Frankly Franchitti

Friday practice was rained out. I did one lap to bed in the brakes, and that was it. Saturday's practice was good. We had had a problem with the race car, so we swapped over to the back up, and within three laps in the back-up, we were third quickest without any stress whatsoever. The car felt a lot better than the first one actually. We've been running the same car on the road courses all year, and now we wonder if that was maybe one of our weaknesses, because I think fundamentally there's something wrong with it. It's something we'll have to investigate, but it won't be an issue anyway because we've done all the road courses now.

I really wasn't happy with qualifying. We ended up fifth. The first set of tyres was OK, but I had a lot more problems locking up brakes, even though I was braking at the same points I was in the morning session. Even so I was running second quickest. Then after the red flag for Max Papis's accident, I just couldn't find my rhythm again. I went off two or three times on my final runs. I was frustrated because I don't like it when I do a bad job, and the car wasn't helping matters. The car wasn't great, but it was better than a fifth placed car. I just didn't get the most out of it.

The parade lap here always cracks me up. We sit in the back of the cars, and the crowd is just unbelieveable, totally mad. There was one guy I saw when I went from the hotel to the track in the morning. He was in the grandstand at pit exit, and he had a huge sombrero, which he'd painted in my helmet colours! It's such a great feeling when you see that kind of thing. I couldn't acknowledge him at the time, but if it's you and you're reading this, then thanks, that's mega and you're support is much appreciated! But the whole event is an absolute party. It feels so good, especially this close to the end of the season. The organisers do a really good job. They work hard. The press in Australia is behind it, and it is just a great event.

All the Team Green cars qualified in the top six; fourth, fifth and sixth. As Barry Green said one-two-three would have been better, but we can't complain. We had no real team orders from Barry. It was more us all saying that we'd better not take each other out into Turn 1! I must say here that I get on really, really well with both Paul (Tracy) and Michael (Andretti). They're great guys to be around. When the session was rained out on Friday we just sat and chatted in the pits and we were joined by a lot of the other drivers too. That's what I love about CART - you race really hard on the track, but you can still sit around and chat about it and have a laugh. I have certainly made some very special friends in this series.

The start was reasonably plain sailing. Michael and I were side by side into Turn One and he was there alongside, but he knew he didn't have a move, and he gave me the room which a lot of the other guys wouldn't have done. I like racing with him because of that. If he thinks he has a move on you, he'll do it, no two ways, he'll do everything he can to pass you. But when it's the other way round, he'll make it difficult, but you know you'll get that couple of inches you need.

It was key to keep that spot, and after that I was running behind Paul. I was a little bit quicker, I think, but not quick enough to pass. But everything was going fine, until I was going down the back straight into the chicane and I got a fuel pressure warning light, and the thing just cut right in the middle of the chicane. I got on the radio and told them I was coming straight in because I thought it was about to cut out on me. We still had about five gallons in the tank, but at a race track like this where the windows are so small it's a big thing, and stopping early really put us up against it.

So when I went back out I was really trying to hustle a bit because I knew we were getting behind with the strategy. I had Tagliani in front who I knew had to pit, but I was taking more chances than I had before because I didn't want to lose any time. I just had to get on with it because of the fuel pressure problem we had. I was pushing Alex Tagliani hard, and that's when I hit the inside wall in Turn 4, and spun round.

The position I was in, the Safety guys couldn't get to me, or didn't want to get out there. I don't blame them, because I was right on the racing line of a blind corner... But they took a long time to get me back there. But instead of getting me going on the track, they pulled me away, all the way back down the run off area, and I was eventually three laps down.

Also the temperatures went through the roof, because I was sat there for three laps with the engine running. And the problem was I couldn't get reverse. In hindsight I should have switched the bloody thing off, but I thought they were going to get me facing the right way pretty quickly rather than pulling me down the escape road. But in sitting there we overheated the engine, and after I finally killed it the thing wouldn't restart because it was so hot.

After that I was at the back of the pack, three laps down, but just couldn't pass. I could still run as quick as Gil and Roberto at the front, but three laps down... Eventually the engine let go simply because I'd roasted it earlier. There are such tight tolerances to get the performance, and that was it. A real shame, and a long walk back!

I got changed and was in the pit for the final laps. I was watching the monitor on the final lap, and saw Paul (Tracy)'s name get bumped from fourth. I wondered what was going on, but then I saw the smoke on the front straight. How cruel is that? I know that Paul has had a year he'd rather forget, but fourth to 14th on the final lap isn't fair to anyone.

It was good to see Gil win the title though. He had problems in the first half of the season, but in the second half he and his guys have been right there. And he is one of the nicest guys out there. Obviously I'd rather it was me! But we'll work on that next year.

So just Fontana to go. I haven't got a very good finishing record at Fontana, so I want to make something happen there. We were quick on the other superspeedway at Michigan, which doesn't mean it'll be good at Fontana, but it's promising and a good start point.

But just getting there is a tough trip for all of the teams. Just seven days from the race in Australia to the race in California means it's really hard work. We have to be set up by Thursday, so really there's just four days. It's a real military effort. The logistics required to pull it off are quite special. All of the stuff we have here is going straight to some airforce base near Fontana, and meeting up with the trucks there. And I'll be there too.