Homestead-Miami Speedway post-race quotes

GRAND PRIX OF MIAMI POST-RACE QUOTES

MAX ANGELELLI: "I remember last year's race here very well - I ended up in the medical center. This year was difficult, as well. It's good to race in Miami at this time of year, it's pretty hot later in the year. I saved a little bit in my pocket in case I had to use it, and I used it, I was pushing some at the end."

WAYNE TAYLOR: "I'd like to think we came from a strong year last year. In the off-season, we got a new car, and really prepared it with all the right ingredients. There is really some luck involved, but I think we had all the right ingredients to make it happen. Finishing in the top five is like finishing in the top three last year. Our plan was to run 45 minutes to an hour on fuel. The first yellow going in was a different situation. It came at 35 minutes. In hindsight, we could have stayed out and carried on, but the way strategy was planned, we got nearly a lap on everybody but Butch before that caution came out."

BUTCH LEITZINGER: "Really, the only way I could have gotten around Max was through a really opportunistic move. I took a gamble (when he pulled up along Angelelli as they were coming up on Chad McQueen), but it didn't work. It was a longshot move, anyway. Max was a little bit quicker than me. I missed the setup a little bit with the change of temperature, I didn't quite compensate quite enough when we made our race setup, and that hurt us a little bit. We were very close. I'm very happy with the team today, and to continue all the momentum we've had with all these podiums.

ELLIOTT FORBES-ROBINSON: "Second place here, second in the Rolex 24, and we ended off last year like that. We seemed to be stuck there at second, so we've got to win one. The car was so much better. The Crawford guys have done some development and made our car better. We were a little bit off before, and we're not that way now. The Pontiac engine is better than before. We need just a little bit. We were close on our setup. I think we can win the next one out here."

MAX PAPIS: "It was a fantastic success for us today. It was the first time for the Pontiac TRG on the podium. Jorg did a fantastic job in the beginning to bring the car from 11th up to the front. We still don't know a lot about the car, and we got a great result. It shows we got a lot of determination. It's great to see a Pontiac 1-2-3.

JORG BERGMEISTER: "This was only the second time for me in the Daytona Prototypes, so it's a pretty good result. Especially after coming from trouble in qualify. Max already expected a place on the podium. I thought he was optimistic, but it worked out."

MARC BUNTING: "Kevin (Buckler) made a great call that put us in the lead. We stayed out when the 36 car pitted under caution, and we ended up getting a wave-by, and that got us a half-lap on the 36. That's what got it for us. Michael (Levitas) ran over and asked us if we hadn't pitted. Fortunately, we made the right call on the pit stop and got lucky. Awesome, no better way to start out a season. I couldn't be happy to finish on top of the podium. Andy did a great job, and Kevin made a great call to get half a lap back."

ANDY LALLY: "We took the Racer's Group car to our first race of the season and took the points lead. We can't complain about that. It was a super race. Marc gave me a great car. My only problem is I've got a flight at 8:40, and I knew if we won I would probably miss it. We made the right calls today, and the cards fell our way. We've also gotten bit on calls like that, actually."

RANDY POBST: "TPC had the quickest Porsche out here today, but TRG beat us on strategy. I had a great time driving here. We found a way to make the Hoosiers work. It was frustrating, because we had the quickest car by far, but didn't call the right pit strategy. That's how TRG beat us - they called a smarter race."

MICHAEL LEVITAS: "It was a great race. The car really came to us with the temperature of the day. We've worked at Miami many times before, and we always seem to find it in the heat of the day. It seemed to come to us. It's a great comeback for TPC after Daytona."

MATTEO BOBBI: "It was a chaotic race for us. We were involved in two incidents immediately and fell back, but then the car was very good and we set some very good lap times. It's a big shame we had the problems early because we had the speed to have a good result. "For the first incident, I was overtaking a car. We were side by side, but he didn't see me and I spun in turn one. I think something might have been broken in our suspension from that point on. "For the second incident, the car in front of me lost a very big piece of bodywork and it hit the right front of the car, cracking our bodywork. It happened on the banking."

FABRIZIO GOLLIN: "My temperature was 99 before the race; I want to see what it is now! I was OK, but at the end I lost my concentration because of having the flu. I didn't take any risks for the last eight laps or so, because I knew I had nothing to gain and much to lose. The sun was very bad at the end of the race too. I'm happy because our car was fast; my times were quick. I stayed with Papis the whole last hour, even though we had a lot of understeer at the end. After the second stop Kevin changed something to make the car better. Matteo said the car was oversteering at the beginning and at the end it was understeering, but in the middle it was very good. It was not understeering too much to drive it though; it was OK. I pushed hard every lap up until the very end."

KEVIN DORAN, TEAM OWNER OF DORAN RACING: "The good news is that we had the speed today. We had a definite podium car today but we made some mistakes as a team that you can't get away with. In general I'm quite positive because we're fast. We're fast in the short runs, we're fast in the long runs, we're just fast."

CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI: "It was fun leading for so long. I'm a little disappointed because we had a good overall car; we just need to find some more downforce somewhere. We just need some more overall grip. When the tires were new we could definitely run with anybody, but as they wore the car was slipping around a lot."

TERRY BORCHELLER: "The glare from the sun hampered my run. I didn't use the right visor on my helmet, and in the hairpin I couldn't even see the side of the track. I am kicking myself because I should have used a different visor. I had a good battle with the 01 car; I think it was Pruett. We'll take sixth."

-hms-