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| Author: | lw789 [ Tue Jul 04, 2017 3:46 am ] |
| Post subject: | dea is to expose the young players to a |
TORONTO -- Sebastien Bourdais drove his motor home from St. Petersburg, Fla., to the Indianapolis 500 last month, before getting in his No. 7 Dallara Chevrolet and competing in the race. When the Honda Indy kicks off in Toronto two weeks from now, hell be doing the same. Stopping for races in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Pocono, Pa., along the way, the man who drives for a living doesnt mind the long trek. His family, wholl meet him in Rochester, N.Y., before heading on the open road with Bourdais for the next few weeks, doesnt seem to mind either. "Road trip!" Bourdais exclaimed with a laugh. "Its fun. Weve got bunk beds in there and the kids love it." Regardless of how he gets to Toronto, Bourdais is looking forward to his arrival. For the native of Le Mans, France, this years Honda Indy will mark his eighth time competing in the event. "Its one of these historic races that the fans are very knowledgeable about and its a track that we as drivers are always looking forward to," Bourdais said in a phone interview from St. Petersburg. "Its a cool place to come and race -- the track is awesome, the fans are great, and they come year after year. "That really makes it special for us." Bourdais has placed in the Top 10 at the Toronto race six times, but missed that mark for the first time last year when he finished 14th. He won the Toronto Indy in 2004, a year that kicked off the best IndyCar seasons of his career. Between 2004 and 2007, the Frenchman won four consecutive Champ Car World Series, all while racing with the Newman/Haas team. Since then, however, his IndyCar trophy case has been bare as he toils with Dragon Racing, a less established team. "It was very different times," Bourdais said of his dominant years. "I was with a championship-winning team and it was normal to win with Newman/Haas. "Now, being the underdog is a completely different situation. Were trying to do the best we can but its been a little more challenging than wed like. Were working at it, but it definitely hasnt been going the way we want it to so far." Bourdais left IndyCar after the 2007 season to focus on his dream of racing Formula One cars. He returned to the Indy circuit in 2011, but hasnt participated in a full season until now. No longer racing for Newman/Haas, Bourdais is finding his return to the sport challenging. "Youre only as good as your car is and you cant do it on your own," he said. "I knew it was going to be a challenge but I basically just wanted to have fun again and Im doing that. "Obviously the fun level would be a little higher if we could be more competitive but its the cars I want to drive and the ones I really enjoy. As long as your passion is your job, youre doing all right." Bourdais is currently ranked 21st in the Indy standings with 133 points. Brazils Helio Castroneves, racing for Team Penske, ranks first with 332 points. With the season past its half-way point, Bourdais has a lot of catching up to do. His 14th-place finish in last Sundays Iowa Corn Indy 250 led Dragon Racing to release engineer Neil Fife, who had worked with Bourdais since 2011. Newcomer Tom Brown has not worked with Bourdais before. "The team thought it was best to try something different so here we are. Well get on with a new engineer and try to get something going for us," Bourdais said. "Changing engineers halfway through the year is always tough, but well do the best we can because thats all we can do." In Toronto, Bourdais will be competing against the top drivers in the world, including 26-year-old James Hinchcliffe. The Oakville, Ont., native has made a name for himself over the past two seasons, winning the rookie of the year award in 2011 with Bourdais former team Newman/Haas, and the most popular driver award in 2012 with Andretti Autosport. Hinchcliffe jumped from ninth to fourth in the standings with his victory in the Iowa 250. Working with Craig Hampson, Bourdais former engineer from his Newman/Haas victory days, Hinchcliffe has 266 points and three IndyCar victories this season. Bourdais, 34, was around Hinchcliffes age when he won the Toronto Indy. The veteran says hes been impressed with the young driver so far. "James has really shown everyone he has what it takes," Bourdais said. "Last year, stepping into the Andretti Autosport organization, its one of these things where you cant do it without a good team and he certainly found a great organization... "Hes got everything -- hes very aggressive, he doesnt make many mistakes and hes a really nice guy. I think he could have a very bright future." Air Force Ones For Sale . -- The road to the Masters got off to a bumpy start Sunday for Tiger Woods when he withdrew from the Honda Classic with what he said was a lower back injury. Nike Pegasus 33 Womens Sale . FLIP SAUNDERS (Timberwolves): Im not the least bit surprised that he appointed himself as head coach after his search concluded. http://www.sirimole.com/outlet-mens-nik ... ilver.html. The announcement was made by the hall on Friday, March 14. She joins Switzerlands Denise Biellmann as this years inductees to the Hall, based in Colorado Springs, CO. Cheap Custom Air Force Ones . He was 90. The team announced Monday that Adams had died, saying he "passed away peacefully from natural causes." The son of a prominent oil executive, Adams built his own energy fortune and founded the Houston Oilers. Nike Zoom Pegasus 32 Mens .com) - The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are ready to put all the talk and hype surrounding their meeting at Dodger Stadium behind them.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Bases loaded in the first inning, none out and Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista at the plate. A recipe for disaster for most pitchers. Especially a teenage thrower. But it turned into a day to remember for 17-year-old starter Ben Onyshko who managed to hold Bautista and his US$14-million annual salary to a sacrifice fly. The Winnipeg native got out of the inning without further damage and yielded just two runs on four hits over his three innings for the Canadian junior baseball team. "The experience of a lifetime," Onyshko said after leaving the game tied 2-2. The young Canadians took it on the chin after that. A Toronto Blue Jays split squad rallied for three runs in the fifth inning, four in the seventh and three in the eighth en route to a 12-2 victory over the Canadian juniors Tuesday under the sunshine at Al Lang Field. Onyshko, who has accepted a scholarship to Stetson University, said he tried to just focus on the task at hand in the first when Bautista came to the plate after two walks and a Moises Sierra single. "Ive got to admit my mind was racing a little bit," the left-hander said with a smile. "It was surreal." "I was scared for a split second when he (Bautista) hit the ball. Once I was able to get that first out, I think things started to roll a bit better. I settled in." Onyshko, who recorded one strikeout, had his parents and sister looking on in the stands. Jays starter Brandon Morrow, not helped by a Colby Rasmus error, gave up two runs on four hits. He struck out two and walked three. Morrow, who threw 47 pitches, was happy with his split-fingered delivered but called his command of the fast ball "terrible." "I was getting frustrated with myself out there, if you didnt notice," he said dryly. Morrow was followed by Sergio Santos, Steve Delabar and Aaron Sanchez. Onyshko gave way to Zach Pop of Brampton, Ont., J.P. Stevenson of Hunter River, P.E.I., and Isaac Anesty of Guelph, Ont. The Jays finished with 12 hits to seven for the Canadians, who were tagged with three errors. Delabar got the win and Sanchez the save while Pop took the loss. Toronto broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the fifth off Pop, with Canadian Brett Lawrie sparking the charge with a double. A Canadian error helped the Toronto cause. Highly touted outfielder Gareth Morgan of Toronto singled, walked and struck out for tthe young Canadians.dddddddddddd While other major league teams tend to put up prospects against the Canadian juniors, Toronto brought out some stars as well as a bevy of its own young Canadian talent. Bautista, Adam Lind, Rasmus, Dioner Navarro and Munenori Kawasaki were in a starting lineup that also included Canadians Lawrie (Langley, B.C.) and Dalton Pompey (Mississauga, Ont). Lawrie, who used to be part of the Baseball Canada program, was 2-for-3 on the day. Other Canadians who saw action for the Jays included Michael Crouse of Port Moody, B.C., Markus Knecht of Toronto, Justin Atkinson of Surrey, B.C., Mike Reeves of Peterborough, Ont., and Mike Nickeas of Vancouver. It was no ordinary spring training game. Players from both teams mingled for a group photograph in the outfield before the first pitch, with Kawasaki and Bautista sticking around for their own shot surrounded by the young Canadians. Bautista also gave the Canadian teens a pep talk. The Canadian juniors play in the fall instructional league against young major league talent before their spring series in Florida in March and April. This year, the Florida opposition includes teams from the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Nationals as well as the Jays. In May, the Canadians take part in the Dominican Summer League. The idea is to expose the young players to a professional environment and competition. The Canadian schedule is built around a qualifying tournament in Mexico in September for the 2015 world junior championships in Japan. Canada is bidding to become one of four teams to emerge from the Americas. With John Gibbons leading another Jays squad in Lakeland, Fla., against the Detroit Tigers, first-base coach Tim Leiper served as manager in St. Petersburg. Leiper has Canadian ties. He managed in the Montreal Expos organization, including a stint at the helm of the triple-A Ottawa Lynx of the International League in 2002. He also served as a coach on the 2004 Canadian Olympic team as well as Canadas 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic squads. He was part of the Baseball Canada staff that won bronze medals at both the 2008 and 2011 Baseball World Cups and gold in the 2011 Pan-American Games. Leiper joined the Jays coaching staff in the off-season after spending the past year as a special assistant to player development in the Toronto system. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' ' |
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