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2006 CHAMP CARS         

ROUND 1: April 9, 2006 Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, CA

RACE RESULT  (TOP OF PAGE)

RACE REPORT    (TOP OF PAGE)

• BOURDAIS, WIINER
  McDONALD'S ® DRIVER BOURDAIS EARNED BACK-TO-BACK WINS AT TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH AND BROUGHT TEAM 11TH SEASON-OPENING WIN IN 24TH SEASON;JUNQUEIRA TAKEN OUT ON FIRST LAP
• - McDonald's ® driver Sebastien Bourdais brought Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) their 11th season-opening win in their 24th season in today's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was Bourdais' second consecutive win here and first from pole which enabled him to take an early lead in the 2006 Champ Car World Series standings after he led 70 of 74 laps, ran the fastest lap of the event and took over the championship lead after earning the maximum points available at 35 in front of a capacity crowd under sunny skies. At the start of the event he avoided a collision behind him that took out the cars of Paul Tracy, A.J. Allmendinger, Oriol Servia and teammate Bruno Junqueira who was making his Champ Car comeback. The incident occurred when Mario Dominguez touched the rear of Tracy's car, and Tracy hit the rear of Junqueira's car and pushed it into Allmendinger's car. There was a total of five caution periods in the event which ended two laps earlier than the originally scheduled 76 due to a 1 hour 45 minute time limit. Bourdais held off second place Justin Wilson through all of the restarts and maintained a comfortable lead and only relinquished the position during pit cycles to take the checkered flag 14 seconds ahead of the Englishman.
• "The McDonald's car was just awesome today," said Bourdais. "There really wasn't much we could hope for any better than that. We just stayed focused and hung in there. It was perfect from the very beginning to the end but I guess it was a little frustrating from the inside. Every time a yellow would come out, it's like, okay, well, do it (restart) again. It happened quite a few times. I think the lap time we set during the race speaks for itself. The car was just great. I was able to just pull away every time there was a yellow flag. It was just a little bit of a shame for Bruno really because he did a great job, he had a great drive all weekend, for him to come back, and then be taken out in the crash like that at the start, it's really a shame. I'm sure he'll bounce back and be strong.
• "It's a great way to start, don't get me wrong. It wasn't the most exciting race ever obviously because it was kind of a straightforward shot. You know, on the standings, it could not be any better than that for sure. We are scoring max points and three major opponents fell this weekend. What a way to start the season. It was a great turnout. I think a huge, huge crowd today. Thanks to everybody here in Long Beach, Bridgestone, for the series for making it happen.
• "I've been in this situation many, many times before. Trust me, so many things can go wrong during a race, especially here, season-opener like that, street course. I just couldn't stop myself from thinking, "Oh, God, what's going to go wrong today?" Just very happy. I was not worried at all about our performance level or anything like that, I was just worried of a mechanical failure, (indiscernible) in the pits. I'm not perfect. I can make mistakes, too. I'm just glad everything went right and we scored the max points. It's been a smooth weekend all the way through. Last year (the win) was very special because I had never won it. Second, it was great to be able to pass actually to win the race, pass PT for turn one. I think it was very special. This one was kind of more, okay, you got to make no mistakes. That was the key word and the mindset for the whole weekend, more even in the race. This one was just kind of a go-through race for me because I knew we had everything which was required to get the job done. It was just a matter of -- it was ours to lose pretty much this weekend, and we didn't."
• WILSON, 2ND
• Justin tastes podium success at Long Beach
• Justin took 2nd place in the opening race of the 2006 Champ Car World Series at Long Beach from 2nd on the grid, getting his, RuSPORT's and new sponsor CDW's season off to a great start. This was Justin's second consecutive podium after his dominant win in 2005's season finale in Mexico City.
• Justin and race winner Sebastien Bourdais of Newman-Haas escaped the first lap carnage at Turn 1 one, but Justin's team-mate A.J. Allmendinger was a passenger in a pile up which also eliminated Forsythe's Paul Tracy, PKV's Oriol Servia and Newman-Haas' Bruno Junqueira. For Justin, meanwhile, it was a case of chasing Sebastien as hard as he could. Both cars ran flawlessly, and while Justin kept the Frenchman in sight for most of the race in the end, the #9 car just didn't quite have the pace needed to fight for the lead. The result marked significant progress by the team on street circuits - last year Justin finished 4th at Long Beach - and shows that RuSPORT have potential to be title contenders this year.
• "It's great to finish on the podium at the first race of the season", said Justin. "I've got to thank the whole CDW-RuSPORT team for their hard work this weekend in getting the car competitive. I'm really sorry for A.J. - I looked in my mirrors as I went through turn 1 and he was really unlucky to get caught up in that. But I'm sure he'll bounce back at the next race. It was a tough weekend and we were continually chasing the set-up as the track gripped up. I pushed as hard as I could in the race, but we didn't quite have enough to take it to Sebastien today. About ten laps from the end I overcooked the front tyres in one of the corners and after that I suffered bad understeer, so I decided then to back off a bit rather than risk the podium. There's a lot of data for us to study from this weekend and we'll take a hard look at it before the next race in Houston."
• TAGLIANI, 3RD
• TAGLIANI THIRD IN LONG BEACH
• Team Australia's Alex Tagliani has made a fantastic start to this year's Champ Car World Series by finishing third in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in California.
• Tagliani's teammate Will Power, from Toowoomba, ran as high as fourth early in the race, but a couple of "rookie" mistakes saw him eventually finish ninth despite a couple of spins in his Aussie Vineyards Lola.
• The race was won by defending series champion Sebastian Bourdais and Englishman Justin Wilson.
• The result backs-up Tagliani's two podium finishes in Monterrey Mexico and Toronto Canada in 2005.
• There was dramatic start to the race when a first-turn accident eliminated Paul Tracy, Oriol Servia and AJ Allmendinger. Bruno Junqueira was also involved, but lasted another four laps before having to retire.
• This allowed Tagliani to go from seventh to third and Power from ninth to fifth by the end of the second lap.
• A second yellow on lap 13 saw both Tagliani and Power pit. A quick stop saw Power jump past Mario Dominguez into fourth spot.
• Power had Dominguez in his mirrors and overshot the braking marker at turn 1 on lap 36, but he avoided hitting the wall. He did loose a lot of time when his engine stalled.
• Shortly after, another yellow flag was waved after Katherine Legge spun and stalled at turn five.
• Tagliani went into third with a great pass on Dominguez on Shoreline Drive on lap 50 and held his position all the way to the chequered flag.
• Power spun again on lap 57 at turn nine after his car "bottomed out" on cold tyres and locked rear brakes. He recovered to pick up a few places over the remaining 17 laps.
• Earlier in the day Team Australia's Simon Pagenaud was fourth in the opening race of the Champ Car Atlantic season.
• His young Australian teammate James Davison was 13th in a solid debut.
• The race was won by Andreas Wirth from Raphael Matos and James Hinchcliffe.
• The next round of the Champ Car World Series and the Champ Car Atlantic Series will be held in Houston from May 11-13.
• ALEX TAGLIANI - #15 AUSSIE VINEYARDS TEAM AUSTRALIA LOLA
  "I anticipated the start a little bit but had to take three different lines coming into the opening turn with all of the action going on in front of me. We were lucky that we came out of it clean," said Tagliani.
• "From there it was a case of sticking to our strategy and keeping my nose clean for the remainder of the race. All throughout the race the car was very consistent and it was good to reward the team for their hard work in the off season with a podium finish.
• "With two new engineers in Team Australia this year I think we have a little more depth in our team and definitely more experience on board. I think we'll get more consistent in our results because of that."

QUALIFYING   (TOP OF PAGE)

• BOURDAIS' 19th POLE: "I think the whole McDonald's team made the big effort and it showed in the performance. The car was great, not really much to complain about. This morning we had a good amount of running but we were going into qualifying a little with some unknowns. Today we definitely put our stuff together and it worked out great."
• WILSON, 2ND: "It's been a very tough weekend so far. I'd like to thank my crew. They've worked very hard to turn the car around and make it stronger and faster. Quite pleased for them that we've managed to sneak onto the front row. From here, hopefully we can have a good race. We want to make sure we get on the podium on the first event and start the season off well. That's a great way to kick off this season, especially now that we've got CDW on board. We're pretty pumped up for this first one. I think we can have a good result."
• JUNQUEIRA, 3RD: "I didn't have anything for Sebastien today. I did yesterday but today the car didn't handle as good today but I am happy with a third place start. Our race setup is pretty competitive though and I am ready to race the first lap until the end. I'm quite happy to start my first race back. It's very important to start up front here in Long Beach, a street course, as everybody knows. I'm feeling pretty good for the race. All the Newman/Haas cars are pretty consistent, up front, at the top every session. Anyway, even my car didn't handle perfect, the car is really good. I think when we put the race setup on, the car will be quite competitive."

NEWMAN/HASS FRIDAY REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Sebastien Bourdais, No. 1 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone: "It's pretty unusual for me to be in the first spot on the first practice of first qualifying session in Long Beach. It proves the McDonald's team had a good off-season. The team worked extremely hard to keep an edge on people. The track may have been as good as it's ever been here and the Bridgestone Potenzas worked very well for me today."
• FAST FACTS: Will be his fourth race here. Started fourth and won in 2005 after he led 37 laps. Started second and finished third in 2004. Started fifth in 2003, led three laps and was in fifth place when his engine failed after 70/90 laps which resulted in a 16th place finish...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: "Just myself and God knows how hard I worked to be back. It's been almost a year without competition. I love Champ Cars. All I have done is racing the last 19 years. I'm really lucky that Paul and Carl are super nice and kept me on the team. Every one of the mechanics and team members supported me all the time through my recovery and I am thankful. It feels great to be back here and to have found some speed on the first day. It feels really good for the last three years for it to be Sebastien, Paul (Tracy) and myself always up here. The Newman/Haas car is very good. Myself and Seb worked hard over the winter in testing and so did the team. The changes to Turn One made the corner a lot faster but it may have taken a passing opportunity away because the braking zone is a bit shorter now. But the track is good and I really love racing here."

KATHERINE LEGGE REPORT (PKV RACING)   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Legge, who was behind the wheel of a Champ Car competitively for the first time, continued to move along the learning curve that began almost immediately following the end of her highly successful, and only, Atlantic Championship Series season. The talented and determined native of Great Britain began the day 13th on the morning practice report with a time of 70.900 second (99.927 mph), which was the third fastest time of the six rookies drivers in the field and had her ahead of such established Champ Car stars as Cristiano da Matta and promising second year driver Andrew Ranger. During the afternoon warm-up she ran a time 71.071 seconds (99.686 mph) placing her 18th on the individual practice report, but leaving here 16th on the combined report based on her morning practice time. In qualifying, Legge was able to significantly improve on her final practice time turning a quick lap of of 69.747 seconds (101.579 mph) in the #20 Optium- PKV Racing Ford- Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone car.
• "It was good to get the first qualifying session of the season underway," she said. "Obviously, the Optium - PKV Racing team has a little bit of work to do. The car was good and the team did a really great job," she noted. "The time is with me right now. I just have to figure a few things out. I made some rookie mistakes today, but I just have to learn from them. I am looking forward to getting back out on the track tomorrow and as long as we improve then everyone will be happy."
• Legge, considered a rising star, burst on the open-wheel racing scene last year when she captured three races in route to a third-place showing during her rookie season in the Atlantic Championship Series, which is part of the Champ Car World Series ladder system. Personable and articulate off the track, Legge's aggressive and determined on- track racing style has made her a winner and a fan favorite. The 25- year-old won her debut event in the Atlantic series taking the victory in Long Beach, which made her the first woman to win a major open- wheel race in North America. The win in Long Beach earned Legge Southern California's Top 2005 Racing Moment of the Year Award in voting by the public. She also won the 2005 Atlantic Championship Series BBS Rising Star Award and recently was named the winner of RACER magazine's Most Promising Road Racer Award as voted by fans around the world.
• Legge has had a busy off-season. In addition to what can only be describe as a "brutal" conditioning program to improve both her strength and stamina, she was impressive in tests with Formula 1's Minardi Team in November, A1 Grand Prix's Great Britain Team in December and Champ Car's Rocketsports Racing also in December. She subsequently tested twice with PKV Racing, late in December and in January before signing on February 14th. Legge's contract with the team is a multi-year agreement.

PIZZONIA / ROCKETSPORTS REPORT   (TOP OF PAGE)

• Rocketsports Racing rookie driver Antonio Pizzonia made his debut on the streets of Long Beach, California in a Champ Car today piloting the #8 Rotax/Rocketsports Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone around the 1.968-mile temporary course, completing a successful day en route to making his race debut on Sunday for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Round One of the 2006 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford.
• In the morning practice session, Pizzonia took to the streets for the first time with the intentions to learn the course and continue to familiarize himself with his car, as it was only the third time the rookie drove the car. Running 30 laps during the hour and fifteen-minute session, the former Formula One driver posted his best time of 1:10.859 (99.984 mph) on his last lap before the checkered flag waved to end the session. That time left him in the 12th spot on the Champ Car timing and scoring charts. Happy with the car, he was ready to take his first shot at qualifying.
• Provisional qualifying for Sunday's event took place this afternoon under mostly sunny skies. The Brazilian went out and posted his best time of the day of 1:09.476 (101.975 mph) on his fifth lap out. That was the best lap he could run this afternoon, as traffic would complicate a good run and cause him to sit 14th on the provisional qualifying report.
• After climbing out of the car this afternoon, Pizzonia was nothing but confident in himself, the car, and the Rocketsports team. "Today was a good first day," said Pizzonia. "Considering that this is the first time that I have driven at this venue, I am happy with the progress that was made in terms of learning the track and feeling more comfortable in the #8 Champ Car Rotax Kart Challenge/Rocketsports Ford- Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Champ Car. We should have done better today because there is definitely more to come from me and the car, but unfortunately I did not have a chance to get in a good run this afternoon during provisional qualifying because of traffic. We made some changes to the car to improve the balance, but I think that we are going to go back to where we started and try something different for tomorrow. Overall, I am happy, things are coming together and the Rocketsports team is doing a really good job."

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