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2006 CHAMP CARS         

ROUND 13: OCT 22, 2006 AUSTRALIA

RACE

RACE REPORT - NEWMAN-HAAS - BOURDAIS, 2006 CHAMPION   (TOP OF PAGE)

• McDONALD'S DRIVER BOURDAIS EARNED HISTORY MAKING THIRD CONSECUTIVE CHAMP CAR TITLE WITH AN EIGHTH PLACE FINISH IN THE LEXMARK INDY 300; HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER JUNQUEIRA FINISHED SIXTH
• McDonald's driver Sebastien Bourdais earned a history making third consecutive Champ Car World Series title after an eighth place finish in the action-packed 58-lap Lexmark Indy 300. Bourdais became only the second driver to win three consecutive Champ Car titles in the 97 year history of the sport and was the first in the modern era (1979-on). Ted Horn earned titles in 1946, 1947 and 1948 while Bourdais duplicated the feat 58 years later. Like his winning effort in 2005, Bourdais started the event on the 2.795-mile street course from second place but was unable to repeat his victory due to a variety of factors. The start of the race was yellow flagged due to the second half of the field being strung out. The Champ Car race director then called for a single file start and the field began the race.
• Bourdais was on a conservative fuel strategy in order to potentially run one or two laps longer than others but was able to maintain his second place position behind first time pole sitter and Surfers Paradise native Will Power from Team Australia. On Lap 13 Bourdais was unable to hold off Paul Tracy who passed for position but he was not worried about regaining the spot as he expected to run longer than Tracy and possibly Power on his first stint. Unfortunately the outcome of that possibility will never be known as the second of five caution flags of the day was brought out when Dan Clarke made contact with the wall and the field utilized the opportunity to pit on Lap 14. The McDonald's crew replaced his red Bridgestone option tires with standard black ones and he exited his pit box.
• Needing to finish ninth or better if second place in the point standings, A.J. Allmendinger, won, he dodged his first bullet of the day when Paul Tracy dove out of his box and into Will Power in pit lane. Bourdais, whose pit was at pit out, narrowly escaped being collected in the melee and followed them. Simultaneously, Allmendinger left his pit box with the fuel apparatus still attached to his car and once it broke free of his car and pit fire ensued. Tracy received a punctured tire due to hitting Power and dropped down after returning to the pits which left Bourdais fourth behind two cars who had yet to pit and Power who was third. Once the race resumed he held fourth place when the title was decided on Lap 19 when Allmendinger made contact with the wall exiting Turn 3 and retired in 16th place.
• A race win was still in the forefront of the team's mind and everyone remained focused on the task. Bourdais moved into third when temporary race leader Jan Heylen pitted during Allmendinger's caution on Lap 21. Once the race resumed, Bourdais maintained a 0.5-second gap behind Power and on Lap 28 pulled alongside the Aussie but was slightly squeezed along the inside wall, into the Oil Dry and onto the rough surface which caused him to lock up his tires and slide. The approaching lefthander had a run off area ahead and Bourdais hoped to get there unaffected but unfortunately Power turned left and his left front wheel made contact with the right rear of Bourdais' car. Bourdais drove into the runoff area and slid his car back around and rejoined the field but Power stopped on course due to damage to his car that had already lost bodywork due to the contact in the pits with Tracy.
• During the stop to restart Power, Bourdais made his second stop on Lap 30. Once back on track, when the race was restarted he moved from 10th place to ninth after he passed Andrew Ranger who dropped back from fourth. The following lap Champ Car officials gave him a black flag, drive through, penalty for "avoidable contact" with Power which he served on Lap 33 and dropped to 12th place. Three laps later, on Lap 36, he set the fastest lap of the race thus far although Tracy bettered the lap later.
• In an effort to possibly get back to the front, Bourdais was called into the pits for his final fuel stop when the pit window opened on Lap 37. Once the field began making their final stops he climbed up to seventh place by Lap 52 of 58. Wanting to end the event on a high note he tried to set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap and was one second up on the fastest time but he made a mistake that caused him to drive into the runoff area and he took the checkered flag in eighth place after losing a position to Charles Zwolsman.
• Holds an insurmountable lead over second place Allmendinger (353-285) with one race to go in the championship and therefore clinched his third straight title.
• Following are his post race comments:
• "I had to be careful, because all I needed to do was finish, but I had to make sure I was going to finish," said Bourdais. "I think when I first came in 2003 never would have thought I was going to be part of that kind of dream, and I have to extend a very special thank you to Carl, Paul, Bernie and the whole team because they've been awesome and without them I would certainly not be there in front of you guys.
• "I might sound a little arrogant saying it, but I think it's never been done before. Back in '46, '47 and '48 it was a completely different format, and back then the competition was so different, it's very difficult to compare. I think to me the real years start in '79 when this whole thing started and there was no dirt involved anymore and, you know, it's just a great feeling. Also I got my first win on an oval this year, on a real oval, in Milwaukee, and it was a very high point of the season. Was again, you know, very much due to the efforts of the team. And it just made for a complete season. And it's tough to come back over all that's been done in the last three years, but there's so much we could say that I'm just going to leave it as history."
• "And you know the second, once A.J. had his problem, it was all for the win because we really didn't have anything to fight for anymore. It was win or nothing. And then after that, after the incident with Will, and we decide we were going to have to make it on the three stops, it was kind of make it to the finish. So at the beginning I think we were saving a lot of fuel, trying to make it, and I think we were doing it probably a lot further than Will and certainly a lot further than Paul, who apparently was struggling, and he was just making a mistake, falling back and then coming back, and it was just tough as a result because he wasn't saving as much fuel and he was being aggressive when he was coming back on us. At some point I made a small mistake in the first chicane, and it wasn't my time to try and contest him because he made it around on the outside and it was just too risky. So I just let him around. And then we will never know if I was going to make it or not because the yellow came out. And during that yellow, during the pit stop, Paul ruined Will's race, because at that point Will's car was damaged. And on the restart he wasn't as quick as he had been the race before. And I tried to take off time but wasn't quite close enough. But coming after the second chicane, I had a very good run. I pushed it past and made the move on him and he squeezed me just a little bit and I don't know what happened, but the car started to run really, really hard over the bumps in the middle of the track, and as soon as I touched the brakes, the right front locked and I was never going to stop the car so I just bailed out. And unfortunately Will either thought I was going to make the corner or I don't know what. He turned and we made a small contact, which had no incident on my car but apparently damaged his. And my race was ruined from there on because we had to make it on the three-stop strategy, and you know it was just going downhill from there. Later in the race, we were still in it because the team decided to pit me as soon as the window opened in order to pick up some positions but we received a penalty after that so that really wrapped our race. And then in the last lap I let Bruno go and tried to set the best lap and it didn't work out either, because I locked up the wheel being like a second faster than what I had been doing the whole race. So that was going to be a 33 or 32.9 or 8 or something at that point which was pretty quick, but no matter what, nothing was working today and I went straight in the chicane in turn 8 and that just made for a complete disappointment for the day. But in the meantime, we have to stay positive because it's probably, you know, it's definitely a historical day for the series, for the team and for me.
• "Actually, I told them, because A.J. was stopped on the racetrack, and you know I completely understood what was going on from there on. Once I saw him stop on the racetrack, I knew the championship wasn't in doubt, and I went on the radio and said, "Let's go racing now," because we've been holding back all the time and making sure not to get into any kind of trouble. I went and I tried and it didn't work."

RACE REPORT - CTE - N PHILIPPE, WINNER    (TOP OF PAGE)

• Nelson Philippe Becomes Champ Cars Youngest Race Winner with Victory at Surfers Paradise, Australia
• CTE Racing HVM driver Nelson Philippe scored the first victory of his Champ Car career today at the Lexmark Indy 300 in Surfers Paradise, Australia. At 20 years, three months and 29 days, Philippe became the youngest driver ever to win a Champ Car race. Fellow HVM teammate, rookie, Dan Clarke's day ended prematurely with contact on lap 15.
• 36 races ago, at Long Beach in 2004, Philippe became the youngest driver ever to start a Champ Car race at 17 years, eight months and 25 days. In 2005, Philippe scored four top-ten finishes and was voted the series most improved driver by his peers.
• Philippe joined CTE Racing HVM prior to the start of the 2006 season and has enjoyed a breakout year, establishing career-bests, week in and week out. This season has featured a host of new records for Philippe including two podium finishes (Milwaukee and Montreal) and seven top-ten finishes. He achieved his #1 goal this weekend with his victory; he also earned the best start of his Champ Car career. Philippe is ranked fourth in the series championship, with just one race to go.
• Surfers Paradise has been good to the CTE Racing HVM organization. The team earned their first victory at the same track three years ago with driver Mario Dominguez. Today's victory was the fourth win for the Indianapolis based team and the first since Ryan Hunter-Reay won from the pole position at the Milwaukee Mile in 2004. 2006 has been one HVM Racing's most successful season's, with three podiums, one victory and a pole position.
• Nelson Philippe: "I just can't believe this day has finally come. I am so full of adrenaline, I actually feel like throwing up, but at the same time, it is the best feeling in the world! This is just incredible, my crew was perfect today and Will Phillips my engineer gave me a great car all weekend. The strategy was fantastic and I am just so thankful for the amazing job from my team. I came to this series at very young age without a whole lot of experience racing cars, but I've worked so hard, developing myself on the track and off the track. I knew I could do it and I am really enjoying this success and the confidence it brings. At the same time though, it just gives me the desire to work harder and harder and now that I have my first win, I will continue to focus on my championship position, this season has been amazing."
• Dan Clarke: "First of all, congratulations to Nelson on a fantastic maiden Champ Car win - well done team mate, great drive. I had a good car today, so it was a shame that we couldn't go the distance. My Rookie of the Year title rival, Will Power, didn't have a good race either, but that doesn't make it any easier. In fact, it makes it more frustrating as it would have been a chance to close the gap on him. I needed the points, but they weren't there for us this weekend. We'll be back to fight another day, and look to finish the season on a high note in Mexico City."
• Keith Wiggins, Team Owner/Managing Director: "I think it's clear that Nelson has made great strides in his career. He's clearly been knocking on the door for a win and it has just been a question of time. Now that he's got his first, I am sure there will be many more. He drove a very smart race today. Dan had a tough day today, but he was quite quick here most of the weekend. He's also run very strong and I am sure he will be fighting for the victory when we return next year."
• Cedric The Entertainer, Team Partner: "It was fantastic to be able to be here today in Surfer's Paradise for Nelson's first victory. I am so proud of both Nelson and Dan for all of their accomplishments, and I am very proud of my team."

RACE REPORT - FORSYTHE, TRACY 4TH, ALLMENDINGER, DNF    (TOP OF PAGE)

• Difficult Day For Forsythe Racing
• Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia -- October 22, 2006 - What was shaping up to be a dominating performance by the Forsythe Team turned out to be a disaster today at the Lexmark Indy 300. Paul Tracy made contact with Will Power while exiting the pits after his first stop and cut a tire which forced him to come back in and place himself out of sequence with the leaders. The change of strategy worked in favor of the Canadian driver as he managed to turn very quick laps, including the best lap of the race, and get back to the front. Tracy was running second with only a handful of laps to go when he was assessed two different controversial penalties by the Champ Car officials and was forced to give up two positions; he finished the race in fourth.
• A.J. Allmendinger picked up three positions during the first fourteen laps of the race but also had some serious problems during his first pit stop. The fuel hose was still connected to the #7 Indeck car when Allmendinger exited the pits which caused it to rip and spill methanol which quickly ignited. Damaged caused to the car during the incident eventually sent Allmendinger against the concrete wall and ended his day early. Nobody was hurt during the pit fire.
• Paul Tracy "I'm so pissed off with Champ Car and it's officiating, I mean I can't even describe how upset I am. During the two incidents today with Mario (Dominguez) I was avoiding both of us crashing you know, and I get penalized and have to drop 2 positions because of it. So basically you are damned if you do and you are damned if you don't, if you make contact then they penalize you for that also. And what happened during the second incident at the chicane I feel that it was just a fix to get one of the Team Australia cars up on the podium, I mean it's so clear it's ridiculous. It's extremely frustrating because this was our race to win. We had a problem during the first pit stop when we touched with Will Power and cut a tire, we had to come back in and get out of sequence, the new strategy worked beautifully and we were right up at the front at the end of the race but then they took it from us."
• A.J. Allmendinger "Terrible day for us today. We started the race and we were quick right away, we were passing cars and making ground on the leaders and everything was going according to plan. But then we came into the pits for our first stop that's where it all went wrong, I'm not sure exactly what happened but when I left the fuel hose ripped and there was a huge fire. The fuel nozzle got stuck between the rear tire and the sidepod and that damaged the car quite a bit. We tried to stay out there but the car was extremely difficult to drive after that, I had to lift on the upshits and it would jump out of gear on the downshifts, it was just really hard to hang on to and I ended up making contact with the wall and that ended our day. The most important thing is that all my crewguys are ok, it's a very scary situation but thank god nobody was injured."

QUALIFYING

• POWER'S MAIDEN POLE: Australian Will Power maintained his quick times from Friday and took his first ever pole in Champcars.

QUALIFYING REPORT - TEAM AUSTRALIA    (TOP OF PAGE)

• WILL POWER PUTS TEAM AUSTRALIA ON POLE POSITION ON HOME SOIL
• Australian Will Power has given Team Australia and its home fans the best possible start to this weekend's Lexmark Indy 300 by qualifying on provisional pole position at Surfers Paradise today. Power grabbed pole in opening qualifying for Round 13 of the Champ Car World Series with an outstanding lap around the demanding Gold Coast street circuit. The fastest time in today's session assures the Toowoomba-born driver a front row start in Sunday's race. Power was on top of the times sheets in the early stages of the session before the Newman-Haas pair of Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira moved above the #5 Aussie Vineyards Lola. Power and his engineer Brandon Fry then made some changes to the Team Australia Lola and fitted the car with a new set of Bridgestone's red 'option' tyres. The local favourite then followed up his early form in the morning practice to set a scintillating pace in front of his cheering home fans. Power was on an even faster lap when the red flag was brought out as a result of AJ Allmendinger colliding with one of the unforgiving Gold Coast concrete walls, giving Power his first front row start in Champ Car and his first pole in a Champ Car qualifying session. This will be the first front row start for Team Australia in this year's championship.
• Power's team-mate Alex Tagliani also made a set-up change mid-session but it did not prove as successful and the Canadian finished eighth in the #15 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Lola. Tagliani and Power have both been on the pace from the work go today at the team's home event. The Aussie Vineyards Lolas have been fast from the word go. Tagliani is confident that he will be able to match his young team-mate's form in final qualifying tomorrow, while Power has stated that he will still be pushing hard for tomorrow in an attempt to follow up today's superb efforts.
• WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY :
• Will Power : #5 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Lola "This is the best start we could have had," said Power. "Derrick (Walker) said to put red (option tyres) on and I said 'can we get pole?' He said 'yes', so I went for it. "This is the best possible position to be in so we can relax a little tomorrow because we know we will be on the front row for the start of the race. "We went out on the black tyres and did a reasonable lap, so then we sat back and waited until 12 minutes to go. We put on the red tyres and pushed really hard and the car was ideal. My engineer Brandon Fry made a few changes to the car and now we are on the pole, so he has done a great job. "I was surprised we did a 1minute 31 second lap time, especially a 31.4. "We will still push hard tomorrow. The track gets quicker as the weekend goes on so we have to keep on it. This is a great start and I am so pleased we have done this in front of this great Australian crowd."
• Alex Tagliani : #15 Team Australia Aussie Vineyards Lola "We have a good car, but unfortunately in qualifying the car was not as good as it was this morning," said Tagliani. "We made some changes and they didn't work as well as we wanted, which put us behind some of the guys that improved. Will made some changes that worked and that helped put him up front. "I'm really happy for him and Team Australia. Hopefully we are both up the front tomorrow."
• Derrick Walker : Team Australia Co-Owner "A lot of teams tested at Elkhart Lake in preparation for that race in September but we decided to save our efforts and resources and focus totally on Surfers," said Walker. "It allowed our engineers to spend some extra time on getting our cars set up for the Surfers chicanes. "Out of the box the car in the morning the car was good. The guys have been terrific and Will is comfortable in the car. "A lap like that requires the driver to be totally committed and you also have to have a good car under you. Will was able to pull it all together. "It's good to do this at our 'home' event. We are all really happy."
• Craig Gore : Team Australia Co-Owner "Just awesome, what more can you say," said Gore. "This is certainly one of the proudest days of my life. The crowd support here this weekend has been just amazing. It will be incredible if we can achieve even a podium. "I can't thank everyone enough for their well wishes and messages of support. This is just an awesome feeling and an incredible performance by Will and the entire Team Australia crew."
• TEAM AUSTRALIA LEXMARK INDY 300 FAST FACTS
• Will Power has raced at the Lexmark Indy 300 on four occasions. While his Champ Car debut was at the 2005 event, Power raced from 2000-2002 in support categories, taking a win on all three occasions.
• Alex Tagliani has raced at the Lexmark Indy 300 six times, with his best Australian result coming in 2001 when he finished third behind Cristiano da Matta and Michael Andretti.
• There has never been a repeat winner of the Lexmark Indy 300. If the trend is to continue, Team Australia drivers Will Power and Alex Tagliani could be a chance of maintaining what many in Champ Car call the 'Gold Coast Hoodoo'. Four past winners of the Lexmark Indy 300 are competing in this year's race. They are Paul Tracy, Mario Dominguez, Bruno Junqueira and Sebastien Bourdais.

QUALIFYING REPORT - NEWMAN-HAAS    (TOP OF PAGE)

• McDONALD'S DRIVER BOURDAIS SECOND FASTEST IN PROVISIONAL QUALIFYING FOR THE LEXMARK INDY 300; HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER JUNQUEIRA THIRD
• Sebastien Bourdais, No. 1 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone: "Well, we took off and it was pretty straightforward at the beginning with a pretty good lap for the McDonald's team. I escaped a very scary moment in the first chicane and thought I was going to crash it but made it. But that was actually my quickest lap. So when I went back out after we decided with Craig (Hampson) to switch to the alternate tires, it was looking good. We ran a good first lap. I made a small adjustment in the car and went into turn one and that was that. I made a mistake. After that incident I actually had quite a few cars that I had to avoid holding up so as to not get in the way, and when I went back up for it, I was in the fast lap, like two or three tenths quicker, and when I arrived in the fast chicane, A.J. was in the tires. It's a little bit of a shame. My car is right there this weekend, and great job to the racing team and to Will, and hopefully we'll have another shot at it tomorrow if it's dry."
• - FAST FACTS: Will be his fourth race here. Could have clinched his second consecutive series title by finishing last (19th) here in 2005 but earned it with a win from second place after he led 38 of 57 laps. Stayed on track one lap longer than then-leader Tracy for his first pit stop to take the race lead and held it until the checkered flag. In 2004, he could have clinched title here if he gained an additional seven points over his teammate Junqueira (total of 35). Was the provisional polesitter which allowed him to increase his lead to 28 points over second. Set the third fastest time in final qualifying but started second based on his prov. pole. Junqueira was able to gain a position on him after his second stop and he ultimately finished second and lost ground in the points lead (335-313)...Started on pole in 2003 but finished 17th. He and Paul Tracy made contact early in the race but he held second place until he lost control of his race car and crashed when rain began to fall, followed by hail and a temporary halt to the event....Currently leads the series point standings with 310 points to A.J. Allmendinger and Justin Wilson's 249...Will attempt to become the first open wheel driver to win three consecutive championships since Ted Horn did so from 1946-1948.
• Bruno Junqueira, No. 2 Hole in the Wall Camps Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone: "It was a good session. The track was very fast today; I enjoyed it a lot. I'm really happy to be back here at Surfers Paradise. This track is very nice. The first stint I had a good lap and was a little behind Sebastien, and decided to put on the red tires for the second round. The first couple of laps, I was in traffic and I made a little mistake. It was a really good first lap, a half a second faster, and I went through really, really fast and I brushed the inside tire on the left. I came out of there and said they're going to have to stick because I have to make the last three corners because this lap is good. Then they called the red (flag). I don't know, I was maybe relieved that I didn't have to do those last corners with the suspension damaged. Unfortunately because of that I didn't improve my lap time on the red tires but I'm quite happy to be third. Will Power, well done. He got the pole, and we'll see what happens tomorrow. I felt the red tires were a little bit better, so I am kind of frustrated at the fact that I didn't get the most out of one of the two sets because of that. But I think they are maybe three tenths faster, four tenths. For sure, they are faster. They have more natural grip, and I like it. We have another one tomorrow to try to improve our position."

QUALIFYING REPORT - FORSYTHE   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Tracy Qualifies Third, Allmendinger Seventh In Australia
• Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia : October 21, 2006 : The Forsythe duo of Paul Tracy and A.J. Allmendinger will line up third and seventh for Sunday's Lexmark Indy 300 after what turned out to be a frustrating qualifying session for the blue and white team. Tracy, who was second quickest in morning practice, had to slow down repeatedly during his stint due to slow traffic on the race track and was not able to squeeze the maximum speed out of his #7 Indeck Champ Car.
• Allmendinger led morning practice and turned a quick enough lap during qualifying to put him on the front row, unfortunately he crossed the finish line only a few seconds after a red flag came out and his flying lap was deleted from the time charts. This will be only the second time that the young American driver will start a race this Season from outside the top 4.
• Paul Tracy "I'm happy with how the performance of the team has rebounded from yesterday. Obviously yesterday was a huge disappointment not get to go qualify because I felt that we had been quick right from the drop of the flag yesterday. The car would not start for us yesterday. But you know, the session went out well, we went out early to get a lap time and the second run, I got kind of stuck behind Oriol Servia, and he held me up for two laps of the four laps we got out there before it went red. So it was a little bit frustrating, because I know there was still a lot of time left. I had a couple of laps that were much, much quicker than what we ran in the first set. But hats off to Will (Power) and Team Australia. Tremendous accomplishment here in his hometown and there's always a lot of pressure to perform. I've been in the same thing in Toronto, and when you can score a pole in front of all your family and friends, it's a great feeling."
• A.J. Allmendinger "I'm really disappointed with my starting position, we put in a lap that was quick enough for the front row only a couple of seconds after the red came out so they took it away from us and now we'll be starting mid-pack. I mean I know my car is fast and I'm confident that we'll be able to pick up some positions during the race but we just have to make sure that we make it trough Turn 1. The whole Forsythe Team has done a great job this weekend, I hit the wall yesterday during qualifying and my guys worked really hard to make sure that the backup car was ready to go this morning, I can't thank them enough. There's never been a repeat winner here and I'm going to do my best to keep the streak alive by winning tomorrow!"

PREVIEW

RACE PREVIEW - NEWMAN-HAAS RACING    (TOP OF PAGE)

• LEXMARK INDY 300 IN AUSTRALIA COULD BE THE SITE OF HISTORY MAKING EFFORT FOR McDONALD'S DRIVER BOURDAIS; HOLE IN THE WALL CAMPS DRIVER JUNQUEIRA RETURNS TO AUSTRALIA FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HIS 2004 VICTORY HERE
• SURFERS PARADISE, Queensland, Australia (October 18, 2006) , - McDonald's driver Sebastien Bourdais hopes to drive to victory in the this weekend's Lexmark Indy 300 in Surfers Paradise, Queensland Australia and be the first Champ Car driver to win three consecutive open-wheel titles since Ted Horn accomplished the feat from 1946 to 1948. Although he needs only to finish ninth or better in the 59-lap race on the 2.795-mile street course, Bourdais would like nothing better than to clinch the title in style with a victory like he did last year.
• "Last year's scenario was great because we just had to start the race (to win the title) and we could concentrate on racing," said Bourdais who started second and took the lead after pitting one lap later than Paul Tracy last year and went on to win. "In the mean time you want something coming from the race itself. We wanted to finish the championship (fight) but it was kind of easy because we just had to take the start but we wanted to finish on a good note. We were very successful and we brought the McDonald's car to the top step on the podium. It was a great race; we had a lot of speed and I had a great time the whole race. It's always a great place to come and race and I guess last year it was even better because it was pretty relaxed and we just had to enjoy ourselves. You can't anticipate what can happen but we would be very happy to repeat last year's scenario and win the race and clinch the championship in style."
• The only two drivers with a mathematical chance of winning the title are A.J. Allmendinger and Justin Wilson who reside 58 and 69 points behind Bourdais, respectively. Although unexpected problems could arise that could prohibit a strong finish, Bourdais has historically been a contender for a top three finish in every race this season although he failed to finish two. In Cleveland he started third but Paul Tracy made contact with his car and drove over the top of it in a scary accident and in Denver, Tracy slid into Bourdais entering the final turn on the penultimate lap and dropped him from second to seventh place. A competitive setup for the Australian track has Bourdais optimistic of a fun and successful weekend.
• "I think the McDonald's team has been very, very quick over the years in Australia," said Bourdais, who used the downtime since the previous race to run and finish third in the Petit Le Mans sports car race in Atlanta. "The baseline setup has been very quick for the last couple of seasons there and as the track comes to us is seems to be ever better. I just hope that when we unload the car we are on the pace right off. It's a fun track and a fun event and I am looking forward to it. As we know the weather can throw everything away but whatever the conditions are we seem to be able to put together a car that is reasonably quick. I just hope that we enjoy ourselves and that is what we are going to focus on."
• In 2005, Bourdais became the 15th different winner in the 15th event in Australia. Of those 15 events, Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) drivers have won five races, seven poles, and amassed nine podium. NHR not only won the race last year, they started in the top spot here when Oriol Servia earned his first Champ Car career pole although he was hit from behind on the start and fought back to a fifth place finish. Of the 2006 field, Mario Dominguez (2002), Paul Tracy (1995 with NHR), Bourdais and his teammate, Hole in the Wall Camps driver Bruno Junqueira, have the opportunity to become the first driver to win multiple events on one of the most challenging street courses of the season.
• "The track is pretty tough; it's very easy to make a mistake. And usually if you make a mistake there you're going to hit something," said Bourdais who won here in 2005, finished second in 2004 and made contact when rain and hail fell in 2003 after he started from pole. "The chicanes , there is no free pass there; you have to try and make it and if you don't make it you're going to hit something. It's so nerve wracking but that's also why it's a tough race to win because lap after lap after lap you can't make any mistakes but you still have to push really hard. It's been a real challenge over the years."
• The more difficult the course, the better suited it is to Brazilian Bruno Junqueira's driving style. Junqueira missed the opportunity to not only win multiple events in Australia in 2005, he also missed the opportunity to do it back-to-back after having won here in 2004 but missed last year's event while recuperating from his accident in the Indy 500. Undoubtedly, he has been looking forward to his return to the streets of Surfer's Paradise for longer than anyone else in the field.
• "Australia is one of my favorite races and I won there in 2004 so I have good memories," said the Brazilian who arrived to the Gold Coast on Monday. "In 2004 I passed people on the track and had a quick pit stop that put me in a good position to win. I have always done well in Australia; I've been on the pole and got great results there over the years. Unfortunately I missed the chance to defend my win there last year but I am looking forward to returning this year and picking up where we left off. There is always a big party on Sunday night but the one in 2004 was even better. It was great to win there and it would be nice to do it again especially since no one has even won there twice."
• In his four previous races here. Junqueira came close to winning the pole twice (2002 and 2003) as well as the event twice before accomplishing the feat in 2004 from a third place start. He was the provisional polesitter in 2003 but started second and led a race high 29 laps in the 47-lap event but crashed late in the race and finished 15th. In 2002, he lost pole position to NHR driver Cristiano da Matta by a mere 1-1000ths of a second and led eight laps but finished 14th due to the timing of the rain-shortened event that favored backmarkers. He started and finished 21st in his first race here in 2001 due to contact. Junqueira is currently ranked sixth in the Champ Car standings with 177 points but is only seven away from fourth place ranked Paul Tracy (184) with two events to go. He is looking forward to his return to not only his favorite street course of the season but also his favorite event.
• "The Australian track is a street course but it is very, very long," added Junqueira, whose season highlights are second place finishes in Cleveland, Denver and Road America. "It's almost a two minute lap. It's for sure the most difficult of all street courses and it is fun to drive. In Australia everything is great on track and off track. We spend a week there and go to the beach and relax and have time for the drivers and teams to hang out with each other. Once we get on the track it's pretty cool because we have such a great crowd, over 300,000 people."
• "I think everybody enjoys going to Australia because it's a week long festival and everybody is on vacation," added Bourdais. "You've got contests going from one building to another. You fly a long time to get there and it does deliver what is promised. It's getting toward the end of the season and the Australian experience is just something different and everybody enjoys it. We are still concentrating on the job at hand but in the meantime we can feel the atmosphere without being part of it. Just seeing how the fans seem to enjoy it is enough for us and it makes us proud to be part of it."
• The 316,459 attendees of last year's race weekend set a record that is expected to be surpassed this year. This weekend's Lexmark Indy 300 can be seen on same-day tape on Sunday, October 22 on SPEED beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. SPEED will also broadcast a 30-minute show covering the highlights from Friday and Saturday qualifying, which will air Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m. As always, fans can follow the action from every on-track session via the Race Director feature on the official website of the Champ Car World Series, www.champcar.ws.
• Driver Stats and Quotes:
• SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, #1 McDonald'sFord-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone:
• - IN AUSTRALIA: Will be his fourth race here. Could have clinched his second consecutive series title by finishing last (19th) here in 2005 but earned it with a win from second place after he led 38 of 57 laps. Stayed on track one lap longer than then-leader Tracy for his first pit stop to take the race lead and held it until the checkered flag. In 2004, he could have clinched title here if he gained an additional seven points over his teammate Junqueira (total of 35). Was the provisional polesitter which allowed him to increase his lead to 28 points over second. Set the third fastest time in final qualifying but started second based on his prov. pole. Junqueira was able to gain a position on him after his second stop and he ultimately finished second and lost ground in the points lead (335-313)...Started on pole in 2003 but finished 17th. He and Paul Tracy made contact early in the race but he held second place until he lost control of his race car and crashed when rain began to fall, followed by hail and a temporary halt to the event.
• - COULD CLINCH 3RD TITLE WITH 9TH OR BETTER IN AUSTRALIA: Earned the max. points available in Long Beach season-opener after being fastest in each qualifying session, set the fastest race lap and won to gain an eight point lead over Justin Wilson...In Houston, recovered from losing provisional pole on Thursday due to disqualification (weight) and started fifth to earn his seventh win in past 9 events after he led 33 laps to build an 18 points lead over second...Started from pole in Monterrey, led the first 25 laps but dropped as low as third after his first stop. Fuel mileage strategy helped him regain the lead and the win to build his lead to 25 pts....Brought team it's first pole at "home event" on the Milwaukee oval in 21 years (1985) as well as their first win in 10 years after coming back from a Lap 20/197 punctured tire that put him one lap down...Started third in Portland but dropped to seventh on the first racing lap due to a ragged start on the second attempt. A conservative fuel strategy, coupled with no additional cautions made it difficult to move closer to the front and he finished third...Started third in Cleveland but was hit on Lap 1 when Paul Tracy tried to drive between Bourdais and Junqueira which caused Tracy to launch over Bourdais and roll over his helmet. Retired in 18th place and was admitted and subsequently released from hospital after a precautionary CT scan was negative for damage...Started and finished third in Toronto...Led 55 laps from pole in Edmonton but struggled with the handling of his race car during the second stint on regular Bridgestone tires and finished second to Wilson to maintain his pre-race 23-point lead over second place...Led 69/97 laps in San Jose and drove to victory from pole after setting the fastest lap of the race to increase his lead over Wilson to 31 points (255-224)...Started from pole in Denver and led the first 36 laps before he dropped back to fifth on his second stint on softer red Bridgestone's.
• Consistently set the fastest lap times in third and final stint on standard tires and into third place before he passed the struggling car of Tracy, who had battled fuel pickup problems for the final 20 laps, for second but Tracy dove into the final corner too deep, locked up his tires and slid into Bourdais, taking both drivers out of the race and caused Bourdais to earn 10 less points...Increased his pre-race point lead of 32 to 62 after being fastest in each qualifying session, leading the race, setting the fastest race lap and winning in Montreal while Allmendinger (mechanical) nor Wilson (crash) finished...Was unable to increase his lead over second place by seven points when he finished third in Road America despite having a dominant car all weekend. Was fastest in practice sessions run in the dry but both qualifying sessions were dictated by strategy in the rain. Set the fastest lap in Saturday's wet qualifying to earn a second place start. Led 28 laps and built two 12+ and 15+ second leads over second place and set the fastest lap of the race (repeatedly) but race strategy limited him to a third place finish. Has 338 points to Allmendinger's 280 (-58) with two races to go.
• - FOX SPORTS BEST NON AMERICAN ATHLETES: Recently made a list complied by Fox Sports of the 10 best non American athletes. Others on the list include reigning F 1 champ Fernando Alonso, Brazilian soccer stars Ronaldinho and Adriano, golf stars Luke Donald (England) and Padraig Harrington (Ireland) as well as four others.
• - HISTORY IN THE MAKING?: Will attempt to become the first open wheel driver to win three consecutive championships since Ted Horn accomplished the feat from 1946-1948. Has 310 points to Allmendinger and Wilson's 249 with three races to go and needs to gain an additional eight point advantage over second place to clinch his third title leaving Road America.
• 
  BRUNO JUNQUEIRA, #2 Hole in the Wall Camps Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone:
• - IN AUSTRALIA: Will be his fifth race here. Was unable to defend his 2004 win here in 2005 due to injury sustained in the Indy 500. Won the 2004 event from a third place start as well as set the fastest race lap and led a total of 18 laps. Was the prov. polesitter in 2003 but started second. Led a race high 29 laps in the 47-lap event but crashed late in the event and finished 15th. Lost pole position to da Matta by a mere 1-1000ths of a second in 2002. Started second, led eight laps but finished 14th due to strategy in the rain-shortened event. Started and finished 21st in 2001 due to contact.
• - SO FAR IN 2006: In his first Champ Car event since recovering from injuries sustained in the 2005 Indy 500, he was only 3/100ths of a second off provisional pole and qualified third for the season opener in Long Beach but was hit from behind and taken out of the race at Turn 1 of Lap 1, 315 days after his '05 season-ending injury...Was provisional polesitter in Houston and started second but struggled with his race car on alternate tires and dropped back. Was in fifth place when he was on his in-lap for his final pit stop when he stopped on course after running out of fuel due to a fuel miscalculation. Was towed to pits and reentered the race three laps down and finished 10th. Is ranked 13th in the standings with 18 points When he took the checkered flag in Houston, it had been 350 days since his crash (Indy 500) and 357 since he took the checkered flag (MTY win 5-22-05)...Started fourth in Monterrey but was penalized for blocking while running fifth, dropped to the back of the pack and finished 10th...Was one of four drivers to crash in Turn 4 during Saturday's practice session on the one-mile oval in Milwaukee, possibly due to a wind gust. Came back to qualify second but was taken out of the race after he was hit Mario Dominguez on the first lap...Earned his first pole in Portland since the 2004 season-opener in Long Beach. The start was waived off due to the field not being in proper alignment. The race was started on the second attempt despite again being ragged and Junqueira dropped to fourth where he ultimately finished...Started seventh in Cleveland and gained two positions by Turn 2 on Lap 1 before Tracy split Junqueira and his teammate Bourdais, which brought on a scary crash that saw Tracy rip off Junqueira's rear wing before he launched over Bourdais and struck his helmet. Due to smart strategy and driving Junqueira was able to run fourth in the closing stages and move into second on the final lap when Dominguez and Clarke collided...Started ninth and finished eighth in Toronto...Started ninth and retired in 15th place in Edmonton after recovering from a spin on Lap 1 but retired with gearbox failure...Dropped from a ninth place rank to 12th after being collected in a Lap 2 incident when Will Power rear-ended Oriol Servia and then collected Junqueira...Started seventh and was up to fourth place on the final lap in Denver but finished second when second place Bourdais was hit by Tracy...Started sixth in Montreal, ran as high as fourth but finished 12th after a untimely caution flag dropped him back in the field where he passed three cars before going off-course on the wet track and damaged his car which was repaired so he could continue to score points...Was in the top three in dry practice sessions but rain in both qualifying sessions led to a 10th place start. Was hit on Lap 1 in Turn 2 by Will Power and dropped to the back. Charged through the field and took over the lead due to pit strategy and led 12 laps en route to a second place finish to move from eighth to sixth in the standings...Is 6th in the standings with 177 points, within seven points of fourth.
• What They're Saying About...
• Sebastien Bourdais, #1 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone: "Last year's scenario was great because we just had to start the race (to win the title) and we could concentrate on racing. In the mean time you want something coming from the race itself. We wanted to finish the championship (fight) but it was kind of easy because we just had to take the start but we wanted to finish on a good note. We were very successful and we brought the McDonald's car to the top step on the podium. It was a great race; we had a lot of speed and I had a great time the whole race. It's always a great place to come and race and I guess last year it was even better because it was pretty relaxed and we just had to enjoy ourselves. You can't anticipate what can happen but we would be very happy to repeat last year's scenario and win the race and clinch the championship in style.
• "I think the McDonald's team has been very, very quick over the years in Australia. The baseline setup has been very quick for the last couple of seasons there and as the track comes to us is seems to be ever better. I just hope that when we unload the car we are on the pace right off. It's a fun track and a fun event and I am looking forward to it. As we know the weather can throw everything away but whatever the conditions are we seem to be able to put together a car that is reasonably quick. I just hope that we enjoy ourselves and that is what we are going to focus on.
• "The track is pretty tough; it's very easy to make a mistake. And usually if you make a mistake there you're going to hit something. The chicanes , there is no free pass there; you have to try and make it and if you don't make it you're going to hit something. It's so nerve wracking but that's also why it's a tough race to win because lap after lap after lap you can't make any mistakes but you still have to push really hard. It's been a real challenge over the years.
• "I think everybody enjoys going to Australia because it's a week long festival and everybody is on vacation. You've got contests going from one building to another. You fly a long time to get there and it does deliver what is promised. It's getting toward the end of the season and the Australian experience is just something different and everybody enjoys it. We are still concentrating on the job at hand but in the meantime we can feel the atmosphere without being part of it. Just seeing how the fans seem to enjoy it is enough for us and it makes us proud to be part of it."
• Bruno Junqueira, #2 Hole in the Wall Camps Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone: "Australia is one of my favorite races and I won there in 2004 so I have good memories. In 2004 I passed people on the track and had a quick pit stop that put me in a good position to win. I have always done well in Australia; I've been on the pole and got great results there over the years. Unfortunately I missed the chance to defend my win there last year but I am looking forward to returning this year and picking up where we left off. There is always a big party on Sunday night but the one in 2004 was even better. It was great to win there and it would be nice to do it again especially since no one has even won there twice.
• "The Australian track is a street course but it is very, very long. It's almost a two minute lap. It's for sure the most difficult of all street courses and it is fun to drive. In Australia everything is great on track and off track. We spend a week there and go to the beach and relax and have time for the drivers and teams to hang out with each other. Once we get on the track it's pretty cool because we have such a great crowd, over 300,000 people."

RACE PREVIEW - RUSPORT    (TOP OF PAGE)

• RuSPORT enters round 12 of the 2006 Champ Car World Series poised to recover after average results at the Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin race last month. Justin Wilson (#9 CDW / RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) finished 5th at Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America.
• Wilson is currently in third place in the 2006 Champ Car Driver's Championship. With 269 points, he is just 11 points behind 2nd place and 69 points behind the leader, Sebastian Bourdais.
• In 2005, Wilson qualified and finished in 7th place and Sebastian Bourdais was the winner with a time of 1:39:26.671.
• Joining the RuSPORT team to pilot the #10 car for the last two races is Australia native Ryan Briscoe. Briscoe replaces Cristiano de Matta who was injured on August 3rd while testing at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. Cristiano de Matta continues to make great progress in his recovery at his home in Brazil.
• This is the first Champ Car World Series race for 25-year-old Briscoe. He has raced in the Indy Racing League (IRL) for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005 and Dreyer & Reinbold for four races in 2006. Briscoe finished 3rd in this year's race at Watkins Glen. He also competed in the 2005 and 2006 Rolex 24 hours of Daytona races, winning the pole in 2005.

RACE PERVIEW - PKV    (TOP OF PAGE)

• PKV RACING TAKES HOPES DOWNUNDER
• ORIOL SERVIA LOOKING FOR ANOTHER STRONG PERFORMANCE IN LEXMARK INDY 300 IN EFFORT TO FINISH SEASON IN TOP-FIVE
• KATHERINE LEGGE RETURNS TO COMPETITION FOLLOWING HORRIFIC CRASH
• INDIANAPOLIS, IN , OCTOBER 16, 2006 , PKV Racing's Oriol Servia will be looking for another strong performance in the Lexmark Indy 300 on the streets of Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia as he continues his battle for a top-five finish in the season ending standings while teammate Katherine Legge will be returning to competition following her horrific crash just over three weeks ago at Road America to pursue her goal of a top-10 finish in the points.
• Servia, who pilots the #6 Gulfstream , PKV Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone machine, is coming off a solid fourth place showing at Road America which has provided him with some momentum as he heads into the final two events of the 2006 season. The native of Catalunya, Spain who will be making his 13th start for PKV Racing and seventh in Surfers Paradise, is eighth in the standings with 169 points, but is just 15 points out of fourth place. Servia has qualified in the top-10 three times in six attempts at Surfers and finished in the top-10 twice. He is coming off his best performance in six races in Australia having captured his first career pole and finished fifth last year.
• "As always, I am looking forward to going to Surfers Paradise," Servia began. "I think all the drivers agree it is one of, if not the, best race in our series," he noted. "The track in Surfers is fun to drive. In particular I like the fast chicanes. But, most of all, it is the atmosphere and excitement that surrounds the race that sets it above other events. The promoters really do a great job."
• Servia went on to say, "I am especially looking forward to the Surfers Paradise race this year because I am confident that the Gulfstream , PKV Racing team will be very competitive. I won the pole at Surfers last year and during the second half of the season PKV Racing has shown that we have the speed to be competitive. The whole PKV Racing team has worked very hard and the results are starting to come. We are currently eighth in the championship standings, but with two good performances to finish the season we can still reach our goal of finishing in the top-five in the points."
• Servia has finished in the top-10 in seven of the 12 races this year including four top-five showings and the team's only podium performance of the season a third place finish in Cleveland. In addition to the podium, and the fourth place showing at Road America, Servia has finished fourth in Edmonton, fifth in Milwaukee, eighth in Monterrey and San Jose and 10th in Portland. Servia has been exceptionally consistent in qualifying this year. He has qualified in the top-10 in ten of the 12 races with five top-five starting spots. His qualifying record to date is two short of the team record for top-10 starting spots in a season, set by Jimmy Vasser and Cristiano da Matta both in 2005, and one short of the team record for top-five starting positions in a season, set by da Matta also last year. Servia holds the team record for consecutive top-five starting spots with four, having qualified a season high fourth in Cleveland, fifth in Edmonton, Toronto and San Jose.
• Servia, who is competing in his seventh Champ Car season, will be making his 111th career start this weekend. He has earned 58 top-ten finishes including 29 top-five showings, 13 podium performances and one victory (Montreal 2005). The resident of Miami, Florida, who has finished in the top-10 in the standings the last three years, is coming off his best Champ Car season placing second last year.
• Legge, who was sporting a new pink paint scheme on the #20 Bell Micro , PKV Racing Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone entry at Road America to support Ford Motor Company's Warriors in Pink program, which is dedicated to eradicating breast cancer through Ford's commitment to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Series, was having an impressive race running solidly in sixth when, with just five laps remaining in the 51-lap contest, part of her rear wing broke. The car launched into the retaining wall, up the catch fence and, in flames, began cart-wheeling through the air coming to rest alongside the track. Despite massive damage to the car the talented 26-year-old rookie walked away from the crash with only bruises on her legs. Five days later, Legge tested at Sebring International Raceway running 150 miles with a very competitive time of 51.8 seconds. This weekend's race in Surfers Paradise will be the first time she has raced competitively since the Road America incident.
• "I am excited about getting back in the Bell Micro , PKV Racing car and racing after the long break," Legge said. "I have no hesitation whatsoever about competing again and in fact I am looking forward to the challenge. The Bell Mirco , PKV Racing team had a good test the Friday after the crash, so we had a chance to work on a few things that I think will help us in Surfers Paradise."
• This will be Legge's first race in Australia and the 13th start of her Champ Car career. The native of Guilford, England has earned four top-10 finishes in her first 12 Champ Car races placing a season, and career, high sixth at Milwaukee, eighth in her Champ Car debut at Long Beach eighth in Cleveland and ninth in Denver. She has qualified in the top-10 twice in 12 attempts this year (eighth on the oval in Milwaukee and on the Road America road course). The resident of Indianapolis, Indiana is third in laps completed (1052 of 1126) and ninth in laps led with 12. Legge is 16th in the standings with 122 points, 46 points out of 10th. She is fifth in the Roshrans Rookie of the Year race.
• "This will be my first time competing in Australia," Legge noted. "I have heard from the other drivers what a fantastic event it is and that the circuit is very challenging, so I am looking forward to the experience. I was in Surfers about a month ago and had a chance to drive the circuit in a street car, so that gave me an idea of the layout. I am confident that the Bell Micro , PKV Racing team will be as competitive as we were at Road America, where we were in position for a top-six finish, before the crash," she concluded.
• PKV Racing will be making its sixth and seventh starts and contesting its fourth race in Surfers Paradise. The team has qualified in the top-10 four times in five previous attempts with a best starting position of fourth by Cristiano da Matta in 2005 (Salo, 10th , 2003; Vasser, eighth , 2004 and 2005). They have finished in the top-10 three once with Vasser finishing third last year.

RACE PREVIEW - TEAM AUSTRALIA    (TOP OF PAGE)

• HOME GROUND ADVANTAGE TO PROPEL TEAM AUSTRALIA AT LEXMARK INDY 300
• Team Australia Champ Car drivers Will Power and Alex Tagliani are confident that the Lexmark Indy 300 is shaping as the team's best event yet as the Aussie Vineyards squad prepares for its home race on Australia's Gold Coast this weekend.
• Both Team Australia drivers have enjoyed previous success at the demanding Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, with Tagliani third in 2001 and Power taking wins in support category races in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
• The event is not only the home event of Team Australia, it is also especially significant for both drivers. Power hails from the Queensland town of Toowoomba and Canadian driver Tagliani is married to an Australian, former Bartercard Miss Indy contestant Bronte Tagliani.
• Power has an enviable record on the Surfers Paradise street circuit. He has raced four times on the challenging layout, including his Champ Car World Series debut with Team Australia at last year's Lexmark Indy 300. Power won support races in Formula Ford (2000), Honda Young Guns (2001) and Formula 3 (2002) while racing in Australia, before becoming reacquainted with the circuit last year.
• On debut Power was very impressive, qualifying the #25 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Lola in an exceptional 11th position. Power was running inside the top 10 and on his way to a sensational debut before an incident with team-mate Tagliani ended his race on lap 29 of 57.
• The masses of support from his home state fans at last year's event was an inspiration to Power and no doubt the green and gold of Team Australia will be flying high in the packed grandstands of this year's event.
• Power currently lies seventh in the championship standings and is only 11 points from former series champion Paul Tracy, who is fourth. The Australian also leads the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year standings by seven points over British driver Dan Clarke.
• With a top five championship finish in his rookie Champ Car season as well as the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year award still up for grabs, Power understands that finishing the Gold Coast event is crucial.
• But Power is a racer and the speed the Australian has shown in the #5 Aussie Vineyards Lola at recent rounds means that this his home event will be his best chance yet at grabbing his first Champ Car podium.
• Tagliani currently lies 12th in the championship after having several races ruined this season by forces out of his control. Tagliani has switched his focus from points to race results for the last two races of the season and will be pushing hard to get Team Australia on the podium on Sunday afternoon.
• Tagliani has already finished on the podium once this season, finishing third in the season-opening race at Long Beach, California. Power's best result so far came in Denver, Colorado when the Australian finished fourth.
• WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY ,
• Will Power , #5 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Lola
• "This is the place for me to really try hard to get my first Champ Car podium," said Power.
• "I've been getting quicker and quicker as the season has progressed and I understand the cars a lot more. This is the first track I have been to this year that I have already raced at and I feel that everything is going well for a strong race this weekend.
• "I've had this race in the back of my mind all year. I've been close to a podium a couple of times already this season and felt we had a really strong car at the last race at Road America until we were taken out at the start.
• "I've got the Rookie of the Year and also my championship position to think about, so I won't be doing anything silly as I know a finish here is important. But this is Team Australia's home race and it is my home race, so at the same time I will be doing my best in every session to get the Aussie Vineyards car up the front for all the Australian fans."
• Alex Tagliani , #15 Team Australia/Aussie Vineyards Lola
• "This event is all about aiming for the podium and pushing hard," said Tagliani.
• "We've had a lot of bad luck in this year's championship so going for race results is now the aim in the last two races of the year, as we have nothing to lose.
• "I'll be pushing hard for the team's home race. We have to forget about the back luck and do the best we can here this weekend.
• "I love this race. The circuit is very tough and the event is one of the best of the season. I really hope I can get a podium for Team Australia this weekend. I think we have the car speed to run at the front and I have a great team around me, so with a bit of luck it could be a very good day for us on Sunday."
• Craig Gore , Team Australia Co-Owner
• "This is what it is all about," said Gore.
• "It is just an amazing feeling seeing the Team Australia cars out there and the team standing side-by-side as the Australian national anthem is played on our home track for the season. It just makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention.
• "You can't help but feel proud to be Australian. Can you imagine how much that feeling will be increased if we manage to get on to the podium , and we are a serious chance.
• "This is the first track Will has been to twice in a Champ Car and I think that is going to make a big difference for him. He has been focused on this race all season and is ready to go racing. I don't think he will need much more motivation than 120,000 screaming Aussie fans, including many of his family members.
• "Alex is our own adopted Australian and now also has his family in Australia through his wife Bronte. He wants to win this race as much as Will and that can only be a good thing.
• "Alex has had his fair share of bad luck this season, but I think the whole team comes he pretty well prepared and ready to do the job. We would just love for the whole of Australia to get behind their team and cheer us on the entire way."
• Derrick Walker - Team Australia Co-Owner
• "Obviously this is the biggest event of the year for us," said Walker.
• "The pressure on everyone is pretty intense, but this is why we are in the business.
• "At the end of the day we need to focus on the job at hand and that is trying to win this race.
• "We have put together a solid preparation for the race and there is no doubt that both drivers want to be on the podium on Sunday.
• "The entire team is motivated and ready to go."
• TEAM AUSTRALIA LEXMARK INDY 300 FAST FACTS
• Will Power has raced at the Lexmark Indy 300 on four occasions. While his Champ Car debut was at the 2005 event, Power raced from 2000-2002 in support categories, taking a win on all three occasions.
• Will Power , Lexmark Indy 300 Race Results 2005: Qualified 11th, Finish 15th (Contact, Lap 29 of 57)
• Alex Tagliani has raced at the Lexmark Indy 300 six times, with his best Australian result coming in 2001 when he finished third behind Cristiano da Matta and Michael Andretti.
• There has never been a repeat winner of the Lexmark Indy 300. If the trend is to continue, Team Australia drivers Will Power and Alex Tagliani could be a chance of maintaining what many in Champ Car call the 'Gold Coast Hoodoo'.
• Four past winners of the Lexmark Indy 300 are competing in this year's race. They are Paul Tracy, Mario Dominguez, Bruno Junqueira and Sebastien Bourdais.

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