Edmonton race could be wet

UPDATE It's Saturday morning in Edmonton and there is a steady rain falling. The race track is completely wet, and will probably remain so throughout the day if the weather forecast holds true. The forecast is for a 70% to 80% chance of rain all day with a high temperature of around 57 degrees F. The percent chance of rain for Sunday at race time is 30%. 07/15/05 The Champ Car points leader is preparing for slick racing conditions for this weekend's Grand Prix of Edmonton. Environment Canada's five-day forecast for the city says there is a 40% chance of rain for Friday practice and showers for Saturday's qualifying laps. But the forecast is calling for sun and 24 C for race day on Sunday.

A wet track will cause problems, admitted French driver Sebastien Bourdais, who leads the series standings. "Rain is what I have heard, too," said Bourdais. "It could change teams' strategies quite significantly."

Bourdais said teams were scheming to run on new, faster tires, but those plans may change if they are forced to deal with a wet track. What Bourdais fears most is weather changes through the weekend. "Inconsistent weather causes problems," said Bourdais.

"Then it becomes confusing how you want to set up the car for the race."

Bourdais was in attendance during yesterday's opening of the Miss Grand Prix Edmonton competition at Sutton Place Hotel. The competition continues today at 6 p.m. at the hotel. Meanwhile, race spokesman Sid Priddle said he is not going to worry about Environment Canada's forecast. "If I worried about the weather, I would be older than I already am," said Priddle. Edmonton Sun