Justin Wilson gives new meaning to working in a cramped office space.
The 6-foot-4 Champ Car driver from Great Britain has no room to stretch his legs in his car, which he’ll drive for Loveland-based RuSport in this weekend’s Grand Prix of Denver.
“He is wedged in there as tight as you could be,” RuSport president Jeremy Dale said of Wilson’s custom-made cockpit.
Wilson, who has captured one of the previous eight races this season and is third in the standings, said he’s always struggled with his size.
“It’s always been tight,” he said. “I’ve had to get used to it since I was 8 years old. In fact, when I was young I had to move up to older classes because I was so tall.”
Wilson is one of four Champ Car drivers with recent Formula One experience, and one of four to win the F1 steppingstone series, F3000.
Wilson, who lives part-time in Denver, drove in 16 F1 races for Jaguar and Minardi in 2003. He won the F3000 title in 2001, a year after two-time Grand Prix of Denver winner Bruno Junqueira captured the crown. Sebastien Bourdais, who won last year’s Denver street race, followed Wilson as F3000 champion.
“We knew his background, and we watched him carefully,” Dale said of signing Wilson to replace Mexican Michel Jourdain Jr. as teammate to A.J. Allmen- dinger of Thornton. “As things were shaping up through ’04, we thought this was a guy who would be a good fit for us.”
The other Champ Car drivers with F1 experience are Cristiano da Matta (Toyota, 2003 and 2004) and rookies Timo Glock (Jordan, 2004) and Bjorn Wirdheim (Jaguar, 2004). Wirdheim won the 2003 F3000 crown.
Kickoff party
The Grand Prix begins in earnest Friday with the first of two days of practice and qualifying. But the parties begin Wednesday at Lucky Strike Lanes in downtown Denver.
Wilson and Allmendinger, plus celebrities such as actors Jason Priestley and Anthony Edwards, and rock star Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies, will host a bowling, billiards and Texas Hold ‘Em charity event beginning at 6 p.m.
A limited number of $100 tickets are available by calling 303-391-3481.
Driver of the week
BLAKE SMITH JR.
He won his second modified feature Saturday night at Rocky Mountain National Speedway. Smith, 20, leads the standings in his first full year of racing modifieds. He previously drove in the econo class.
* Residence: Erie
* Profession: Track man for Union Pacific Railroad
* Family: Single
* Car owner: Windy Windholz
* Crew: John Windholz, Nick Engen, Blake Smith Sr., Bill Smith
* Primary sponsor: Alsco American Industrial
Mike Chambers can be reached at 303-820-5454 or mchambers@denverpost.com.
