August 4, 2006

Defending San Jose Grand Prix winner Sebastien Bourdais
takes checkered flag again at 2006 Grand Prix

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Sebastien Bourdais took the checkered flag once again on July 29 at the 2006 San Jose Grand Prix, winning the race while putting forth his best driving effort in the final laps of the event.

McDonald’s Newman/Haas Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais, center, reached the top spot on the podium once again at the San Jose Grand Prix, taking home a win to defend his 2005 San Jose Grand Prix title. Overall, it was Bourdais’ fifth win this season. Cristiano da Matta, left, finished second, while Justin Wilson, right, finished third. Photo by Jeff Frazee
Sebastien Bourdais took the checkered flag once again at the 2006 San Jose Grand Prix, defending the title he earned last year at the inaugural event. Bourdais led for 69 laps of the 97-lap race on July 30 to walk away with his fifth win of the season. Photos by Ron Stenn at www.actionphotodesign.com

In winning the 2006 San Jose Grand Prix, Bourdais, driving for the McDonald’s Newman/Haas Racing, also held on to his title as the defending champion of the Inaugural San Jose Grand Prix, held last year. Overall, the win was Bourdais’ 21st of his career in the series in 54 starts. The win was also the fifth of the season for Bourdais, who held on to his overall first-place standing in the Champ Car World Series by 34 points over Justin Wilson, who finished in third place at the San Jose Grand Prix.

“I think it was a brilliant day for the McDonald’s team,” Bourdais said of winning the 2006 San Jose Grand Prix, which drew a total weekend attendance figure of 155,934. “We just had the perfect setup. The car would take a few laps to really go up to speed but once it was there, it was just unstoppable. It was a great feeling.”

Bourdais, who held pole position at the starting grid after a solid first-place finish in the qualifying session July 28, led for 69 laps in the 97-lap race, taking the lead initially on lap 4 and holding on through lap 54 when he made a pit stop under a yellow caution flag. Upon re-entering, Bourdais found himself in fourth place while still driving under the caution flag before moving into third place on lap 58, with Charles Zwolsman briefly taking the lead in the race before giving way to Oriol Servia on lap 60.

With fuel conservation on his mind and realizing that Servia still needed to make a pit stop, Bourdais trailed close behind, taking over second place from Zwolsman at lap 73. Bourdais finally made his move on lap 80, taking over first place and building up his lead while Servia finally made a pit stop, with da Matta and Wilson moving into second and third place during lap 80, respectively.

“I was achieving a much better mileage than I had to when I was behind Zwolsman,” Bourdais said. “That’s why I decided to take a shot at him (Zwolsman for second place), because at some point, fuel wasn’t an issue anymore. …I just wanted to put a car between Cristiano and I, just in case.”

Champ Car Atlantic Series driver James Hinchcliffe goes airborne with his car on the first lap of the Atlantic Series race on July 30 at the San Jose Grand Prix. The high-flying fender-bender ended Hinchcliffe’s day on lap 1. Photo by Jeff Frazee

Bourdais proceed to put together his best three lap times of the race in back-to-back-to-back fashion, posting a 49.881-second time on lap 92, followed by a 49.708-second time on lap 93, and finally, a day’s best time of 49.678 seconds on lap 94. Those times helped Bourdais finish the race with a 6.686-second gap time between himself and da Matta.

“I was able to, without taking stupid chances, really run fast towards the end of the race when the fuel (conservation strategy) didn’t matter anymore,” Bourdais said.

Fists fly between Tracy and Tagliani
And while there was plenty of action on the street course in downtown San Jose, there was also action off the track, namely in pit lane, which saw drivers Paul Tracy of Indeck-Forsythe and Alex Tagliani of Aussie Vineyards/Team Australia get into a fistfight just past the midway point in the race.

The fracas was the result of a dangerous move on the track by Tracy, who experienced braking problems on turn 6 on lap 52, forcing him into the turn’s runoff area. Tracy then spun his car around in the runoff and bolted back out onto the track, cutting off and colliding with Tagliani at the turn, wrecking both cars and bringing an end to the day for both drivers.

Tagliani then confronted Tracy in pit lane minutes later, grabbing Tracy’s driver’s suit pushing him, and yelling at him for the ill-advised move. After the two were separated, Tagliani went back for more, yelling at Tracy once again, resulting in a fist-flying scene caught by television cameras.

“This is a huge disappointment for our team,” said Tagliani. “…Everything was working as planned. I really think we had the car to finish right in front of da Matta, which was for second place, and Tracy hitting me took the podium away from us.”

Driver Alex Tagliani of Aussie Vineyards/Team Australia saw his day come to a premature end on lap 52 when Indeck-Forsythe driver Paul Tracy (right) re-entered the track from the runoff at turn 6, colliding with Tagliani and ending the race for both drivers.	Tagliani later confronted Tracy in the pits, resulting in a fistfight between the two drivers. Photo by Ron Stenn at www.actionphotodesign.com

Following the race, Champ Car said it would review the incident and make a ruling in the coming days. Fines and/or point deductions are expected for both drivers.

“I went into the runoff, got the car turned around and I thought I had enough room to leave before Tagliani got past me, but obviously I didn’t,” said Tracy of the incident.

“…As I was coming back on to the track we touched and that was it for both of us. I came back to the pits and he kept confronting me, he kept grabbing me and I told him to stop grabbing me, and he kept grabbing me and I kept telling him to stop, then he walked away and came back and grabbed me again and that was it, I had to push him off me.”

Tracy was also penalized during the early stages of the race for jumping the running start on lap 1, blazing ahead of Bourdais for first place before reaching the starting grid. Tracy, as ruled by Champ Car officials, was forced to relinquish his lead to Bourdais on lap 4.

When asked about the incident between Tracy and Tagliani, Bourdais said, “when you’re being a bad-ass, you’re going to have to pay the price for it at some point,” referring to Tracy’s dangerous move in re-entering the race, resulting in the physical confrontation.

Tough day for Allmendinger
Although it was a day to forget for both Tracy and Tagliani, it was also a tough race for South Bay native A.J. Allmendinger, who ended the race in seventh place after starting out on the starting grid in row two as the third-place driver.

Friends and family hold up a sign encouraging local Champ Car driver A.J. Allmendinger. Among them is Allmendinger’s old go-kart racing buddy, Jim Padilla and his wife, Joy.

Allmendinger, driving for Indeck-Forsythe, was in trouble right off the bat when his front wing made contact with Bourdais’ rear tires at turn 1, the hairpin turn, on the first lap of the race, forcing him into the pit for repairs. Allmendinger re-entered the race in 15th place and quickly moved himself into better positions, first into 12th place on lap 4, then in 10th place on lap 6 before moving into ninth place on lap 18.

Following a pit stop on lap 53, Allmendinger moved into third place on lap 55 but was forced to give up his position on lap 58 after Champ Car officials gave him a black flag for illegally making the pit stop during the first lap during a yellow caution flag, a result of the Tracy/Tagliani collision. Champ Car rules dictate that drivers must continue driving the first lap during a yellow caution period before pitting on the second lap. The black flag forced Allmendinger to drop back all the way to 12th place before making up ground steadily and finishing seventh in the race.

Allmendinger said the black flag was the result of a miscommunication. “We heard from race control that the pits were open and came straight in,” he said, “(and) afterwards they said that they (the pits) weren’t (open) and penalized us and ruined our race.”

Canary Foundation raises $1 million for early
cancer detection at San Jose Grand Prix

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

The roar of the Champ Cars may have subsided, but the exhilaration of the San Jose Grand Prix lives on—including the $1 million raised by the Canary Foundation for research into the early detection of cancer.

The Doobie Brothers had everyone dancing the night away. Photos by Lorraine Gabbert

Canary Foundation CEO Don Listwin believes that the best chance for conquering cancer, which affects one in three people in the United States, is through early detection and intervention. “We’re so grateful for the generosity of this community,” he said, “and the tremendous acceleration this gives our early cancer detection efforts.”

Listwin is also the owner of the San Jose Grand Prix, part of the Champ Car World Series. The Canary Foundation, named after the early detection role canaries once played in alerting coal miners of hazardous fumes, has been named the “Official Social Cause of Champ Car and Champ Car World Series.”

In addition to raising funds for the Canary Foundation, the San Jose Grand Prix was a huge hit with participants. With additional pedestrian bridges and opportunities to cross the track eliminating last year’s endless lines, and a larger event area, race-goers enjoyed increased mobility, as well as the sights.

Race officials also lived up to their promise to vastly improve the seven-turn, 1.433-mile course, creating a smoother ride and exciting passing opportunities. Drivers praised the new street course, saying it was 200 percent improved, and although driver Sebastien Bourdais once again reigned victorious, the Grand Prix was a thrill ride from start to finish.

About 530 guests attended the Cabana gala dinner-dance fund-raiser Saturday night at the Fairmont Hotel, including Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez, professional racing community members Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser, actor Frankie Muniz and a member of the Canary Foundation’s science team, Nobel Laureate Dr. Lee Hartwell with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Bringing the Grand Prix to San Jose was not without controversy. In January, it became a political issue after the city, largely behind closed doors, agreed to provide a two-year $4 million subsidy, which Chavez termed, “a very good investment for the city.” During the gala, Chavez thanked the guests for being there and supporting the Canary Fund, which she called, “an incredibly worthwhile opportunity to literally save lives.” She also touched upon the political aspect of the San Jose Grand Prix.

“I want to take a moment to honor those people in the community who took a risk in supporting this race,” she said. “There were so many people who said this wasn’t a good thing…that it wasn’t possible…that it was a crazy idea to race cars in downtown San Jose. Everybody around me said it was nuts and they were only a little right, but sometimes you have to look for people who choose vision over fear, and that person in our community has been Don Listwin.”

As a result of the Grand Prix, Chavez said that more than 150,000 people would visit downtown San Jose, generating millions of dollars into the local economy, as well as contributing to curing cancer. “We will make San Jose the city I know it can be,” she said.
Through ticket sales, auction items and contributions, the gala raised $727,000, as well as the spirits of the guests in the hope of saving lives. In addition to the thrill of dancing while the Doobie Brothers performed crowd favorites like “Black Water,” “Takin’ It To the Streets” and “Long Train Runnin,” guests competed for items during the evening’s live auction.

Auctioneer Jay Fiske kept the bidding lively and the auction raised a total of $115,000.

Excitement mounted from the start with bids on a bike and helmet autographed by Lance Armstrong for $9,000. The Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa and Jim Russell Racing School package also garnered $9,000. Two dinners for 12 at John Bentley’s followed by dessert aloft in a DC-3 raised $12,000 each. A 3.07-karat diamond-encrusted bracelet (referred to as a gentleman’s “get-out-of-jail-free card”) raised $11,000.

Listwin’s family was torn apart by cancer. Both his father and uncle had cancer, and it took his mother’s life. After the loss of his mother, Listwin made a commitment that no other family should have to suffer what his did. He walked away from his high-profile technology career—he was CEO at Openwave and had been the #2 executive at Cisco Systems—to launch the Canary Foundation. Listwin has already contributed $22 million to cancer research, pledging more than $15 million to early detection research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and $3 million between Stanford Medical School and the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute at UCSF. In addition to creating a science team, brought industry and technology leaders together to create a platform approach to ramp up the rate of discoveries.

A unique prize—a ride in the Canary “Supercar” at the start of the Champ Car race—collected $9,000, as did an Aruba golf and scuba diving getaway. Dinner for 12 at John Bentley’s and a vacation in a 16th Century stone farmhouse in France garnered $14,000, while an original painting of the new Champ Car Panoz DP01 chassis that was unveiled Friday evening collected $10,000. Tying in with the evening’s entertainment, two guitars autographed by the Doobie Brothers band fetched $10,000 each.

Listwin’s family was torn apart by cancer. Both his father and uncle had cancer, and it took his mother’s life. After the loss of his mother, Listwin made a commitment that no other family should have to suffer what his did.

“If you find cancer early, you live nine times out of 10,” he says, “and if you find it late, you die nine times out of 10. The terrible tragedy is that despite billions of dollars a year spent on research, this hasn’t changed dramatically.”

After his mother passed away, Listwin met with researchers to initiate an innovative approach in the fight against cancer: to improve existing detection methods, create new protocols, provide a forum for physicians and scientists to share research and discover biomarkers for early detection. “We have the tools and technology in the next ten to twenty years to have simple blood tests followed by imaging tests to isolate cancer in its earliest, most curable stage,” he says. “A lot of money is spent on drugs to try to cure cancer, but if it could be used to detect cancer in the earliest phases, it would save resources and save lives.”

“My life has been touched by cancer,” said Listwin. “My mom died five years ago of ovarian cancer after being misdiagnosed for a bladder condition. She was my best friend.” In her honor, Listwin shared a video tribute of his family through the years, and invited guests to light votive candles at their tables representing loved ones. The room was soon aglow as the flames were held high in memory of those who had fought cancer.

“Every point around the room represents someone special,” he said. “In the next moment, we’ll ask for the best possible prize, knowing your generosity will save lives in the future.” John Davis, a cancer survivor, and the winner of the CXO and Celebrity Go-Kart Challenge, started the contributions rolling with a $37,000 gift from the Historic Stock Car Racing Series. From donations ranging from $1,000 to $100,000, the Foundation raised $420,000 during the “Finance the Foundation” portion of the evening.

Through Grand Prix-related events, the Canary Foundation reached its goal of raising $1 million, including “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” at Westfield Valley Fair Mall ($5,000), a golf tournament at the exclusive Corde Valle Resort in St. Martin ($35,000), a silent auction at the Driver’s VIP Party where they unveiled the new Champ Car ($21,000), a CXO and Celebrity Go-Kart Challenge ($270,000), the gala “Cabana” dinner, dance and auction held at The Fairmont Hotel ($602,000), and additional donations made throughout the weekend ($125,000), as well as Canary Foundation merchandise sold around the track ($12,000).

Besides having faith in Listwin’s vision, people donated so generously because their lives were touched by cancer.

“My son’s best friend died of brain cancer at 9 years old,” said Solinda Egermeier, “and maybe it could have been prevented. It’s a worthy cause.” Egermeier made a donation at the gala in memory of little John.

Katie Morganrath echoed her words. “My mother-in-law passed away from cancer,” she said. “If we caught it earlier, she might still be alive.”

Listwin summed it up best. “We’re so grateful for the incredible generosity people showed,” he said. “Virtually everyone has been touched by cancer, and the best way we can conquer this disease is through early detection. The funds raised will be a tremendous help to the Canary Foundation’s initiatives.”

The Canary Foundation is the nation’s only nonprofit devoted exclusively to early detection. All administrative and overhead costs are underwritten by the Listwin Family Foundation, allowing 100 percent of contributions to go entirely to early cancer detection research. To donate to the Canary Foundation, or for more information, visit: www.canaryfoundation.org.

Late-game scoring drive sees North top South 7-3 at
32nd Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game

Westmont’s Chantz Staden catches 15-yard touchdown
pass with 1:19 left to seal the win for the North

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Editor

Chantz Staden’s 15-yard touchdown reception with 1:19 left in the fourth quarter gave the North team something it hadn’t accomplished since 2001—a win over the South by the final score of 7-3—at the 32nd Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game on July 19.

Jerid Ferrante, left, of Oak Grove, Alex Gomez, center, of Santa Teresa, and Bryan North, of Valley Christian walk to the sidelines before the start of the 32nd annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-star Football Classic on July 19 at San Jose City College. Photo by Dan Miranda

The win for the North, coached by Prospect head coach Carlos Boles, set the all-time series record at 17-13-2 in favor of the South.

“I knew, going along, that these guys were going to make plays,” said Boles. “…We got a broken play and he (North quarterback Rich Scudellari) finds Chantz on the backside. Who would’ve expected it? But that’s just them. That’s why they’re all-stars.”

The North put together the winning drive by getting the ball back on offense with 6:43 left at its’ own 35 after a failed fake punt attempt by the South. The North then proceeded to put together its most promising drive of the game, going from its own 35 to the South 15 on 10 plays. Finally, on second-and-10 at the South 15, Scudellari (St. Francis) dropped back in the pocket to pass, before rolling right to elude the oncoming rush of South defender Michael Dally (Leland), who left his feet to leap in an attempt to sack the quarterback. Scudellari then threw across his body to Staden near the left sideline, who then eluded a South defender and scampered into the end zone for the game-winning score.

The South’s Joshua Taufalele (left) and A.J. Alvarez (right) get each other motivated during pre-game introductions at the 32nd Annual Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game on July 19. Photo by Jeff Frazee

“I left my feet a little too early and I didn’t wrap up quite right and he got outside on me,” said Dally of the near sack on Scudellari.

“I knew coming in that the defenses would dominate. That was to be expected,” added South head coach Jason Tenner, who also serves as the head coach for Leland. “…It came down to one missed tackle and a big play on their part.”

Offenses for both sides were stagnant for most of the game, as numerous penalties, swarming defenses and physical mistakes plagued progress for both teams.

In the first quarter, the North started out on the South 29 and progressed slowly to the South 21 before Scudellari fumbled the snap on fourth-and-two, with South defender A.J.

Alvarez recovering the ball on the play to end the drive. Another fumble with 5:53 left in the first by the North on the South 37 also ended another drive when Dally recovered the ball for the South.

Likewise, the South offense struggled early on, taking a drive from its own 38 with 2:12 left in the first quarter and taking it all the way to the North 25 before a holding call on the South set the team back to the North 37. After an incomplete pass from South quarterback Duce Ferrante (Branham) on second-and-22 and a 9-yard loss on a lateral from Ferrante to running back Jerid Ferranti on third-and-22, the South was forced to punt the ball away, stalling an otherwise promising drive.

Charlie Wedemeyer gives a friendly wink to a player on the South team. Photo by Jeff Frazee

“Some of them were a little overzealous,” said Tenner, explaining the numerous penalties on both sides. “The kids were intense and there was some physical play on both sides of the ball. Some kids got a little too aggressive, but you’re going to get that in an all-star game, because these kids really want it and sometimes they cross the line.”

With two minutes left in the third, the South was rebuffed again, this time on a goal line stand by North defense, as the South offense drove the ball from the North 32 to the North 5 before four straight running plays resulted in the South offense stalling out at the North 1.

“It’s tough to have a group of 60 kids come together in two weeks,” said Ferrante, explaining the South’s missed opportunities on offense. “Getting used to your centers, getting used to the speed of your running backs, and the speed of your receivers, it’s just a lot different to how it was at (Branham).”

The South managed to get on the scoreboard first however, taking a drive with 8:26 left in the second quarter and moving the ball to the North 4 before kicker Ben Hansen (Valley Christian) booted through a 22-yard field goal with 5:19 left for a 3-0 lead. The scoring drive was set up in part by a 39-yard pass play from Ferrante to tight end David Carranza (Silver Creek) on third-and-six from the 50, as well as a personal foul penalty on the North on third-and-nine at the North 11.

Leigh’s Blake McFarland will head to West Valley College in the fall to play football and baseball. At Leigh, McFarland was a three-sport athlete, playing basketball for the Longhorns on top of football and baseball. Photo by Dwayne Woods

With a chance to add to the lead in the third quarter, the South failed on another promising drive that started at its own 34 with 9:32 left. The South drove the ball to the North 26 on six plays before Hansen booted through a 43-yard field goal on fourth-and-five. But on the play, the North was whistled for an illegal substitution, resulting in a 5-yard penalty and a fresh set of downs for the South.

Despite the opportunity, the South failed to advance beyond the North 21, settling instead for a 39-yard field goal attempt by Hansen on fourth-and-10, whose kick sailed wide right, negating the drive for the South.

“In an all-star game, you’re going to get a lack of execution,” said Tenner. “That’s what you saw. The kids barely knew each other and they had 10 practices … that kind of stuff hurts you, and then you don’t execute come game night.”

Finally, with seven seconds left in the game, the South tried in vain to put one final score on the board, moving the ball from its own 4 to the South 20 before Ferrante threw an interception right into the arms of North defender Carlos Alonso (Los Gatos), sealing the win for the North.

“It’s frustrating, but that’s the game of football. Anything can happen at any time,” said South linebacker C.J. Miller (Pioneer). “One play can change a whole game …that’s just football.”

Time to Tee off!

The 42nd annual Campbell Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday, August 3 at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club. The theme, once again, is “Go Hawaiian” so put on your brightest, most beautiful Hawaiian shirt and come on out and support a great organization.

Contact the Chamber to sponsor a hole, donate a prize or sign-up for a foursome. Call (408) 378-6252, e-mail ccoc@pacbell.net or visit the Web site at www.campbellchamber.com.