We're at Sonoma already?

Last year I took one of my favourite road trips of all time down to San Franfreako and back. Well equipped with a track scanner, I was able to follow along in detail as Juan Pablo gambled his way to a first place and the front running Ford Fusions started dropping like flies. NOTE: scanners are already indispensible at sprawling road course where a lot of the race is out of view, but even more so when it comes down to fuel mileage battle - plenty of Apollo 13-like dialogue going on between crew chief and drivers and you can make yourself a pretty popular guy by passing on helpful soundbites to the crowd around you.

The really cool thing about road courses is that you get an entirely novel group of drivers up at the top of the charts for once. Guys like Said, Ambrose, Gord...wait, what's this...Kasey's on the pole? Cripes. Ah, we'll see how he looks in race trim.

My bets are squarely on the California Gordons. Jeff needs a win badly (or is another crew chief shake up in store?) and the scrappy Robby is again looking in fine form, this time in a hopefully more fuel efficient Dodge Charger. Don't count out the Once Mighty 'Stache, though. I enthusiastically followed Ron Fellow's race last year as he swapped paint with Gordon ("does this guy know who I am?!" came the response from 24's radio) and he ran up front in the DLP Chevy until fading back and getting scrambled on pit strategy. This year he's in a (look out!) black DEI offering. Does he know yet that a well groomed lip shrubbery makes an ironic fashion statement these days? Does Jeff Gordon?

Check out that shimmering asphalt, eh?

June is upon us, and Montreal has once again turned into its early summer sauna (with the humidex it "feels like" 38C, 102F). Plenty of surprising names in the just completed Q3, with Lewis Hamilton thwarting a heroic pole effort by Robert Kubica at the last minute. Kimi was strong through 2/3rd of the track, but the Ferraris were sucking wind on the sector three straight.

Expect a particularly punishing race this year. The heat and humidity will flex that pavement for all its worth and outside a sticky groove, there's going to be plenty of gumball wads. CGV is always murder on brakes and tires (and groundhogs), but if the forecast for thundershowers holds up, the mechanical stress levels will be reduced. Webber seems to be mentally prepping himself to do some dancing if the skies open.

Rain or shine, I've got Lewis going back to back for the win, with my outside shots for the podium going to Rosberg, Webber or (gasp) Barrichelo. I think the Green Team at Honda could use a little cheering up.

UPDATE: Everyone but Lewis peeved about the track conditions. Consider yourselves lucky, lads - that's probably the best maintained stretch of roadway in the entire pitiful province. During the spring thaw, I used to drive around potholes capable of swallowing a light truck.