Pre race notes - Montreal.

Although the CART FedEx Championship Series has never brought its turbocharged, 800-plus horsepower Champ Cars to the 2.747-mile Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which annually entertains Formula 1, be very aware of the three drivers competing on their native soil in this Sunday's Molson Indy Montreal.

Canadians Patrick Carpentier, Alex Tagliani and Paul Tracy will all be focused and more than determined to leave their mark and make history in this inaugural event.

Toyota was the powerplant of choice at Road America last weekend, giving championship points to Cristiano da Matta and Bruno Junqueira for pacing provisional and final qualifying sessions, respectively.

After sending da Matta to the winner's circle at Elkhart Lake, Toyota-powered drivers have now won seven of 12 CART FedEx Championship Series events contested this season (Cristiano da Matta, 6 and Bruno Junqueira, 1).

Honda has three wins with (Michael Andretti, 1, Paul Tracy, 1 and Dario Franchitti, 1) followed by Ford-Cosworth thanks to Patrick Carpentier's two Ohio triumphs. The hunt for the Manufacturer's Championship has Toyota (208) leading over Honda (182) and Ford-Cosworth (164).

Lola has won 9 of 12 CART FedEx Championship Series events this season, including wins by Cristiano da Matta (6), Bruno Junqueira, Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti. Reynard took trips to victory circle in the remaining three races this season in the hands of Patrick Carpentier (2) and Michael Andretti. Lola leads 247 to 163 in the Constructor's Championship.

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve: A History Lesson...Born in Berthierville, Quebec, on January 18, 1950, Gilles Villeneuve was the first Canadian hired as an official team driver in Formula 1 auto racing. Following his success in snowmobile racing in the early 70's, he switched to Formula Atlantic car racing and dominated this class in the middle of the decade.

On July 17, 1977, he started his first Formula 1 Grand Prix on board a Ford-powered McLaren, at the Silverstone race track in England. Later that same year, Gilles took part in two other Grand Prix races (in Canada and Japan) driving a Ferrari, the team for which he raced the remainder of his career. From 1978 to 1982, Villeneuve entered 64 races for Ferrari and won 6 times. His first career win was the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix, on the Island of Notre-Dame track in Montr?al. In each of his appearances at the Canadian Grand Prix, between 1978 and 1981, he electrified the Canadian fans and earned points by finishing 1st, 2nd, 5th and 3rd.

In May, 1982, Villeneuve died during a practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, on the Zolder racetrack. A few weeks later, before the presentation of the 1982 Grand Prix, the City of Montr?al Executive Committee adopted a resolution to rename the Island Notre-Dame track Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to honour the memory of the late and great racer.

Montreal native Alex Tagliani of Player's/Forsythe Racing has recorded points-paying finishes in his last eight consecutive races, the longest stretch of his three-year Champ Car career.

Shinji Nakano of Fernandez Racing has also scored eight-straight points-paying finishes, matching the best run of his career. This weekend Nakano will make his 50th career Champ Car start and returns to the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve where he scored his best-ever Formula 1 finish, a sixth place effort in 1997.

CART FedEx Championship Series drivers Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani will be on hand Wednesday, August 21st to assist in the opening of the new Future Shop, one of Canada's largest electronic stores. The Future Shop will be one of the biggest stores of its kind in Montreal, located in the Pepsi Forum in downtown Montreal where the Montreal Canadiens formerly played their NHL hockey games. CART Toyota Atlantic Championship drivers Michael Valiante, Jonathan Macri, Marc DeVellis, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Joey Hand are set to sign autographs from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., followed by Tracy and Tagliani from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Auto racing has always been a family affair for Alex Tagliani, and the same is true of the TAG 00033 clothing line that will be officially launched 7:00 p.m. this Friday at a fashion show presented by Saputo in conjunction with Molson Dry Night at Montreal's Medley bar.

Tagliani enlisted his sister Karen - a graduate of the fashion design program at the Universit? du Qu?bec ? Montr?al - to create a collection whose pure and elegant lines strike a perfect balance between top-notch design and high performance. The TAG 00033 clothing line, which also has a number of accessory products, has been designed for men and women in the 18-35-year-old age group.

The clothing will be available in eight Sports Experts stores throughout Quebec, as well as at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and at a kiosk on Saint-Denis Street during the weekend of the Molson Indy Montreal. Concept Harmonie Inc., a Quebec company, is overseeing the design, production and marketing of the TAG 00033 collection.

The clothes have been designed using the latest fabric developments and such technological advancements as Dry-Fit(R) and Hydro-Move(R). These innovations prevent the build up of bacteria and neutralize perspiration odours, along with providing a total comfort that gives one the feel of having a second layer of skin.

"Like auto racing, fashion designing is a very select field, and it is extremely competitive," remarked Tagliani. "My family made plenty of sacrifices to help me break into the racing profession and I'm delighted to be able to return the favour and provide my support to enhance the career of someone who is very dear to me and who has been such a positive influence on my own career."

Josh Beaulieu, who finished on his first Barber Dodge Pro Series podium this past weekend at Road America, will be one of the few drivers in the three CART series who has experience at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. In fact, he won a Canadian F1600 race there in 2001 during the Formula 1 weekend. Beaulieu is a native of Langley, British Columbia Canada.