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2006 CHAMP CARS         

ROUND 14: NOV 12, 2006 MEXICO

RACE

RACE REPORT - NEWMAN-HAAS - BOURDAIS 1ST, 2006 CHAMPION   (TOP OF PAGE)

• McDonald's® Driver Bourdais Won the Gran Premio Telmex Por Banamex Season Finale; Hole in the Wall Camps Driver Junqueira Ended Season Fifth Overall in Standings with Fourth Place Finish
• McDonald's® driver Sebastien Bourdais closed the season the way he opened it - with a victory in the 66-lap Gran Premio Telmex Presentado por Banamex that ran partially in rain. It was his seventh race of the season and matched his win total from 2004 where he ended the season with a victory in Mexico City to earn his first title - but only after a late race spin like he experienced and survived today. He started the race from second place, took the lead on Lap six for 17 laps but lost it mid race to Wilson, who raced despite a broken wrist, but regained it for good halfway through the final lap (Turn 6 of 15) in spectacular fashion to bring the large crowd to their feet. The only caution of the race came at the start that resulted in damage to the cars of Katherine Legge, Mario Dominguez, and Oriol Servia. Once the race restarted Bourdais took the lead from Wilson on Lap 6 and held it until Lap 22 when Wilson regained the lead as Bourdais struggled with his softer, Bridgestone alternate tires that had lost their edge. He made his first stop and the McDonald's crew performed a quick pit stop despite two of the six over-the-wall guys being sick. Race leader Wilson pitted one lap later and Bourdais ran second again to Wilson once the first round of stops were complete a few laps later. Light rain was reported on Lap 26 and the majority of the field remained on course as long as possible. Bourdais was the last driver to pit for rain tires and remained on course three laps longer (lap 34) than most drivers as well as one more than Wilson to temporarily regain the lead. He returned to the track 2-seconds behind Wilson in second place but dropped back almost six seconds by Lap 45 and was almost nine seconds behind Wilson with 15 laps to go but had lost a good portion of ground due to a spin between Turns 11 and 12 that the TV cameras missed. Wilson made his final stop on Lap 54 and Bourdais held the lead another four laps before his final stop on Lap 57. After Wilson had pit Bourdais stayed on track to gain track position and built a lead of 26 seconds on Wilson but it wasn't enough to pass him after his final stop despite not putting on new rain tires in order to not lose time or wait to get them back up to temperature and thus faster. The McDonald's crew only added fuel and sent Bourdais back on track but his tires were up to temperature and Bourdais closed his 4.6 second deficit on Lap 57 to 2.7 by Lap 59 and continued to close on Wilson. He had been held up by ninth place Andrew Ranger for a lap or two but finally passed on Lap 60 of 66 and began his pursuit of Wilson again. By Lap 62 he had closed to within 0.9 seconds and pressured the injured Wilson who struggled entering and exiting the slow chicane. By Lap 63 he was within 0.5 seconds and pulled alongside Wilson but was unable to complete a pass. He kept applying the pressure in the ensuing laps and was on Wilson's rear wing in the slow chicane on the final lap but was again unable to pass there but successfully completed the move in Turn 6 and took the checkered flag with the 104,000 fans on their feet in excitement. He earned 31 laps for the win, one for leading 24 laps and one for setting the fastest lap of the race to bring his season total to 387. Following are his post race comments:
• "Well, I guess, you know, it wasn't a matter of leading the most laps; it was a matter of leading the last one," said Bourdais of his 23rd victory. "It was just an incredible race, a great battle with Justin the whole time. We both drove the wheels off these cars. That was pretty exciting, I think, at the very end when we decided to stay on the same set of tires, Bridgestone wet tires, it made the whole difference. I was pretty sure the tires were worn out and the track was only damp. I was pretty sure that was the right call. Then kept pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing. I didn't know if Justin had changed the tires or not, but I guess that makes the difference. Now I understand why. If it had been only three or four laps to go, new tires would have been a big help. But with that amount of amount of water, just completely deteriorated too quickly. It was just a great opportunity for us. I really want to thank all the McDonald's team. They've done awesome the last three years, and even before that. You know, I really wanted this win real bad for them because I think they deserve it. Two pit crew guys who were throwing up before the race. That was the least I could do. I think it's just a great way to finish that era of Champ Car with the last victory.
• (At what point did you know you had a shot at it?) "I didn't. I mean, I didn't even think about it. I just kept driving the wheels off that car, and it paid off. I could see after a couple of laps that I was starting to catch him, and he was running into a little bit of traffic, then I had myself to go through the traffic. You know, I still had quite a bit of 'push to pass'. I just used it all and caught him. Then after that, it was just kind of a mind battle when, you know, you know the guy is right on your rear wing, you're not quite sure what he's going to do. But I think three laps to go, I really thought I wasn't going to make it. Two laps to go, I didn't think it was doable any more. Then the last lap, as Justin said, he made a small mistake and I went for it.
• (With approx. 15 laps to go you were chewing into Justin's lead a little bit, one lap where you lost five seconds. What happened there?) "It's a shame you didn't see it, it was kind of spectacular really. I actually lost the car between 11 and 12, made a 360, stayed on the gas, managed to get it back straight. At that point I was like, Maybe it's just better to settle for second. I just kind of was driving the car, but a little less hard. I don't even really know how we managed to get back to Justin's rear wing because at that point, after a 10-second deficit, it seemed like it was just not going to happen."
• Hole in the Wall Camps driver Bruno Junqueira drove to a fourth place finish to earn a fifth place rank in the season ending standings in the 66-lap Gran Premio Telmex Presentado por Banamex Champ Car season finale. After running at the top of the charts all weekend and setting the fastest lap in the morning warmup Junqueira was optomistic of having a chance to keep his streak of at least one race win per season but fought with understeer from the start of the race. The only caution of the race came at the start that resulted in damage to the cars of Katherine Legge, Mario Dominguez, and Oriol Servia. Once the race restarted Junqueira remained in third place but dropped back from polesitter Justin Wilson and teammate Sebastien Bourdais. He held third until Lap 22 when he made his first pit stop and returned to the race in seventh place. He returned to third as others made their stops. On Lap 26 light rain was reported around the track but he stayed on track until it increased and pitted for rain tires and a fuel top-off on Lap 32 and returned to third. Will Power had closed the 14 second gap he was in arrears of Junqueira on Lap 37 to 0.5 seconds by Lap 45 and passed him on Lap 48 and the team Junqueira immediately pitted him to gamble on a later caution. He retuned to the race in fifth place but moved into fourth on Lap 58 with fourth place runner Alex Tagliani made a stop. He took the checkered flag in fourth place and collected 23 points for his finish and moved from seventh to fifth in the season-ending standings with 219 points but was unable to keep his seasonal win streak alive with a victory in 2006. Following are his post race comments:
• "It wasn't the race I was expecting after having been fast all weekend and setting the fastest time this morning," said Junqueira. "Since the second lap my car was understeering really bad. I had some big moments. Since the beginning of the race I knew I couldn't keep up with Sebastien and Justin and I knew I couldn't hold Will Power off for third. I'm very happy to finish the season fifth overall after such a bad start to the season. We started off qualifying well but we taken out of some races early on and it was a struggle so a fifth place standing is good. I'm frustrated not to win this year especially since I have won all the other years I have been in Champ Car. I'm already looking forward to next season when I can be in a position to fight for the championship again. Experience is going to be valuable when developing the new race car and I am looking forward to the challenge."
• NEWMAN/HAAS AND BOURDAIS WIN ONE FOR LOLA: The Mexico City race marked the end of an era that saw Lola race cars in the Champ Car World Series. Newman/Haas Racing has brought the manufacturer 94 of its 181 wins in Champ Car and is proud to have brought them their final one in the Lola B2K00.

RACE REPORT - RUSPORT, WILSON 2ND    (TOP OF PAGE)

• Justin Wilson takes Second Place at the Gran Premio Telmex of Mexico City
• Mexico City, MX, Nov. 12th, 2006 - RuSPORT had an event filled day at the Gran Premio Telmex of Mexico City. Justin Wilson (#9 CDW / RuSPORT / Ford - Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) finished in second place today with time of 1:51:34.678. This secured his second place standing in the Vanderbilt Cup Champ Car Championship. Ryan Briscoe (#10 RuSPORT / Western Union / Elektra / Ford - Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) finished a disappointing 14th after a tough day with tire damage caused by debris.
• "We had a great race today and I think we put on a great show", said Justin. "The CDW / RuSPORT team have done a fantastic job all weekend and I'm very grateful for their efforts." He acknowledged that his fractured wrist had affected his performance to some extent. "It wasn't too bad until about half way through the race and then the shock from every downshift reminded me that I'd damaged my hand! It meant that I didn't have the finesse that I was looking for in the rain."
• "The last three laps were really tense", Justin added. "I was sliding around a lot and I could see that Sebastien was catching me. I was able to keep a gap on the straight, but the car was taking longer to slow under braking and I couldn't get the power down so well either. In the end, I slid wide into Turn 4, Sebastien got a run out of Turn 5 and the rest was history. Having finished 3rd in the championship last year and 2nd this year, I'll be going all out for the title next year".
• "It was a pretty traumatic race," Ryan recalled. "At the start of the race, Servia clipped my right rear tire causing a puncture. We were forced to pit which sent us to the back of the field. On the restart, the #10 Western Union / Elektra car was really good. I was passing cars and we were moving up through the field quickly. Later in the race, I had a small puncture and the right front tire exploded on the front straight. At that point, we went a lap down to change the tire. We kept fighting hard, passing cars and pushing until the end but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be today."
• "I'd like to start by thanking the entire RuSPORT team," declared Jeremy Dale, RuSPORT Team President. "This is such an exceptional group of people. They never gave up, they fought very hard and it showed today."
• "Ryan had a very tough day and through no fault of his own, he got hit at the start. He had a puncture but we got him back out on the lead lap and he picked up about eight positions on the track which was very, very impressive. The second tire incident left us a lap down and we regrettably never recovered from it. Ryan had a solid weekend; he and all of his #10 Western Union / Elektra team have a lot to be proud of."
• "What can you say about Justin and the #9 CDW car, it was his race today. There is no doubt about that. In our minds, he should have won the race and the pass that Sebastian made on the last lap was not legitimate. It was a desperate attempt and this was not the type of move that you would expect from a three time champion. Justin, being a gentleman, graciously accepted the second place. I'd like to congratulate him, his entire crew and our friends at CDW on a great result today and a well deserved second place for Justin in the in the 2006 Champ Car Vanderbilt Cup Championship."

RACE REPORT - TEAM AUSTRALIA, POWER 3RD    (TOP OF PAGE)

• Maiden Podium Clinches Rookie Title for Will Power in Mexico City
• Team Australia's Will Power became the first Australian to win the Champ Car Rookie of the Year award when he claimed his first Champ Car World Series podium finish in today's final round in Mexico City, Mexico.
• Power became the first Australian to claim a podium finish in the Champ Car World Series since Geoff Brabham finished third in the season finale in Miami, Florida on November 1, 1987.
• Today's effort elevated Power into sixth place in the championship standings, the Queenslander becoming the highest finishing Australian in the Champ Car World Series standings, eclipsing Brabham's eighth place finishes in the championship in 1982, 1984 and 1987.
• The result is Team Australia's third podium result for the year and Power's first in Champ Car, coming in only his 16th Champ Car race and just one event after his first pole position at his home event in Surfers Paradise, Australia.
• Power is the highest finishing rookie in the Champ Car World Series since AJ Allmendinger was also sixth overall in the 2004 championship.
• Power started the race from fourth and spent the first half of the race in that position. The pivotal moment for Power came on lap 48 of the 66-lap event, when the Australian passed series veteran Bruno Junqueira down the inside to take third position.
• From there the Toowoomba-born driver pulled away to be a clear third by the end of the race, an event that began in dry conditions before showers descended mid-race.
• Power also collected the prestigious Bridgestone Passion For Excellence Award today, which honours the driver who completes the fastest aggregate race lap around every circuit on the 2006 Champ Car World Series schedule.
• That is, if all 14 tracks were laid end to end, the driver with the fastest cumulative lap, based on his or her best race lap at each track, earns the Bridgestone Passion for Excellence Award.
• This year marks the fourth time the award has been presented, but the first time someone other than three-time champion Sebastien Bourdais is the recipient.
• Power actually clinched the Rookie of the Year title after just seven laps when his only remaining opponent, Dan Clarke, retired from the race with mechanical problems.
• He then drove a consistent race and almost claimed a victory when leaders Sebastian Bourdais and Justin Wilson came together on the wet track on the last lap. Both survived the incident and went on to finish 1-2 respectively.
• Power's team-mate Alex Tagliani also had a solid day and finished in fifth place, marking the first time Team Australia has had two car finish in the top five in it's two-year history in the Champ Car World Series.
• Tagliani's solid result elevated the Canadian to eighth in the championship standings for 2006, making Team Australia one of only three teams to have both its drivers finish in the top 10 in this year's championship, the others being Newman/Haas Racing and Forsythe Championship Racing.
• This fine result caps a remarkable season for Power and all of Team Australia, a year that has seen the outfit rise in stature, especially in the later stages of the season. Power's Roshfrans Rookie of the Year title adds to the Champ Car Atlantic Championship title that Team Australia's Simon Pagenaud won in September.

QUALIFYING

QUALIFYING REPORT - RUSPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• WILSON ON POLE
• Justin Wilson with the #9 RuSPORT / CDW Captures Mexico City Pole Position; Wilson and Briscoe will start first and fifth for the 2006 Gran Premio Telmex of Mexico City
• Mexico City, MX, Nov. 11th, 2006 - RuSPORT had an excellent final qualifying session today in Mexico City ending up first and fourth during Saturday's Final Qualifying session. Justin Wilson (#9 CDW / RuSPORT / Ford - Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) had the quickest lap time and will start from the pole position for the race on Sunday. Ryan Briscoe (#10 RuSPORT / Western Union / Elektra / Ford - Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) finished the final qualifying session in fourth and will start in the fifth position for Sunday's race, based upon combined qualifying times from Friday.
• "It's a fantastic feeling", said an exhilarated Justin. "As soon as I crossed the line, I knew it was a good lap. Everything just came together. We made some improvements before the session. The car was flowing and carrying good speed allowing me to get back to full throttle very early. I've got to thank the whole CDW / RuSPORT team - they've done a great job this weekend and I'm really pleased with the progress we've made. I'll be doing my best to win, but if that's not possible then my focus is going to be on finishing second in the Vanderbilt Cup Championship."
• "It's a fantastic fourth place finish for today's final qualifying session," expressed Briscoe. "I feel that I'm still putting all the pieces together. There is definitely still room to improve. I'm really happy with our performance and this being only the second race for the RuSPORT / Western Union / Elektra team; we're really gelling and working well together. I'm just having a great time here in Mexico City. It is an incredible track with great energy. Hopefully, we'll have a good result here Sunday."
• "Well, it was really an exceptional day for the team and I have to congratulate Justin and Ryan on a job very well done," stated RuSPORT President Jeremy Dale. "Ryan, in his first race at Mexico City and only his second race in a Champ Car, is fifth on the grid and that is a very solid performance. This is an incredibly difficult and demanding track which requires a great deal of commitment. Ryan has really jumped in with both feet. He's had a great couple of days; we're looking forward to tomorrow with the Western Union / Elektra car and Ryan having a good race."
• "Overall, I think everyone underestimated Justin's grit and determination as well as his ability to take a hold of the #9 CDW car and put it on the front of the grid," continued Dale. "The entire team has done a tremendous job all weekend clearly giving him a good car, which in the end allowed him to win another Bridgestone Pole Award. We look forward to finishing the season on a high note here in Mexico City."

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