo Negri Jr. jumped onto the Grand American radar this year with some great performances in the Michael Shank Racing Daytona Prototype. Some strong podium performances and some very strong drives made Negri recognized throughout the paddock as well as in the stands. Negri was voted as TheRaceSite.com Rising Star of the Year in the Daytona Prototype class. Voters included team owners, Grand Am officials, and members of the media. Negri shared the award with Max Angelelli.
Recently Negri took a short break from off season work to converse with us about topics from Daytona Prototypes to an all star go-kart race.

TheRaceSite.com: The Grand Am Rolex Series has really given a new birth to your career. Fellow teams, officials, and members of the media named you TheRaceSite.com Daytona Prototype Rising Star. The DP class is blossoming into a premiere class in racing. What are your thoughts on the formula and the racing?

Oswaldo Negri, Jr.: I think the series is just fantastic, I had great fun racing this year, it was one of the best years of my career. The Grand American Rolex Series has all the ingredients to be one of the best in the United States. It has top drivers, top chassis manufacturers, great engines and if you mix it all up you see what we saw this year, great fights during the 2:45 minutes of racing.

The cars handle pretty well and are quick, it is not high tech and the manufacturers are not as heavily involved as in other series, making the Rolex series more like a drivers series. The braking zone is not short, permitting great overtaking maneuvers done by the drivers. To finalize, the Rolex series is supposed to be an endurance type of racing, but I don't feel this way. It is flat out from green flag to the end, it is just so cool.

TheRaceSite.com: The 2005 season could be a strong follow up to the success you had in 2004. Do you have any firm plans yet?

Oswaldo Negri, Jr.: Unfortunatly not. I am talking to three good teams, I wished I had a deal already, so I could start concentrating on my driving. This is harder then driving, I mean the waiting.............

TheRaceSite.com: You got a chance recently to compete in the 500 Miles of Granja Viana with Helio Castro Neves and Gil De Ferren. What was that event like?

Oswaldo Negri, Jr.: It was great, we were like three 15 year old kids jumping up and down cheering each other. It is a very big event here in Brazil, we had top drivers from almost every category in the world, F-1. Rubens, Montoya, Massa and Zonta , IRL we had JUST the Champion Tony that is quick in anything he seats on, in my Team alone, we had three Indy 500 wins, with Helio and Gil. Plus other great talents like Marco Adretti, Dan Wheldon and Felipe Giaffone. Now imagine all that with the best of the local talents, you are racing against another 78 Go-Karts and they are all good. It is so hard to explain, you just have to be there to realize what it is.

TheRaceSite.com: What did you learn from your 2004 season in DP's that you will be able to take into 2005 to elevate your success?

Oswaldo Negri, Jr.: I think I had a lot of pressure in 2004, we had to make it happen to keep going, it was almost a race by race deal. I could not have done it without my teammate Burt and the great Mike Shank Team that always gave me the support.

I think that in racing there is always room for improvement, and I am always looking for one. I took a lot of chances that sometimes worked and some did not, maybe if I had a secure ride for the whole year, it could have been a little better, I always drove from my heart.

TheRaceSite.com: The Michael Shank Racing effort surprised quite a few people I think. They came in and were stunningly fast, despite no real sportscar background. What, besides your driving of course, helped give them an edge in their first season?

Oswaldo Negri, Jr.: I Always say that the thing that I most liked about the team, is that Mike has the same desire to win that I have. It doesn't matter how many hours, or what it takes. I could only imagine if we had a budget, what it would have been.

The chemistry was fantastic between me and Dale, my engineer, the mechanics are first class. MSR is an all around professional team that will do well in anything they enter. I really hope that I can announce to your readers soon with good news about 2005, I want to drive in the Series so much, that hurts.

I would like to wish everyone, Happy Holidays and an outstanding 2005.

<< back to top

Michael Shank Racing’s Oswaldo Negri Named “Rising Star”

12/17/2004

2004 Michael Shank Racing driver Oswaldo Negri was recently named as the “Grand American Daytona Prototype Rising Star” in a survey of Grand American teams and officials, as well as a panel of media members. Negri shares the award with Max Angelelli, who also had a stand out 2004 season. Negri co-drove the Lexus-powered Doran with young Burt Frisselle, and the driver pairing proved potent, netting two podium finishes during the season and taking the MSR car to sixth in the team championship.

“I am quite honored to have been named for this award,” said Negri. “This season was one of my best ever. Even though it was the team’s first year in the series going against some bigger teams, we always had a competitive chance, and it was very rewarding. I have to thank the Frisselles and whole Michael Shank Racing team for the faith that they showed in me, and all the hard work that they do, because if they hadn’t done such a good job all season, Burt and I would have never been able to show our speed.”

Negri, who took championships in his native Brazil and went on to race in England against guys with names like Barrichello, Coulthard, and de Ferran, brought speed and experience in the Daytona Prototype to the team, having contested a limited schedule of races in 2003. He also brought a wealth of experience developing race cars, as his time in F3 and Indy Lights had led to him being tapped by Barber Dodge and Formula BMW USA to develop their cars as a test driver.

Eager to show they were well-placed in the category, and working to make the most of the opportunity, Negri and Frisselle scored a coup in just their first race together, hustling their way to third place in qualifying and backing that up with a scrappy run to third in the race behind a Michael Shank Racing crew that was adapting quickly to the special challenge of pit stops in sprint-format endurance racing.

After a series of setbacks in the mid season that saw the team fall in the championship order, Negri and Frisselle kept their heads and their positive attitude, fighting all the way to close the season out with yet another top-ten at California Speedway.

“This is a great thing for Os to get the recognition we feel he deserves,” said team owner Mike Shank. “He played a big part in our first season as we learned the nuances of the car and of the endurance category. We are hoping we will be able to include him in our 2005 plans, because he has shown us, and everyone in the Rolex paddock, that he deserves to be here.”

Matt Cleary
Matt Cleary Communications, L.L.C
matt@cleary.net
317.908.2975

<< back to top

TheRaceSite.com Announces 2004 Award Winners

12/13/2004

Award TheRaceSite.com asked all season long teams, all officials, and a long list of members of the media to vote on the 2004 TheRaceSite.com awards. The results have been tabulated and the final awards have been announced. The award categories included Rising Star Awards in all classes of Grand American Rolex and Grand Am Cup, Crew Chief of the Year Awards in all classes of Grand American Rolex and Grand Am Cup, and Paint Scheme of the Year in Grand American Rolex and Grand Am Cup.
These awards have been given out in the past from TheRaceSite.com for the Grand Am Cup series, but in 2004 the awards have expanded to the Rolex Series.

The Rising Star Award is voted on upon the basis that these drivers are on their way to becoming stars in the sportscar racing world. Past champions of a professional North American series and past winners of a TheRaceSite.com Rising Star Award were not eligible.

Grand American Rolex Daytona Prototype Rising Star (Tie):
Max Angelelli (SunTrust) and Oswaldo Negri, Jr. (Michael Shank Racing)
Max Angelelli helped lead the SunTrust Racing effort to a second place finish in the Grand Am Rolex points. Italian born, Angelelli has enjoyed success across the Atlantic but the 2004 season was a breakout season for him in the states. Three wins in the Grand Am Rolex Daytona Prototypes as well as success in the World Challenge GT class gave Angelelli recognition for his talents in the states. The 2005 season looks to be strong for the aggressive Italian as he will be back with SunTrust Racing in a new DP in their bid for the 2005 title.

Oswaldo Negri Jr. didn't score a win in 2004 but proved very talented with two podium finishes in the Michael Shank Racing Doran. Paired with Burt Frisselle, Negri also drove with ferociousness to place himself and Frisselle twelfth in the Driver's Championship. Silly season movements have seen Frisselle move to Synergy Racing to pair with his brother in a DP leaving Negri temporarily without a ride, a situation that probably won't last for this talented Brazilian.

Grand American Rolex GT Rising Star:
Justin Marks (Team PTG)
Driving for Team PTG, Justin Marks scored four wins and took third place in the Championship. Marks started out the season paired with fellow rookie Joey Hand. Midseason he got the opportunity to pair with veteran Bill Auberlen. Marks found success in both the GT class and the World Challenge Touring class. The future looks bright for this young American as he looks to be back with PTG next season and his efforts with Turner may expand next year to other opportunities.

Grand American Rolex Super Grand Sport Rising Star:
Craig Stanton (AASCO, Planet Earth, G&W Motorsports)
Driving for various teams through the 2004 season, Criag Stanton had a break out season. Stanton found success in the Rolex Series, the Grand Am Cup series, and the GT class of ALMS. Early in the Rolex season Stanton won a race and scored a second place finish with the AASCO effort. Later in the season Stanton took on the role of driving instructor for the young driver Mae Van Wijk scoring her a season high fourth place finish as her co-driver.

Grand Am Cup Grand Sport Rising Star:
Craig Stanton (TheRaceSite.com Racing)
Voters proved that they thought Stanton is a star on the rise as they named him the Rising Star in two different classes. Driving for TheRaceSite.com Racing in Grand Am Cup, Craig Stanton had a career season. Stanton started the season out with Terry Borcheller and the duo won the first three races together. In the fourth race Stanton found himself paired with long time teammate David Murry and the duo went on to win three more races. The total of six wins and two poles scored Stanton the Driver Championship, his first professional title.

Grand Am Cup Sport Touring Rising Star:
Will Turner (Turner Motorsports)
With the dual role of both Team Owner and Driver, Will Turner had very busy weekends. In addition Turner also ran a World Challenge Touring effort that scored Bill Auberlen the Driver's Championship. In Grand Am Cup Turner and his co-driver Don Salama missed out on the Drivers title by the slimmest of margins to the SpeedSource effort. Turner's performances in his BMW didn't go unnoticed as his peers named him the Rising Star in the Sport Touring class.

Crew Chief of the Year Award
The Crew Chief of the Year award doesn't necessarily go to the team with the most success, but rather to the Crew Chief that utilized the resources available to their team to get the most success out of the vehicle package they had to work with.

Grand Am Rolex Daytona Prototype Crew Chief of the Year:
Kent Holden (#01 CompUSA)
When the 2004 season started everyone expected CompUSA to be a force in the Grand Am Rolex Series. With ownership shared by Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates, it seemed as if the team would be a sure thing to win races. However even with the right budget and equipment, no team can have success without the right people behind the project. Coming into a new situation with no previous Daytona Prototype experience for the team, Kent helped Scott Pruett and Max Papis win eleven pole positions, three wins, and the DP Championship in the CompUSA Riley and Scott Lexus.

Grand Am Rolex GT Crew Chief of the Year:
Pascal Bussy (Orbit Racing)
The Crew Chief award is supposed to go to the person who utilized their resources to secure the highest level of performance from their team. Orbit Racing certainly didn't have the largest budget, but they certainly scored success on the track. The 2000 Porsche Cup Champion, Mike Fitzgerald, led the driving lineup that included the progressing talents of Jay Policastro and Joe Policastro. Bussy helped lead the team to a GT class win at the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona, three podiums, and five top fives. In a season dominated by the factory backed BMW effort, the results from Orbit Racing were enough to earn Pascal Bussy the Rolex GT Crew Chief of the Year from his peers.

Grand Am Rolex Super Grand Sport Crew Chief of the Year:
Tom Chan (TPC Racing)
TPC Racing had a banner year in Super Grand Sport this season. The team ran three Porsche GT3 Cups all season long (except for the 24 Hours). Every one of the three cars won and the team ended up with seven wins, twenty three podiums, and the Team, Driver, and Manufacturer Championship. The success of the TPC Racing effort was recognized by their peers as the team earned the Super Grand Sport Crew Chief of the Year Award for Tom Chan.

Grand Am Cup Grand Sport Crew Chief of the Year:
Mike Thomas (TheRaceSite.com Racing)
The Phoenix ProMotions effort ran the Grand Am Cup TheRaceSite.com Racing Porsche effort as well as the Grand Am Rolex Orison Planet Earth Motorsports Porsche effort. By season end the team had racked up sixty seven entries in the two series and their Grand Am Cup effort scored the Driver, Team, and Manufacturer Championship. Thomas has been with the team since 1993 and has helped lead the team to five of the team's seven professional Team Championships since the team inception in 1984.

Grand Am Cup Sport Touring Crew Chief of the Year:
Bobby Khavidi (SpeedSource Race Engineering)
SpeedSource Race Engineering entered the 2004 season with thoughts of winning races and visions of a Championship. With a brand new Mazda RX-8 that needed developing, the Florida based effort embarked upon a season long venture that saw them wrap up the Driver Championship in the last race of the season. Four wins and a reputation of reliability in their first year with the rotary Renesis engine helped earn Khavadi the Sport Touring Crew Chief of the Year.

Best Paint Scheme
The Best Paint Scheme of the Year Award was voted on by teams, members of the media, and series officials as well. The voting was very tight in this category as the Rolex winner had only one vote more than the three way tie for second and in Grand Am Cup the winner only had two more votes than second.

Grand Am Rolex Best Paint Scheme:
Orison Planet Earth Motorsports
Sporting the earth on the Porsche silhouette, the Orison Planet Earth Motorsports effort's Porsche GT3 Cup won the Grand Am Rolex Best Paint Scheme Award. The effort finished in first only one vote ahead of a three way tie for second that included Brumos Racing, CompUSA, and TPC Racing. The scheme was the brainchild of Will Nonnamaker and has been in the sportscar racing world since 1996 when it debuted on the team's Mazda MX-6.

Grand Am Cup Best Paint Scheme:
TheRaceSite.com Racing
With a distinctive Black and Red car combined with a lightening bolt on the side of the car, TheRaceSite.com Racing took home the Grand Am Cup Best Paint Scheme. With only two more votes than past winner of the award, SpeedSource Race Engineering, the voting was tight in the Grand Am Cup series as well.

With the 2005 season coming less than six weeks from now the coming season will be an exciting and challenging one for teams and drivers. Increased competition in every class of the two series will force teams to double their development efforts in the off season if they want to stay on top. The Grand American Rolex and Grand Am Cup season get kicked off at the newly renovated Daytona International Speedway on February 4th through the 6th.

Presented by HRPWorld.com

<< back to top

Oswaldo Negri teams with de Ferran, Carrapatoso and Castroneves for all-star karting enduro in Brazil

11/16/2004

(Miami, FL)-Michael Shank Racing’s Oswaldo Negri teamed with Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, and World Karting champion Rubens Carrapatoso in the Granja Viana 500 in Brazil this weekend, storming from fifty-third on the grid of seventy to take second place just fifteen seconds behind 2004 Indy Racing League Champion Tony Kanaan after a late-race pit miscue cost Negri’s squad the win in the nearly eleven-hour event.

Negri proved quick in practice, so the team selected him to qualify the kart but a problem with the fuel pump kept him from producing any fast times, leaving the team to fight from mid-field. But the Brazilian squad was more than up to the task, as Carrapatoso took the helm for the start, and hauled the kart up to the lead in his first stint.

“It was amazing, Carrapatoso turns the kart over to me in the lead, and it doesn’t have a single scratch on it after passing all those karts!” said Negri.

Negri then took the wheel, keeping the car competitive during a brutal two-hour and forty-five minute stint, even lapping Rubens Barrichello (part of the winning squad that included Kanaan, Dan Wheldon, and Philippe Giaffone) before turning the car over to countryman Castroneves, who was also able to keep the car in the lead.

Castroneves in turn passed the driving duties over to former Penske teammate de Ferran, who had to turn the kart back over to Carrapatoso after he injured his ribs on the rough circuit. Carrapatoso did everything he could to take the win, but a line of karts waiting in the pits for fuel in the closing laps of the enduro kept the team from taking the victory.

“We all went down for some fun-see some old friends, have a good time in the karts for the race, but in those closing laps, those guys were fighting for that win like it was the last race in the world, and there was no joking around,” said Negri. “With a field of drivers as talented as this-probably the most skilled collection of drivers in any race-its not too surprising that it was so competitive.”

Negri, who is hoping to return to the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2005 and build on the positive momentum he generated with the Michael Shank Racing team, was nursing some sore ribs upon his return to the States.

“It hurts a little bit, but that will go away,” said Negri. “It was very special to be racing there, to have the exceptional teammates that I did, and to come so close to winning. I really had a good time, and of course, we can start thinking now about how to make sure we win next year…”

Matt Cleary
Matt Cleary Communications
matt@cleary.net
317.722.1838

<< back to top

Corrida emocionante de Negri/ Gil/ Helinho e Carrapatoso nas 500 Milhas

15/11/2004

Equipe largou na 53ª posição e terminou em segundo lugar na 8ª edição das 500 Milhas da Granja Viana

São Paulo - O quarteto formado pelos pilotos Oswaldo Negri Jr., Ruben Carrapatoso, Helio Castroneves e Gil de Ferran deu um show de pilotagem, que não será esquecido, no Kartódromo Internacional da Granja Viana. No treino de classificação a equipe sofreu com vários problemas de acerto, e os relegou a uma distante 53ª posição no grid, que abrigou 72 karts.

Negri A largada foi dada pontualmente às 0:00 do domingo, para as 644 voltas no circuito de 1.200 metros. Ruben Carrapatoso, que na última semana venceu as 500 Milhas de Milão, foi o encarregado de largar. Rapidamente a equipe foi galgando várias posições, e ao final da terceira hora de prova, a equipe já ocupava a liderança da prova.

Negri assumiu a condução do kart substituindo Carrapatoso, e manteve o mesmo ritmo avassalador e continuo impondo-se aos adversários, chegando a abrir uma volta de vantagem para os demais. Em segundo lugar se alternavam os karts das equipes de Barrichello, que havia tido um problema de freios ainda na primeira hora, e de Christian Fittipaldi, que vencerá a última edição da prova.

Negri As últimas 200 voltas da corrida acabaram se transformando em uma batalha quase titânica, deixando o público e as equipes em grande suspense. Gil de Ferran havia assumido a condução do kart nº 73, substituindo Hélio Castroneves, mas após 10 voltas passou a sentir fortes dores nas costelas. No kart 72 era conduzido por Tony Kanaan, que havia substituido Felipe Giaffone.

Carrapatoso foi chamado as pressas, e quando Gil entrou nos boxes sua equipe liderava, e quando Carrapatoso voltou, estava em segundo, com vinte segundos de desvantagem. A pilotagem extremamente agressiva de Carrapatoso não somente empolgava, mas o fazia diminuir volta a volta a diferença para Kanaan.

Kanaan & Carapatoso Faltando duas horas para o final, Tony e Carrapatoso estavam disputando os décimos de segundo pela liderança, e após alguns ataques Carrapatoso reassumiu a liderança. Neste momento todos entenderam que salvo algum imprevisto a vitória seria decidida nos reabastecimentos.

Foi exatamente o que aconteceu. Na última parada de Carrapatoso, a balança estava desimpedida, mas na sua frente dois outros karts eram reabastecidos, e com isso a sua vantagem de quase 50 segundos, se transformou em 20 segundos de desvantagem. Kanaan sabendo que seu adversário conseguiu um ritmo fortíssimo, e que as quarenta voltas finais seriam decisivas, se aproveitou brilhantemente de um trabalho de "equipe", ora sendo puxado pelo vácuo de Renato Russo, ora sendo empurrado pelo amigo.

Carrapatoso não encontrava quem pudesse fazer o mesmo com ele, principalmente por que a carenagem do seu kart já estava muito danificada, e um toque mais forte poderia arrancá-la por inteiro, forçando-o a uma parada extra. Faltando 15 voltas, Carrapatoso passou a utilizar Juliano Moro, como seu batedor, lhe abrindo caminho, e lhe proporcionando vácuo.

Na bandeirada a distância que separava o kart de Tony Kanaan/ Rubens Barrichello/ Felipe Giaffone e Dan Weldon, do kart de Negri/ Carrapatoso, Gil e Helinho era de somente 15 segundos, isso após mais de 10 horas e meia de competição.

"Claro que todos queríamos vencer, mas estamos muito felizes. Viemos para brincar, e terminamos com o segundo lugar, após termos largado em 53º", disse Negri. "Nos perdemos a corrida na última parada, ao darmos o azar de pegarmos dois karts ainda sendo reabastecidos, mas não tem nada, ano que vem nos estaremos de volta", falou Negri, que deve disputar novamente a Grand-Am, em 2005.

Granja Na terceira colocação com sete voltas de desvantagem aparecem os campeões do ano passado, Christian Fittipaldi, Mario Haberfeld e Charlie Fonseca. Completaram o pódio Clemente Faria/ Felipe Guimarães/ Rodrigo Piquet com o kart 888, Wagner Ebrahim/ Nathan Silva/ Bruno Barri (kart 116) e Roberto Moreno /Allan Helmeister /Nonô Figueiredo /Matt Jakso l/ Renato Jader David .

Após a bandeirada Helinho, Gil e Negri foram parabenizar Carrapatoso pela belíssima e lícita disputa com Kanaan. Em seguida se juntaram aos amigos que venceram a prova, se cumprimentaram efusivamente e juntos todos posaram para fotos no kart vencedor.

"Foi antes de tudo uma grande festa, e uma competição em altíssimo nível. Adorei correr aqui, mas agora quero dormir até segunda-feira", brincava Gil de Ferran.

Prova válida pela 5.ª e última etapa do Brasileiro de Endurance:

1 Kart 72 - Rubens Barrichello/ Tony Kanaan/ Felipe Giaffone/ Dan Wheldon
2 Kart 73 – Helio Castroneves/ Gil de Ferran/ Osvaldo Negri/ Ruben Carrapatoso
3 Kart 1 - Christian Fittipaldi/ Mário Haberfeld/ Charlie Fonseca
4 Kart 888 - Clemente Faria /Felipe Guimarães /Rodrigo Piquet
5 Kart 116 – Wagner Ebrahim /Nathan Silva /Bruno Bari
6 Kart 91 – Roberto Moreno /Allan Helmeister /Nonô Figueiredo /Matt Jakso l/ Renato Jader David
7 Kart 8 – Pedro Serrano /Luiz Matarazzo /Carlos Araújo /Guiliano Salzano
8 Kart 121 – Marcelo Dias /Rafael Daniel /Thiago Camilo /Norberto Gresse
9 Kart 99 - José França /Renan Goffredo / Hermes Moreira/ José Raul Girondi
10 Kart 511 – Osvaldo Badula/ Mário Maia/ Rogério Garcia/ Eduardo Abrantes/ Bruno Miloni/ Rafael Frigeri
11 Kart 57 – Jorge Borelli/ Felipe Ferreira/ Eduardo Cândio/ Rodrigo Marcheschi
12 Kart 128 – Daniel Landi/ Dennis Dirani/ Alberto Valério
13 Kart 18 – Vítor Meira/ Juliano Moro/ Felipe Maluhy
14 Kart 10 – Guido Palenga/ Jorge Thompson/ Eduardo Corrêa da Fonseca/ Rogério Secco/ Ricardo Bigliazzi/ Roberto Palenga
15 Kart 41 – Roberto Gomes/ Pedro Gomes/ Fernando Wortmann/ Juliano Moro/ Lucas Rodrigues
16 Kart 204 - Tommy Muth/ Wagner Rossi/ Demian Borba/ Sergio Lobo/ Carlos Teixeira/Sergio Slaviero
17 Kart 2 – Eduardo Martins/ André Martins/ Mário Haberfeld/ Charlie Fonseca
18 Kart 4 – Guilherme/ Pedro Biachini/ André Gouveia
19 Kart 102 – Carlos Iaconelli/ Galid Osman/ Felipe Polehtto
20 Kart 142 – Patrik/ João Preto/ Nelson Rangel

JV5Racing
Crédito das fotos: João Vasconcelos
João Vasconcelos

<< back to top

Negri's team gave a show in the 500 Miles of Granja Viana

11/15/2004

Negri The team formed by Oswaldo Negri Jr., Ruben Carrapatoso, Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran had a race that will not be forgotten soon in the traditional 500 Miles of Granja Viana, in Brazil.
In Qualifying the team had problems that caused them to start in 53rd out of 72 karts. The start of the race was at midnight, from saturday to sunday and the race had 644 laps in the 1.2 km track 25 km from the center of Sao Paulo.

After three hours the team of Negri was already leading the race, when Negri assumed the kart and kept the strong pace. Negri even managed to lap the second placed, Rubens Barrichello. But the best was still to come, as Gil assumed the kart with less than 200 laps to go, but had to come back after only 10 laps, with strong back pains.

Negri So, the team of Tony Kanaan and Rubens Barrichello assumed the lead, working together with his team mate Renato Russo to open the way through the crowded track lap after lap. In a very tight battle, that was decided at the last pit-stop, the team of Barrichello had the advantage and won the race, but the show the spectators will not forget was from kart 73, driven by Negri, Carrapatoso, Castroneves and de Ferran.

"Of course a win was our goal, but we came here to have fun and finishing 2nd after having started in 53rd was great" said Negri, that plans to race in Grand-Am again in 2005. "It was first of all a great party and fun. I loved to race here, but now I want to sleep until monday" said de Ferran.
Kanaan & Carapatoso

Race results of the 500 Miles of Granja Viana

1 Kart 72 - Rubens Barrichello/ Tony Kanaan/ Felipe Giaffone/ Dan Wheldon
2 Kart 73 - Helio Castroneves/ Gil de Ferran/ Osvaldo Negri/ Ruben Carrapatoso
3 Kart 1 - Christian Fittipaldi/ Mário Haberfeld/ Charlie Fonseca
4 Kart 888 - Clemente Faria /Felipe Guimarães /Rodrigo Piquet
5 Kart 116 - Wagner Ebrahim /Nathan Silva /Bruno Bari
6 Kart 91 - Roberto Moreno /Allan Helmeister /Nonô Figueiredo /Matt Jakso l/ Renato Jader David
7 Kart 8 - Pedro Serrano /Luiz Matarazzo /Carlos Araújo /Guiliano Salzano
8 Kart 121 - Marcelo Dias /Rafael Daniel /Thiago Camilo /Norberto Gresse
9 Kart 99 - José França /Renan Goffredo / Hermes Moreira/ José Raul Girondi
10 Kart 511 - Osvaldo Badula/ Mário Maia/ Rogério Garcia/ Eduardo Abrantes/ Bruno Miloni/ Rafael Frigeri
11 Kart 57 - Jorge Borelli/ Felipe Ferreira/ Eduardo Cândio/ Rodrigo Marcheschi
12 Kart 128 - Daniel Landi/ Dennis Dirani/ Alberto Valério
13 Kart 18 - Vítor Meira/ Juliano Moro/ Felipe Maluhy
14 Kart 10 - Guido Palenga/ Jorge Thompson/ Eduardo Corrêa da Fonseca/ Rogério Secco/ Ricardo Bigliazzi/ Roberto Palenga
15 Kart 41 - Roberto Gomes/ Pedro Gomes/ Fernando Wortmann/ Juliano Moro/ Lucas Rodrigues
16 Kart 204 - Tommy Muth/ Wagner Rossi/ Demian Borba/ Sergio Lobo/ Carlos Teixeira/Sergio Slaviero
17 Kart 2 - Eduardo Martins/ André Martins/ Mário Haberfeld/ Charlie Fonseca
18 Kart 4 - Guilherme/ Pedro Biachini/ André Gouveia
19 Kart 102 - Carlos Iaconelli/ Galid Osman/ Felipe Polehtto
20 Kart 142 - Patrik/ João Preto/ Nelson Rangel

Granja

João Clemente Vasconcelos
55 11 9736-2398
Pictures by João Vasconcelos

<< back to top

Negri termina em sétimo na Califórnia

01/11/2004

O brasileiro Oswaldo Negri Jr, que compete na Grand-American Rolex Sports Car Series, terminou a última etapa da temporada 2004 da categoria, na sétima colocação. O piloto da equipe Michael Shank Racing (MSR) deu uma grande largada, pulando da sétima colocação para o terceiro lugar, mas para evitar uma batida na primeira curva saiu do trilho e perdeu várias posições.

7th in Fontana Antes mesmo de fecharem a primeira volta, a corrida já estava sob bandeira amarela, com Negri completanto a volta na 12ª colocação. Na relargada o brasileiro partiu em busca do tempo perdido, e evoluiu na prova até o terceiro lugar, quando entregou o carro ao companheiro de equipe, o norte americano Burt Frisselle.

Frisselle voltou a corrida na oitava colocação, e com um ritmo tão forte quanto o de Negri, já ocupava o quarto lugar. O norte-americano travou uma espetacular batalha com o ex-piloto de F-1, Jan Magnussen, e só cedeu a muito custa a posição.

"Lutei o que podia para manter o Jan atrás. Infelizmente um carro GT me atrapalhou, e para não bater no muro deixei o Jan passar", contou Frisselle.

Após a nova rodada de pit-stops, Negri retomou a direção voltando no oitavo lugar. O brasileiro passou a imprimir um ritmo tão forte quando o da classificação, mas não foi possivel evoluir além do sétimo posto.

"Fizemos uma bela corrida nas fases iniciais. No final o carro começou a apresentar uma forte vibração, que acabou impedindo de conseguirmos chegar nos que iam à nossa frente", comentou Negri. "Foi uma pena, porque estavamos muito motivados a dar um bom resultado a MSR", disse ainda Negri.

"Esta foi uma grande temporada, não somente para mim, mas para toda equipe. Tivemos grandes momentos, e também passamos por maus bocados, mas nosso time nunca perdeu o enfoque", falou o brasileiro. "Acho que mostramos o quão forte é este pequeno grupo", continuou Negri.

"Espero que nós possamos trabalhar juntos novamente no futuro, porque esta foi uma das melhores equipes pela qual competi em toda minha carreira", completou Negri.

O dono da equipe, Mike Shank também estava desapontado com o resultado, mas ficou muito contente pelo fato de conseguirem terminar sem se envolver em acidentes com outros carros.

Negri, que ainda não revelou seus planos para 2005, viaja para o Brasil onde disputará as 500 Milhas da Granja Viana junto com Hélio Castroneves e Gil de Ferran. A vitória ficou com a dupla Max Papis/ Scott Pruet, que também conquistaram o título de 2004 da Grand-Am.

Wayne Forbes Robinson/ Butch Leitzinger terminaram em segundo lugar e Darren Manning/ Scott Dixon completaram o pódio.

Resultado final da Lexus Grand American 400

1 - Papis-Pruett (Riley-Lexus) - Ganassi - 89 voltas
2 - Forbes Robinson-Leitzinger (Crawford-Pontiac) - Howard Boss - 89
3 - Manning-Dixon (Riley-Lexus) - Ganassi - 89
4 - Angelelli-Taylor (Riley-Pontiac) - Suntrust - a 1 volta
5 - Theys-Magnussen (Doran-Lexus) - Doran - a 1 volta
6 - Morales-Diaz (Riley-Lexus) - Ganassi - a 1 volta
7 - Negri-Frisselle (Doran-Lexus) - Shank - a 1 volta
8 - France-Haywood (Fabcar-Porsche) - Brumos - a 2 voltas
9 - Duno-Wallace (Crawford-Pontiac) - Howard Boss - a 2 voltas
10 - Martini-Wagner (Doran-Bmw) - G&W - a 3 voltas
11 - Lewis-Rice (Fabcar-Bmw) - Southard - a 3 voltas
12 - Borkowski-Nolte (Riley-Pontiac) - Margraf - a 5 voltas
13 - Milner-Collins (Bmw M3) - PTG - a 5 voltas
14 - Said-Hand (Bmw M3) - PTG - a 5 voltas
15 - Valentine-James-Gleason (Porsche 911) - Racers - a 6 voltas

JV5Racing – 01/11/2004
Foto crédito: Motorsport
João Vasconcelos – (011) 9736-2398

<< back to top

Michael Shank Racing finishes 7th in Fontana Finale

10/31/2004

Fontana, California - The Michael Shank Racing Lexus-powered Doran finished seventh in the season-ending Lexus Grand American Champions Weekend at California Speedway after running as high as third in the early stages of the eighty-nine lap event. Oswaldo Negri took the green flag from seventh on the grid, but was shuffled down the order after going off-track to avoid a spinning car on the first lap, falling to twelfth in the ensuing yellow flag period.

7th in Fontana On the restart, Negri put his head down and made a charge towards the front, passing car after car on his way up to third before handing the car over to Burt Frisselle, who rejoined the field in eighth after the pit stop. Frisselle made some moves of his own, moving up to take fifth place before holding off former Formula One driver Jan Magnussen for several laps before finally ceding the position.

“I held him off as long as I could, but a GT car chopped down on me in the banking, and I had a big loose moment but was able to catch the car and keep it off the wall but Jan was able to get by me,” said Frisselle.

Frisselle held on to sixth as he turned the car back over to Negri, who rejoined in eighth in the closing stages of the race. Negri fought back again, but the car just didn’t have the pace in the closing laps, preventing him from moving up beyond the seventh position.

“We did pretty well in the early stages, but we had a vibration develop in the car, and in the end, I was just hanging on to it,” said Negri. “It’s a shame because we were hungry to get Mike further up in the championship, but at least we were able to get to the finish today.”

“This has been a great season for me and this team-we have had some huge highs, and some tough races, but the team never lost focus and I think we showed how strong this little group is all season,” continued Negri. “I hope that we are able to work together in the future, because this has been one of the best experiences I have had in my career.”

Team owner Mike Shank was also disappointed with the result, but was happy that the car made it to the finish without suffering from contact with any other cars.

“It’s a disappointing result given how fast we were early in the race,” said team owner Mike Shank. “But it’s a finish, and after the last two races we’ve had, its pretty good to get to the finish and still be fighting for it at the end.”

Shank still considered the season a success, and is looking forward to the future with his team.

“It’s really been a banner year for Michael Shank Racing, and I want to thank our drivers Burt and Oswaldo, and everyone who supported us this season, especially Kevin Doran, the Frisselles, TRD and Lexus, and of course my guys, who really made this happen all season.”

Matt Cleary
Matt Cleary Communications, L.L.C
matt@cleary.net
317-908-2975

<< back to top

Negri larga em sétimo na Califórnia

31/10/2004

Negri e Frisselle querem bom resultado para premiar o trabalho da MSR nesta temporada

A equipe Michael Shank Racing (MSR) parte da sétima posição no grid para última etapa da Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, que terá neste domingo a prova Lexus Grand American 400, no autódromo do California Speedway. A equipe do brasileiro Oswaldo Negri Jr, que corre com um Lexus-Doran conseguiu deixar o carro bastante competitivo, apesar do traçado não favorecer a este chassis.

Fontana Negri estabeleceu na melhor volta, no circuito baseado no traçado oval, o tempo de 1m32s598. Este tempo está a somente 0s4 do terceiro colocado no grid. A prova terá 89 voltas, com Negri sendo o encarregado da primeira parte da corrida, e depois cedendo o carro ao seu companheiro de equipe, o norte-americano Burt Frisselle.

"O carro estava realmente muito bom. Infelizmente o (Darin) Manning decidiu tentar sua volta rápida no mesmo momento que nós, e acabou me atrapalhando um pouco", contou Negri. "Nós melhoramos muito desde o início dos treinos, e estamos bastante otimistas para esta corrida. Queremos dar ao Mike e aos mecânicos um belo presente de final de temporada", comentou o brasileiro.

Mike Shank, que ontem anunciou seus planos para temporada 2005, viu seus mecânicos trabalharem muito neste final de temporada para prepararem o carro, e agora está bastante confiante para esta última corrida do ano.

"Somos somente alguns décimos mais lento que o terceiro. Fizemos um progresso gigantesco neste final de semana, se formos olhar para os primeiros treinos", falou Shank. "Nossa equipe trabalhou duro nesta últimas provas, por alguns acidentes de pista. Mas agora está tudo bem, e esperamos sair daqui com mais alguns pontos, e uma boa posição no campeonato", completou Shank.

A pole position ficou com Lexus-Riley de Max Papis, que corre em dupla com o norte-americano Scott Pruett, e estabeleceu o novo recorde para o circuito, com o tempo de 1m 30s962. Ao seu lado na primeira fila aparece o Riley-Lexus de Darren Manning/ Scott Dixon. A largada para prova acontece às 15:00 (horário de Brasília).

Veja o grid para a Lexus Grand American 400

1 Papis-Pruett (Riley-Lexus) - Ganassi - 1m30s962
2 Manning-Dixon (Riley-Lexus) - Ganassi - 1m31s820
3 Morales-Diaz (Riley-Lexus) - Ganassi - 1m32s160
4 ForbesRobinson-Leitzinger (Crawford-Pontiac) - Howard Boss - 1m32s306
5 Angelelli-Taylor (Riley-Pontiac) - Suntrust - 1m32s486
6 Borcheller-Fittipaldi-Barber (Doran-Pontiac) - Bell - 1m32s531
7 Negri-Frisselle (Doran-Lexus) - Shank - 1m32s598
8 Gregoire-Goad (Crawford-Pontiac) - Spirit of Daytona - 1m32s823
9 Law-Donohue (Fabcar-Porsche) - Brumos - 1m33s445
10 Theys-Magnussen (Doran-Lexus) - Doran - 1m33s886
11 Borkowski-Nolte (Riley-Pontiac) - Margraf - 1m34s109
12 France-Haywood (Fabcar-Porsche) - Brumos - 1m35s249
13 Lewis-Rice (Fabcar-Bmw) - Southard - 1m35s269
14 Duno-Wallace (Crawford-Pontiac) - Howard Boss - 1m35s314
15 Guenette-Miller (Chevrolet-Chase) - Chase - 1m35s711
16 Martini-Wagner (Doran-Bmw) - G&W - 1m35s845
17 Milner-Collins (Bmw M3) - PTG - 1m37s819
18 Said-Hand (Bmw M3) - PTG - 1m37s878
19 Auberlen-Marks (Bmw M3) - PTG - 1m38s092
20 Buckler-Flanagan (Porsche 911) - Racers - 1m38s577
21 Assentato-Earle (Maserati Light) - Washington - 1m39s137
22 Cicero-McQueen-Vance (Porsche 911) - Stevenson - 1m39s891
23 Segal-Buchwald (Maserati Light) - Washington - 1m40s413
24 Greenberg-Pumpelly (Porsche 911) - G&W - 1m41s046
25 Valentine-James-Gleason (Porsche 911) - Racers - 1m42s256
26 Bunting-Lally (Porsche 911) - TPC - 1m42s836
27 Escalette-Plumb (Porsche 911) - Stuttgart - 1m43s123
28 West-Faieta (Ferrari 360) - Washington - 1m43s212
29 Alfonso-Traver (Porsche 911) - Grease - 1m43s339
30 Sigal-Brix (Porsche 911) - Grease - 1m43s638
31 Schmitt-Halsmer (Honda Nsx) - Honda America - 1m44s324
32 Del Vecchio-Espenlaub-McKenz (Pontiac) - Horizon - 1m44s517
33 Littlechild-Dumoulin (Porsche 911) - TPC - 1m45s611
34 Ward-Baughman (Porsche 911) - Baughman - 1m45s821
35 Hanson-Yeakle (Corvette) - Baughman - 1m46s045
36 Davis-Bell (Mustang) - ACS - 1m47s177
37 Van Wijk-Stanton (Porsche 911) - G&W - 1m48s704
38 Levitas-Pobst (Porsche 911) - TPC - sem tempo
39 Nonnamaker-Nonnamaker (Porsche 911) - Planet Earth - sem tempo

JV5Racing
foto Crédito: Motorsport
João Vasconcelos – (011) 9736-2398

<< back to top

Michael Shank Racing takes 7th on the grid for Fontana finale

10/30/2004

Fontana, California - The Michael Shank Racing Lexus-powered Doran took seventh on the grid for the season finale Lexus Grand American Champions weekend at California Speedway. The team is feeling competitive after their best lap time of 1:32.598 seconds on the oval-based road course was just .4 of a second behind the best time of the third-place car. Sunday’s 89-lap race is scheduled to get underway at 1:00 local time and will be televised live on Speed Channel.

Oswaldo Negri took the wheel for the qualifying session, and will start Sunday’s race before turning the driving duties over to teammate Burt Frisselle.

“The car was quite good, actually,” said Negri. “Unfortunately, (Darin) Manning decided to give himself a gap in traffic on my fastest lap and blocked me. We have improved a lot since the beginning of the weekend, and should be pretty competitive tomorrow. We just want to give Mike and the guys a strong finish to the season.”

Team owner Mike Shank, who announced plans today for the 2005 season, has seen his guys put in some late nights this season preparing the 6 car, and is feeling much better about the team’s chances after the improvements made during the weekend.

“We are just a couple of tenths from being in the top three, so we’ve made a ton of progress already this weekend, considering where we started out,” said Shank. “We are back in the ball park now, and should be good for the race. The guys have been working hard to fix some niggling problems, but have got everything sorted and are hoping we can get some good points tomorrow for the championship.”

Matt Cleary
Matt Cleary Communications, L.L.C
matt@cleary.net
317-908-2975

<< back to top

Mears and Borkowski join Michael Shank Racing for 2005

10/30/2004

Fontana, California (30 October 2004)--Mike Shank announced today that his team will campaign the Mears Motor Coach-liveried Pontiac-Riley with drivers Mike Borkowski and Paul Mears Jr. for the 2005 Rolex Sports Car Series season.

“We are excited to be announcing that we will be competing the full 2005 season with Mike and Paul,” said Shank. “The Riley-Pontiac combination has shown itself to be a strong package this season, and we are looking forward to getting familiar with the Riley chassis and beginning to prepare for next season.”

Michael Shank Racing made the transition from the sprint format of Toyota Atlantic competition into the endurance racing format of the Rolex Sports Car Series look easy this season, scoring a podium with drivers Burt Frisselle and Oswaldo Negri in just the teams second start in the category and going on to regularly compete in the top five.

Having seen first-hand the effort and results that the MSR team has produced this season, the decision about which team to work with for 2005 was not a difficult one for Mears and Borkowski.

“Mike and his guys do a great job, and have shown that week in and week out this season,” said Mears. “It’s going to be an exciting partnership, and I look forward to seeing the results that it yields.”

With one round yet remaining, the Riley chassis has scored a total of eleven pole positions and six wins during the 2004 season, with three of those victories utilizing Pontiac power. Shank is looking forward to getting the most out of the combination, but is also working to keep his Lexus-Doran active next season as well.

“My long-standing relationship with Toyota and Lexus is important to me, and Kevin (Doran) has built an excellent race car and provided phenomenal support all season, so I am working on keeping that side of our program together for next season. Hopefully we will have something positive to announce about that in the near future, as we would like to continue our Lexus-Doran program as well.”

Matt Cleary
Matt Cleary Communications, L.L.C
matt@cleary.net
317-908-2975

<< back to top

Michael Shank Racing looks for strong finish to debut season

10/28/2004

The little team that can looking to reverse their own curse after a tough October…

Michael Shank Racing is looking forward to the season-finale Lexus Grand American Champions Weekend at California Speedway this weekend as they hope to overcome two consecutive tough finishes in the last two races and work their way back up the standings in an ultra-competitive championship battle. The Michael Shank Racing Lexus-powered Doran has been near the sharp end of the team championship standings all season, but two consecutive 14th place finishes in October, spurred on by contact from other cars, have left the team fighting for fourth in the championship.

The championship battle is close indeed, with the sister Lexus-powered Doran of Doran/Lista Racing holding on to fourth just three points ahead of the MSR car, with the Barber Motorsports Park-round winners in the 4 car two points back in sixth, and the 2004 Rolex 24-winning 54 car just six markers behind in seventh.

The Michael Shank Racing team has been impressive in their first season of Rolex Sports Car competition, running consistently in the top five all season long, with highlight podium finishes at Homestead and Watkins Glen. The team has adapted quickly to the endurance format of the Rolex Sports Car Series after several successful seasons in the sprint-format of the Toyota Atlantic Championship.

While the team has performed quick pitstops and prepared well-engineered cars all season, drivers Oswaldo Negri and Burt Frisselle have also both held up their end of the deal, showing good speed, feedback, and consistency all season long. The opportunity to race with Mike Shank has been one that Negri has grabbed hold of, providing an important element of the development of the car, as well as serving as a key part of teammate Frisselle’s own progress.

Frisselle, who is one of the youngest drivers in the series, has blossomed in the category, bringing his cut-throat mindset from the open wheel ranks to the closely competitive racing that Rolex provides. Frisselle has had some outstanding drives this season, including his run to the podium at Watkins Glen, where he moved from seventh to second in the closing stages of the race.

Negri and Frisselle will be fighting to make their way into the top ten in the driver championship, which is impressive given that the two were not even entered in the season-opening Rolex 24 race at Daytona.

“I just want to help Mike finish as high up in the championship as possible,” said Negri, who made his Grand American debut at the California facility last season, scoring a podium finish in the GTS class. “The track doesn’t have much grip, but there a couple of good overtaking spots and so hopefully that will help with the slower traffic. This has been a great season for me personally, professionally, and as a team member with these guys, so hopefully we can get a result to go with all the effort that the guys have put in this season.”

Team owner Mike Shank has kept a close eye on the championship battle all season, and knows that if any team can fight back strong, it’s his.

“For us the most important thing is to do as well as we can in the championship at this point,” said Shank. “This has been a tremendous season, with lots of ups and downs, and I am proud of the group of guys who work on this team. Our goal at the outset was to run in the top five all season, and while we haven’t had the finishes we wanted, we have absolutely shown that we are competitive everywhere we go. Hopefully this track will help us get the most out of our Lexus engine, which loves to run fast.”

Matt Cleary
Matt Cleary Communications, L.L.C
matt@cleary.net
317-908-2975

<< back to top

Negri viaja para Fontana para última etapa da Grand-Am

27/10/2004

Oswaldo Negri testa nesta quinta os pneus que irão equipar a categoria em 2005

O piloto brasileiro Oswaldo Negri Jr, viajou nesta quarta-feira para Fontana, onde neste domingo acontece a última etapa da temporada da Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, com a Lexus Grand American 400, no autódromo do California Speedway.

Negri Porém, antes do início dos treinos livres, o piloto da Michael Shank Racing (MSR) irá testar os pneus da Hoosier Racing Tire Corporation, que será o fornecedor oficial da categoria na próxima temporada. Negri foi um dos pilotos escolhidos pela companhia para o desenvolvimento dos pneus, em um claro reconhecimento do brilhante desempenho do piloto nesta temporada.

O piloto da MSR teve seu carro totalmente reconstruído para esta última etapa do campeonato, já que na prova de Birmingham o carro sofreu outro acidente. O Lexus-Doran de Negri e Burt Frisselle, já havia sofrido um violento acidente na prova da Virginia, exigindo que a equipe trabalhasse exaustivamente para recuperá-lo a tempo da prova em Birmingham, quando um retardatário acabou batendo na traseira do protótipo nº 6, quando já vinha lutando pelas primeiras posições.

"O carro foi totalmente reconstruído, ao contrário da última corrida, onde andamos com o carro apenas montado sem os detalhes que tinhamos antes, devido ao acidente de VIR (Virginia International Raceway)", contou Negri. "Apesar da pista não favorecer os chassis Doran, estou confiante que a equipe vai poder me dar um carro competitivo", declarou Negri.

A Lexus está brigando pelo campeonato de construtores, e Negri prometeu fazer todo possível para ajudar na conquista. Negri, que retorna ao Brasil para as festas de final de ano e para as 500 Milhas da Granja Viana, está perto de assinar contrato para próxima temporada da Grand-Am.

"Ainda estamos negociando, mas em breve devo ter boas notícias. Espero terminar a temporada já de contrato assinado, e assim vou receber meu presente de natal antecipado", comentou o brasileiro, que terá Hélio Castroneves e Gil de Ferran como companheiros nas 500 Milhas da Granja.

Programação da Lexus Grand American 400:

Sexta-feira (29/10)

12:40 às 13:20 Treino Livre - (somente para classe Daytona Prototype)
16:10 às 16:55 Treino Livre - Rolex Series

Sábado (30/10)

12:00 às 13:00 Treino Livre - Rolex Series
13:30 às 14:30 Sessão de autógrafos
14:55 às 15:10 Treino de Classificação (classes GT e SGS)
15:20 às 15:35 Treino de Classificação (somente para classe Daytona Prototype)

Domingo (31/10)

12:00 às 12:15 Warmup
15:00 Largada para a Rolex Series California Speedway 400 (400km (89 voltas) ou 2h e 45 minutos de prova)

* (horários de Brasília)

JV5Racing
foto Crédito: João Vasconcelos
João Vasconcelos – (011) 9736-2398

<< back to top

Granja 500

10/27/2004

November 13th is the 8th 500 Miles of Granja Viana. The 500 Miles of Granja Viana race is already a tradition in the international calendar, atracting every year more worldwide motoracing stars.

Granja 2004 This year is no different. F1 drivers Rubens Barrichelo, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Coulthard, Felipe Massa, and Antonio Pizzonia are already confirmed.

From Champ Car Mario Haberfeld, driving with Christian Fittipaldi. From IRL the champion Tony Kanaan. One of the teams considered to be a runner up has 4 Brazilian drivers.

Oswaldo Negri Jr., Helio Castro Neves, Gil de Ferran and Rubens Carrapatozo are also confirmed to race and should give everybody a lot of work to do.

"It will be a big party. We will be in Brazil, see our friends & family and try to be in the podium", said Negri Jr.

The 500 Miles of Granja Viana race at Kartodromo Internacional da Granja Viana, in Cotia-Sao Paulo, in 1997 was just a big end of the year party, but now it has transformed in a big motoracing meeting.

Drivers from different categories like F1, Formula Cart, Indy Racing League, F3000 domestic, Formula Renault, Stock Car, and Copa Clio will be racing against the best go kart drivers and tens of anonymous Brazilian drivers from local championships from Granja Viana.

Something new this year will be the qualifyng session on Friday, one day before race day. Since 1997 the qualifyng session used to be hours before the start of the race.

Oswaldo Negri Jr.

500 Milhas da Granja: Negri, Castroneves e De Ferran disputarão as 500 Milhas

27/10/2004

No próximo dia 13 de novembro acontece a 8ª edição das 500 Milhas da Granja Viana. A prova já se tornou uma tradição no calendário internacional, atraindo a cada ano mais estrelas do automobilismo mundial.

Granja 2004 Este ano não será diferente, uma vez que já confirmaram presença na prova, os pilotos Rubens Barrichello, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Coulthard, Felipe Massa e Antonio Pizzonia da Fórmula 1.

Da Champ Car virá o brasileiro Mario Haberfeld, que mais uma vez fará parceria com Christian Fittipaldi. Da IRL o campeoníssimo Tony Kanaan. Uma das equipes que já pode ser considerada forte candidata as primeiras posições, é composta por três brasileiros.

Oswaldo Negri Jr., Hélio Castroneves e Gil de Ferran já confirmaram a participação, e prometem dar muito trabalho aos concorrentes.

"Vai ser com certeza uma grande festa. Vamos matar a saudades do Brasil, rever os amigos e tentar um lugar no pódio", disse Negri.

A prova que é anualmente disputada no Kartódromo Internacional da Granja Viana, em Cotia, na região metropolitana de São Paulo, chega a sua oitava edição, e aquilo que em 1997 era somente uma festa de confraternização de fim de ano, se transformou em um grande encontro do automobilismo.

Pilotos das mais conhecidas categorias internacionais – como Fórmula 1, Fórmula CART, Indy Racing League, Fórmula 3000 – e domésticas – Fórmula Renault, Stock Car, Copa Clio – medem forças contra os melhores kartistas do ranking brasileiro e dezenas de anônimos que competem regularmente nos campeonatos internos da Granja Viana.

Uma novidade deste ano será a realização das tomadas classificatórias na sexta-feira que antecede a prova, e não mais horas antes da largada, como vinha ocorrendo desde a criação do evento em 1997.

JV5Racing
foto Crédito: João Vasconcelos
João Vasconcelos – (011) 9736-2398

<< back to top

Mike Shank says thank you

10/14/2004

A message from Mike Shank

I just wanted to thank everyone who was responsible for getting our car repaired in time for the race at Barber Motorsports Park. Last week was one of the toughest weeks I have ever experienced in racing, and it was only because of everyone’s dedication, sacrifice, and hard work that we even had the chance to get the car back together and go racing.

The race didn’t end up like we wanted it to, but that didn’t take anything away from the effort everyone put in to get us there. I wanted to thank my guys and also those who have been rooting for and supporting us all season.

I am still overwhelmed when I think of all the support we got from not just our team, but also the teams we go head to head against on the track, and I feel as though my team and I have found a home here in Grand American.

Thanks, and see you in Fontana!

Sincerely,

Mike Shank

Mike thanks-

Dale Wise, Darin Pigg, David Kanning, John Hedges, Ralph Lohr, Bob Lohr, Scott Manno, Dave Metz, Kevin Doran, Reggie Schmeiss, Chris Funderburk, Jeff Graves, Eric Rankine, George Morrison, Brad Nelson, Coleen Delvecchio,Kathy Jammal, and the entire Grand American community.

Matt Cleary
Matt Cleary Communications, L.L.C
matt@cleary.net
317-908-2975

<< back to top

Retardatário tirou Negri da prova em Barber Park

12/10/2004

Acidente tirou Negri e Frisselle da corrida em Birmingham.

Após a Michael Shank Racing (MSR), equipe do brasileiro Oswaldo Negri Jr, e do norte-americano Burt Frisselle, ter reconstruído em tempo recorde o Lexus Doran, da escuderia, um novo acidente acabou com a ótima prova da dupla no último final de semana em Birmingham. Negri havia conquistado o oitavo tempo para a Porsche 250, em Barber Park, 11ª e penúltima etapa da temporada, e estavam muito otimistas para corrida.

Na corrida a equipe vinha fazendo uma corrida fantástica, graças as mudanças efetuadas no warm-up.

Barber Park "Mexemos no set-up no warm-up e o carro ficou excelente. As condições estavam muito difíceis, porque estava garoando, mas todos estavamos de pneus slick", contou Negri. "Comecei a passar um a um, até chegar em terceiro. Pouco antes da primeira bandeira amarela o Wayne Taylor me passou, e fiquei em quarto", disse o brasileiro.

A equipe foi para o primeiro pit-stop, e alguns carros optaram por uma estratégia diferente, assim quando o carro da MSR voltou a pista, ocupava a 11ª posição. Negri, que continuou ao volante, novamente começou a passar um a um os adversários, inclusive superando com grande facilidade os líderes do campeonato, Papis e Pruett, e logo estava em quinto.

"Senti que estava muito mais rapido que os da frente, e apenas esperando uma oportunidade para continuar a passá-los.
De repente, em uma curva fechada para direita, senti uma batida forte atrás. Pensei que havia sido o Papis, pois sabia que era um dos carros da Chip Ganassi atrás de mim", contou. "Na verdade fui atropelado pelo Luiz Dias, que estava uma volta atrás.
Ele me bateu com tamanha força, que saiu rodando, e foi parar somente no guard-rail", comentou Negri, profundamente chateado.

"Foi muito frustrante, pois realmente senti que estava muito mais rápido que os líderes, e já estava pintando aquele gostinho de podium outra vez. Lamentei ainda mais pela equipe, que virou duas noites em claro para reconstruir o carro e deixá-lo competitivo", finalizou o brasileiro.

A vitória ficou com a dupla Wayne Robinson/ Butch Leitzinger, que venceu pela primeira vez nesta temporada. A próxima etapa da Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series, será no dia 31 de Outubro, em Fontana, na California.

JV5Racing
João Vasconcelos – (011) 9736-2398

<< back to top

Michael Shank Racing knocked from strong run at Barber Motorsports Park

10/10/2004

The little team that can got knocked off-track by lapped car for second consecutive race, ending potential run to podium.

Michael Shank Racing finished 14th in class in the Porsche 250 after the lapped 02 Ganassi entry punted the number 6 MSR Lexus-Doran off-track from its fifth position midway through the race, causing significant damage to the rear suspension and derailing a probable podium finish. The incident is the second time in as many weeks that a lapped car has taken the MSR team out of contention. The team had fought all week to get the car repaired in time for the eleventh round of the Rolex Sports Car Championship.

“I’m really upset about the race,” said driver Oswaldo Negri. “It’s just incredible-I was in the lead pack, just biding my time to see what was going to happen with the weather, and I go to turn in, and bang! I’m off and into the barriers—that’s how hard he hit me—it sent me all the way off track and into the wall!”

Negri started the race from eighth, and was up to fourth by just the second lap. Negri stayed in the car during the teams first pit stop, and rejoined the field from tenth position before moving back up the order, passing every car that finished the race on the podium including the race winning 4 car, before the incident with the 02 car put paid to any podium hopes for the small team.

“It’s just so disappointing for the team because we were the leading Lexus at the time, and the guys worked so hard to get the car fixed and ready to race again here at Barber,” said Negri.

Team owner Mike Shank had been hoping for more after all the effort his team put in to get the car ready, and after seeing how fast the car was come race time.

“It’s a huge disappointment,” said Shank. “After putting in the effort we did all week to get back on track, and then to run so strong in the race—Oz had a great stint before he got crashed out, and then to have a car that’s a lap behind us take us out, its just hard to describe how frustrating that

The 2007 Season

The 2006 Season

The 2005 Season

The 2004 Season

The 2003 Season

The Inside Line: Oswaldo Negri Jr.

Michael Shank Racing’s Oswaldo Negri Named “Rising Star”

TheRaceSite.com Announces 2004 Award Winners

Oswaldo Negri teams with de Ferran, Carrapatoso and Castroneves for all-star karting enduro in Brazil

Corrida emocionante de Negri/ Gil/ Helinho e Carrapatoso nas 500 Milhas

Negri's team gave a show in the 500 Miles of Granja Viana

Negri termina em sétimo na Califórnia

Michael Shank Racing finishes 7th in Fontana Finale

Negri larga em sétimo na Califórnia

Michael Shank Racing takes 7th on the grid for Fontana finale

Mears and Borkowski join Michael Shank Racing for 2005

Michael Shank Racing looks for strong finish to debut season

Negri viaja para Fontana para última etapa da Grand-Am

Granja 500

500 Milhas da Granja: Negri, Castroneves e De Ferran disputarão as 500 Milhas

Mike Shank says thank you

Retardatário tirou Negri da prova em Barber Park

Michael Shank Racing knocked from strong run at Barber Motorsports Park