The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 67

9 ww 9 The Vancouver Suh, Wednesday, August 28, 1991 1 Bentley 's backers buy WILKINSON'S AUTOMOBILIA MOLSON INDY local driver a ride RACING CAR BOOKS DIECASTS SEE OUR BOOTH IN THE DOME DURING THE RACE WEEKEND 873-6242 2531 ONTARIO 8T. VANCOUVER. B.C. V5T 2X7 By MIKE BEAMISH For the past year, you could set your calen-dar by Ross Bentley. If he's behind X1' (ill! Mouth Watering Ribs 4 I He was content just to keep the car off the walls and out of trouble.

This time around, Bentley is hoping for a top-12 finish in better equipment. His car is the same chassis (minus the Chevrolet engine) that Unser used to win the Denver Grand Prix last year. Galles-Kraco, the previous owner, sold the car to Dale Coyne in June. "I thought at the time that I was probably 50 horsepower down from the top cars," Bentley says. "I mentioned that to somebody and they laughed and said, 'You were lucky to be within It was a really old, tired motor.

We knew all we could attempt to do was finish the race. My car this year is a lot more competitive." While his consolation was in finishing, Bentley was the slowest of 26 qualifers last year and last among the cars still running at the end. He finished 20 laps behind the winner, Unser. Bentley says a broken throt-. tie linkage caused his motor to conk out frequently.

Early in the race, three volunteer course workers jumped on the track to push-start Bentley's car, which was stalled near a tight section. Jean Patrick Hien of Montreal was killed and the other two workers injured when they ran into the path of an oncoming car driven by Willy T. Ribbs. Bentley reckons his Sunday drive will cost the non-profit Spirit of Vancouver society, which raises money through public and corporate subscriptions, about $120,000. That buys four days of road testing in Memphis, and the use of a 1990 Lola-Cosworth owned by Dale Coyne Racing including pit crew and support personnel for the Vancouver Molson Indy.

"Driving a race car, unfortunately, doesn't just come down to talent," Bentley acknowledges. "I've heard Bobby Rahal say that the drive and perseverance it takes to get to Indy-car racing is more important than talent. I've had a goal as long as I can remember to drive Indy" cars. There have been many times where people said I was crazy, you're stupid. Well, I'm doing it.

And anybody else is welcome to do the same thing." It's preposterous to think Bentley can duel with the masters of the sport such as Michael Andretti, Al Unser Rahal and Rick Mears. And he won't. Just as long as Bentley stays out of their way, the stars will be happy. But Bentley, a high-performance driving school instructor and veteran Formula Atlantic driver, wants to do some wheel-to-wheel racing. Last year, he drove an obsolete, underpowered '89 Lola-Cos-worth to 18th place in Vancouver.

the wheel of an Indy car, then it must be Labor Day weekend. The 34-year-old Vancouver driver hasn't raced in the Indy-car World Series since he played local hero in last year's Molson Indy at Pacific Place. In fact, Bentley hasn't raced at all, anywhere, in 1991. The more you think about it, Bent-ley's situation can be likened to a club golf pro who hasn't played a course in 12 months, goes to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls, then gets invited to tee off in the Canadian Open. The new reality of Indy-car racing is that the talent factor is becoming less important.

Public relations, the ability to market yourself and obtain sponsorship money are just as vital as a driver's resume. Some of the most gifted open-wheeled racers won't be here Sunday because of a shortage of sponsorship, rather than ability. But in a sport where money talks and talent walks, Bentley is fortunate to have enough friends and business associates willing to back him. He has bought himself a ride. ROSS BENTLEY: back again While no official blame was affixed, Bentley has heard the disparaging whispers that he shouldn't have been in the race because of his limited Indy experience.

He's also taken some shots in the Vancouver press. "It's interesting," Bentley says. "When you talk to the people who know, the racing teams, they realized the disadvantage I was at last year. Then you talk to the regular Joe on the street and he says, 'Boy, you were "I get more respect from the drivers and the other teams than I do from anybody else. Every driver did his first Indy race somewhere.

In some ways, it's really good that I get to do it here. But at the same time, I'm probably under more scrutiny from the local pessimists." INDY POST-RACE HEADQUARTERS JtABEoU OVER FOR A SPECIAL 15 DISCOUNT (Not valid with any other coupon) FOOD ONLY DINE-IN EXP. SEPT 4, 1991 996 HOMER ST. 8380 BRIDGEPORT TWO BLOCKS FROM INDY RICHMOND Wealthy Matsushita believes his time has come ri rTl Vi VI tVlfWJ i I A Compact Camcorder By IAIN MacINTYRE Panasonic used to say it was "slightly ahead of our time." The grandson of Panasonic's founder thinks his time has come in the Indy-car World Series. Hiro Matsushita, the first and only Japanese on the Championship Auto Racing Teams circuit, says he has reached auto racing's North American pinnacle with his racing skills, not his family's bankroll.

Panasonic, however, is the primary sponsor for Matsushita and has supplied his team, Dick Simon's Whnea tanpe will nlaw hark on mir Home VHS VCR i Whose tapes can be sent to family aiiu meiiuo iu iay um men Home VHS VCRs Paragon Motor-f" sports, witn equipment not always found in I jf I That doesn't require the hands of aS- I struggling, sec-r compncaiea wiring to view its tapes on your television ond-year Indy-car driver. "I didn't talk to my family," Matsushita, 30, says of his rapid rise MATSUSHITA That uses a simple adapter to play VHS-Compact tapes on Home VHS VCRs TM mm YOUR REWARD! Palmcorder Incredible 2-Lux Low Light Performance 6x, F1. 2 Power Zoom Hot Shoe for Optional Colour Enhancement Light (PV-LT11-K) Hi-Speed Shutter with 6-speeds Digital Auto Focus with Auto-Macro AN Dubbing 90-Minute Recording in fa in North America. "Just a business relationship, no family relationship. "Because it's a very wealthy company (the perception is) they help their son or grandson or daughter or granddaughter.

But Panasonic is a typical Japanese company they never throw away money. If they think I'm a good driver, they continue to sponsor us. But if they don't think so, they will stop very easily. It is a business decision." Matsushita had started every Indy race this season going into last weekend's Denver Grand Prix but had cracked the top-10 only once. He was 22nd in the standings with four points.

Among full-time drivers, Jeff Andretti was the next lowest, 15th with 21 points. "He hasn't got 10 or 15 years behind him like myself, Al (Unser Jr.) or Michael (Andretti)," Canadian Scott Goodyear, another second-year driver, says of Matsushita. "I will say that he has a new car (1991 Lola) and he has the Cosworth power plant "For him to get a Chevy engine next year, I think was a political decision." The popular but scarce Chevy Indy engine, which has powered every CART winner the last three years, will be in Matushita's car next season. It may help Panasonic make its business decision. Matsushita raced motorcyles and rally cars in Japan until 1986 when he moved to the U.S.

and began driving formula cars. In 1989, he won Formula Atlantic's Pacific series. He started 10 Indy races in 1990, but didn't finish higher than 12th. "I grew up in Kobe city in Japan, and that city has a famous mountain and several famous Japanese motorcycle racers and race car drivers grew up on that mountain," Matsushita says. "I came to motor-sports very naturally.

"I'm kind of a pioneer of Japanese motorsports. The second one or third one will come here much easier than me." SLP! Dealer May Sell for Less i ii rriu.