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2005 CHAMP CARS - MEXICO

WINNER: Justin Wilson: "It feels great. Friday we really struggled and AJ was fantastic. I saw his set-up and we kind of evolved each other and were able to work together like that to try different things and see what worked. If it didn't work, we have the other car to back up on. That's what we did all weekend. It's great; this team has done a fantastic job. They really deserved the one-two. Hopefully we can get a few more next year."

2ND: A.J. Allmendinger: "From yesterday morning on we were struggling. Justin gave us a real boost when he got pole because we had a lot of data to look at. He had a fantastic car. Today, we kind of went with his set-up. The first race stint I think I was actually a bit quicker than Justin but I just couldn't get around him. He seemed to be struggling as his tires wore down a bit but I couldn't get around him because he kept going good on the straightaways. >From that stint on, it was just a struggle. I think I finished where I should have finished, second. A big reason was using Justin's set-up from this morning. They found something and I think that is what is making this team so good; we're able to use set- ups off of each other and make each other better."

• 1. Justin Wilson (GB) 70 laps
  2. A J Allmendinger (US) + 3.9
  3. Paul Tracy (Can) + 6.7
  4. Oriol Servia (Spa)
  5. Timo Glock (Ger)
  6. Jimmy Vasser (US)
  7. Nelson Philippe (Fra)
  8. Alex Tagliani (Can)
  9. Andrew Ranger (Can)
  10. Will Power (Aus)

RACE REPORT - RuSPORT

• The RuSPORT team put the finishing touches on a perfect weekend today by finishing the season finale in first and second place after starting from first and second place. Justin Wilson led 65 of 70 laps on the 2.78-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course to basically lead from pole to checkered flag while his teammate, AJ Allmendinger, finished second after capturing the provisional pole on Friday. Paul Tracy rounded out the podium in third place. Today marked Wilson's second victory of the season and puts him solidly in third place in the final championship standings with 265 points. Allmendinger's fourth second place finish of the season assured him a fifth place finish in the championship standings with 227 points. Today's victory was the second victory for the RuSPORT team and their first ever one-two finish

• McDONALD'S DRIVER BOURDAIS TO START THIRD FOR THE GRAN PREMIO TELMEX/TECATE AND PACIFICARE DRIVER SERVIA TO START SEVENTH
• Sebastien Bourdais, No. 1 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone:
  "Well, it's just been a weird day for the McDonald's team. We had a great car this morning. I really thought we were going to have a shot at the pole. We put a new set of tires at the end but something must have happened on the car. We just got it all wrong because ever since that point we never really got the car underneath us. We just couldn't pull it off. It's a little bit disappointing because obviously last year we had a pretty dominant performance. That proves that basically every year's different and you need to stay on top of your game. It doesn't seem like today we got it."
• FAST FACTS: Will be his third race here. Started from pole last year, set the fastest race lap and led all 63 laps to win the race and championship but not before he overcame a Lap 41/63 mistake where he spun after having built a 17-second lead. Started fourth in 2003 and finished second....Clinched his second consecutive Champ Car title in the previous race in Australia and became the first back-to-back Champ Car champion since Gil de Ferran (2000-2001)...Has 344 points over second place Oriol Servia's 265.
• Oriol Servia, No. 2 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone:

  "Qualifying went really bad for the PacifiCare team. Honestly I am happy with the car; it felt very good. I put in my fastest lap on my first run and I thought we could do much better because I was only happy with my performance on the last three corners. I thought I didn't do the best job on the other part of the lap so I was hopeful on my second run but I got caught by the red flag. When I got back out I felt I had already got the peak performance from the Bridgestone red alternate tires and couldn't improve my time from the first run which was never great to begin with. We are not in the best position to start the last race of the season but the most important part is where you finish and we are going to try to move the PacifiCare car to the front. Turn 1 is a good place to pass and Ford's Push to Pass makes a big different. The PacifiCare guys always do good pit stops so that is another way to move up. I came from last to fifth in Australia so theoretically this should be easier."

• 2005 ATALANTIC CHAMPION'S CHAMPCAR DEBUT: 26 year old Dutchman Charles Zwolsman will drive the 3rd car for Team Australia.
• DERRICK WALKER: "Charles has obviously done an outstanding job in the Toyota Atlantic Series this season and we are pleased that we are in a position to offer him a ride in Mexico. When Kevin Kalkhoven approached us about this activity we definitely saw the merit in it. I think this further demonstrates Champ Car's support of the Atlantic series and its determination to ensure that it is the number one feeder series to Champ Car in the future. That is further enhanced when you consider the lengths they have gone to with the six-hour session on Thursday in an effort to ensure Charles get the most from the experience. We are more than happy to play a role in making that happen in Mexico and into next season when we will run two new Atlantic cars of our own."
• CRAIG GORE: "Team Australia is all about providing opportunities for young talent and we are more than happy to welcome Charles into our team this weekend. He might not be Australian, but he is obviously talented and it would be great if the job he does this weekend helps him secure a full-time Champ Car ride next season. Hopefully Team Australia will have its own Atlantics champion at the end of next season and that we can run a third car for them in Mexico after they have won the title. Kevin Kalkhoven and his team must be applauded for innovations like these and we are more than pleased to be in a position to help out."
• ZWOLSMAN: "This has been a tremendous year for me personally and Condor Motorsports ... I have to thank Team Australia and Kevin Kalkhoven and his Champ Car operation for making this weekend's ride possible. The goal has been to reach the Champ Car ranks for sometime and I am really looking forward to the experience. Team Australia has really made an impact this season on and off the track and I believe I will learn a lot this weekend in so many areas."

MARCUS MARSHALL SACKED:

• Today it has been decided to terminate the agreement between Marcus Marshall and WPS because of certain breaches. Consequently Marcus Marshall will no longer be driving for Team Australia in the Champ Car World Series. The breaches were serious and substantial and occurred before the Surfers Paradise event. Given the significance of the Surfers Paradise event to Champ Car, Queensland and Australia, there was a resolve to defer all decisions until after the Surfers Paradise race. This allowed time for proper consideration of all the circumstances.
• After careful consideration of the breaches it was unanimously agreed to by all team owners (Craig Gore, Derrick Walker, John Fish) to terminate Marcus Marshall's driver and sponsorship agreement effective immediately.
• It is disappointing for all concerned, however the breaches were considered incapable of being remedied by all team owners.
• Given the termination and the form and nature of the agreement, no further comments can be made.

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