McDONALD’S® DRIVER BOURDAIS RETURNS TO PORTLAND LOOKING FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN; MEDI | ZONE DRIVER RAHAL LOOKS FORWARD TO RETURN TO SITE OF MANY “FIRSTS”
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 7, 2007) --- After a six week hiatus from Champ Car racing both McDonald’s® driver Sebastien Bourdais and Medi | Zone driver Graham Rahal are looking forward to their return to competition this weekend in the Mazda Grand Prix of Portland Presented by Joe’s Sports and Outdoors. Bourdais would like to continue his streak that earned him wins in the past two events and make up for missing an opportunity to win a series-record fifth consecutive victory in Portland last year while Rahal hopes to add to “firsts” that have come on this track.
“We missed a chance to win five in a row last year in Portland for the McDonald’s team,” said Bourdais who has finished on the podium here in three of this four races including a win from pole in 2004. “The start was really messed up last year. Basically Bruno, my teammate, thought he was in command and he should have been but the flagman just threw the green flag and the whole right side of the grid never went. It was a disaster and we ended up seventh after Turn 1. It was basically tough from there but we still had a good recovery and made it back to third. We have a very fast McDonald’s car but a little better luck would have helped at the start.”
In the previous 23 races held at the 1.964-mile road course, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) won seven with the most recent coming from Bourdais in 2004 from pole. Mario Andretti won the pole for the team in the first event here in 1984 while Bruno Junqueira earned the team its fifth last year on this track. In the 23 races, the team has earned a total of 15 top-three podium finishes. After the first three events of the season were held on street courses in Las Vegas, Long Beach and Houston, Bourdais is looking forward to returning to a road course after a successful test here at the beginning of the six week break in May.
“We tested well at Portland and hope to apply that experience to the race weekend and others after it,” said Bourdais who took over the lead in the point standings after his second win of the season in Round 3 in Houston and is only three points ahead of Will Power in the standings (73-70). “Testing is just that; you can’t say if it’s going to work for sure. I think it is going to be nice to race on the road courses. It’s a different stretch during the season. We’ve had three back to back on the streets and after the Portland road course race it gets pretty crazy again but we’ll get back in the groove after the six week break.”
Although the series hasn’t raced since April 22, Bourdais has remained busy and has driven a Champ Car, Formula One car and Peugeot sports car in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans the weekend following the Portland race in his hometown of Le Mans, France on June 16.
“I didn’t have much of a break since the last race in Houston, that’s for sure,” said Bourdais who will travel from France to Portland, a 9-hour time difference, for the race and return to his homeland on Monday. “After Houston I went to Le Mans and did a 24 hour endurance test with Peugeot (24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16), then the Portland test, go to the Bahamas for my honeymoon with Claire which we never had. Then I went to France for a test with Toro Rosso and then the Champ Car PR tour in Brussels and Paris before I came back to the States for a day before going to the test at Mont Tremblant. Then I went to the pre-qualifying test for the 24 Hours of Le Mans before I come to Portland. It never stopped.”
Bourdais’ teammate Graham Rahal, driver of the No. 2 Medi | Zone Coswroth/DP01/Bridgestone, has also been busy since he became the youngest podium finisher in series history when he helped bring the team their first one-two finish since September 2005 with a second place in Houston. During the break Rahal had to catch up on the school work he missed during the first three back-to-back street course events and complete his requirements so that he could graduate, which he did on June 3. In between he had Champ Car tests in Portland and Mont Tremblant as well as a media day in Edmonton and subsequent redeye to return home to get to class the following morning. As Rahal progressed through the ranks of racing, he has experienced milestone success at the Portland track and is hoping to continue that this weekend.
“I expect more out of myself here because I'm comfortable on the track,” said Rahal who is ranked seventh in the series standings with 46 points to leader Bourdais’ 73 and is second to Robert Doornbos (61) in the Rookie of the Year standings. “I really like this track. I think the Medi | Zone team can be competitive in Portland, and I'm really looking forward to it. I ran and won here in Portland in 2005 in Star Mazda. It was a great race and this track has always been one of my favorites. Portland was also a great event for me last year. We were on pole in the Atlantic series and we ran the five fastest laps in qualifying so we had the field covered. Unfortunately as the race started my main competition, Simon Pagenaud, and I got together in the first corner and it took me out of the race. My first ever national go karting victory came in Portland and my first ever Star Mazda victory, which was my first ever victory in cars, came in Portland. And then I was on pole in Portland last year so I hope the momentum will continue. Basically, all of my firsts that have ever happened in racing have come in Portland.”
Rahal already made his first podium appearance at the previous race in Houston but other possible firsts include earning his first top-four start to better his highest qualifying position to date of fifth in Long Beach. Although he would like to accomplish the feat sooner rather than later, at 18 years old, he has plenty of time to earn his first pole and become the youngest pole winner in the modern era (1979-present). Greg Moore currently holds the record at 22 years, 10 months and 23 days (3-15-98, Homestead). Likewise, he has a few years to earn his first win and become the youngest race winner. Nelson Philippe holds that record at 20 years, two months and 16 days for his victory in Australia in 2006. The Portland event is the first this season on a track that the majority of the field has run on before race weekend as well as the first road course event and Rahal believes it will give the team a head start.
“I am looking forward to getting back to a road course,” said Rahal. “Usually street races have always been my favorite but when you start off with three street races in a row its nice to take a step back and go to where racing originated – at the proper road courses like Portland. For us it was a great experience to test at Portland before the race to see how physical the place is in a Champ Car since I had never been there in a Champ Car. Although a lot of teams tested there I think it will give us a leg up once we come back for race weekend since we’ll have a baseline for the car setup. The test was great. Any time I can get in the car is good for me at this point.”
Victories by Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Christian Fittipaldi, Cristiano da Matta, Bruno Junqueira, Bourdais and Oriol Servia have brought the team’s total to 99 wins after Bourdais drove to victory in the previous race in Houston and the team will now focus on winning another – their milestone 100th. Also, Champ Car star Paul Tracy will make his return to the series after injuring his back in a practice crash in Round 2 in Long Beach which forced him to miss two races.
The Mazda Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland Presented by Joe’s Sports and Outdoor will get underway Friday with the first round of qualifying at 2:00 p.m. local time. The second and final round of qualifying will take place at 2:00 p.m. local time Saturday. The green flag will drop on Round Four of the 2007 Champ Car World Series season Sunday, June 10 at 1:00 p.m. local time. The race will be broadcast live on ABC starting at 4:00 p.m. eastern.
1 WIN IN PORTLAND: Will be his fifth race here. Attempt to earn a record setting fifth consecutive win here last year was hindered by a ragged start. He started third but dropped to seventh on the second attempt to start the race and recovered to finish third. Started fifth in 2005 after losing his fastest laps in Fri. & Sat.’s qualifying sessions. Led seven laps but finished second. Started on pole, led 85 laps and won here in 2004. Started fourth in 2003 but a tire pressure problem dropped him to 18th place. He fought back into third before his rear wing failed and ended his day.
SO FAR IN 2007: Crashed in final qualifying in Las Vegas season-opener and started 16th in the 17 car field. Overcame two unscheduled stops for punctured tires and charged into third place but brushed a wall and had to make another pit stop. Returned to the race in 11th place but his day ended when he made contact in Turn 4 on the 31st of 68 laps…Led 58 laps and won from pole in Long Beach to rebound to a third place rank…Was the provisional polesitter in Houston and set the fastest lap time in final qualifying but CCWS ruled he had interfered with the lap time of Power and took away that lap. He started second but took the lead at the start by cutting the chicane and was told to give the position up to Wilson on the next lap but regained the lead on Lap 14 and only relinquished it after pit stops. Set the fastest race lap en route to victory and took over the points lead with 73 to Power’s 70.
2007 24 HOURS OF LE MANS: Will compete for the Peugeot team in his first attempt at his hometown race with a manufacturer. Will team with Lamy and Sarrazin. Set the fastest lap in the pre-race test on June 3. More specifics to come.
HISTORY MAKING THIRD CONSECUTIVE TITLE IN 2006: Became the first open wheel driver to win three consecutive championships since Ted Horn accomplished the feat from 1946-1948 and only the second in the 98 year history of the sport. Both Horn and Bourdais clinched their titles in the penultimate event but Horn was unable to attempt four after he died in a crash in the season finale…Bourdais earned seven wins, seven poles and finished on the podium 11 times in 14 races…Season awards include being named an AARWBA first team All American for the third consecutive year; being one of six nominated for Speed TV Performer of the Year, earning the Second Quarter Driver of the Year; being one of 9 nominated for National Speed Sport News’s Economaki Champion of Champions Award; named “Road Racer of the Year” by Racer Magazine; ranked No. 1 in SPEED Driver Rankings for the year (compiled by STATS, Inc.) after having reached the top spot five different times during the season. NASCAR champ Johnson was second; honored by the City of St. Petersburg as a “Hometown Hero.”
FOUR IN A ROW RARE IN SPORTS: Bourdais has the rare opportunity to win four consecutive championships this year if he can again capture the Vanderbilt Cup for the fourth time since 2004. No Champ Car driver has ever won four straight titles. Four in a row is very rare in professional sports in fact it has never been done in either NASCAR or NFL and it hasn’t been accomplished in the last twenty years in the NBA, NHL or MLB.
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.
25 WINS IN 62 RACES (40.3 percent): (’03 – England, Germany & Cleveland; ’04 – Monterrey, Portland, Cleveland, Toronto, Denver, Las Vegas, Mexico City; ’05 – Long Beach, Edmonton, San Jose, Denver, Las Vegas, Australia; ’06 Long Beach, Houston, Monterrey, Milwaukee, San Jose, Montreal, Mexico City; ’07 Long Beach, Houston). He earned his 20th career Champ Car victory in just his 49th career start with a win in Milwaukee. The feat obliterates the former record of 79 starts to reach 20 wins, held by A.J. Foyt. Mario Andretti (80), Tony Bettenhausen (96) and Rick Mears (97) are the only other drivers to reach 20 wins in their 100 starts.
26 CCWS POLES IN 62 RACES (42 percent): (’03 – St. Pete, Monterrey, Germany, Cleveland, Australia; ’04 – Monterrey, Portland, Toronto, Elkhart Lake, Denver, Montreal, Laguna Seca, Mexico City; ’05 – Monterrey, Toronto, San Jose, Montreal, Las Vegas; ’06 – Long Beach, Monterrey, Milwaukee, Edmonton, San Jose, Denver, Montreal; ’07 Long Beach).
Sebastien Bourdais, #1 McDonald’s Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone: “We missed a chance to win five in a row last year in Portland for the McDonald’s team. The start was really messed up last year. Basically Bruno, my teammate, thought he was in command and he should have been but the flagman just threw the green flag and the whole right side of the grid never went. It was a disaster and we ended up seventh after Turn 1. It was basically tough from there but we still had a good recovery and made it back to third. We have a very fast McDonald’s car but a little better luck would have helped at the start.
“We tested well at Portland and hope to apply that experience to the race weekend and others after it. Testing is just that; you can’t say if it’s going to work for sure. I think it is going to be nice to race on the road courses. It’s a different stretch during the season. We’ve had three back to back on the streets and after the Portland road course race it gets pretty crazy again but we’ll get back in the groove after the six week break.
I didn’t have much of a break since the last race in Houston, that’s for sure. After Houston I went to Le Mans and did a 24 hour endurance test with Peugeot (24 Hours of Le Mans on June 16), then the Portland test, go to the Bahamas for my honeymoon with Claire which we never had. Then I went to France for a test with Toro Rosso and then the Champ Car PR tour in Brussels and Paris before I came back to the States for a day before going to the test at Mont Tremblant. Then I went to the pre-qualifying test for the 24 Hours of Le Mans before I come to Portland. It never stopped.
“The Portland track is a fun track. After a full day of testing, it feels good to stop because it’s pretty demanding but it’s a lot of fun. I like the track. Turn 1 is legendary for first turn incidents and we’ve been lucky so far so hopefully it will continue to be the case this year.”
1 WIN, 1 POLE IN PORTLAND: Will be his third race here and first in a Champ Car. Started from pole in the Atlantics race here in 2006 but was hit by Simon Pagenaud on Lap 1 and finished 27th. Earned his first professional win here in the Star Mazda race in 2005 after starting fourth and winning by a margin of .0317 seconds. Graham’s father Bobby won at this track twenty years ago (June 14, 1987) after starting third.
SO FAR IN 2007: Had an electrical problem in Friday’s qualifying in the season-opening race in Las Vegas and had to qualifying his backup car on Saturday due to crashing in the morning practice. Started 10th but had to make an evasive move to avoid a swerving Dan Clarke who hit him prior to Turn 1 on the first racing lap. Retired in 17th place… Qualified fifth in Long Beach but pit strategy of others and slow fuel flow on two pit stops led to an eighth place finish…Started sixth in Houston and finished second to bring the team it’s first 1-2 finish since Las Vegas in 2005…Is ranked 7th in the series standings with 46 points to leader Bourdais’ 73.
ALSO IN 2007: Rahal competed in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona (water pump failure) and 12 Hours of Sebring (battled back from opening lap crash to finish sixth in GT2 class).
RUNNER-UP TO 2006 ATLANTIC CHAMPION: Rahal finished second in the 2006 Champ Car Atlantic championship after a title hunt that concluded in the season finale. Led 129 laps to champion Pagenaud’s 31. He earned a series-high five wins (42 percent), four poles (33 percent) and six podium finishes (50 percent) in the 12 events and at 17 years old was the youngest race winner in series history (Monterrey, Mexico on 5-21-06)…He led the most laps (129, 32 percent) and set a series-high five fastest race laps …He was awarded the BBS of America Rising Star Award.
ALSO IN 2006: Rahal also participated in other series including the A1 GP and IndyPro Series as well as the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring sports car races. He won pole and led 21 laps en route to a second place finish at the IndyPro event during the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway…He finished sixth in the GT class and 16th overall in his debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona with Tafel Racing and also made his debut in the 12 Hours of Sebring with Alex Job Racing (results tbd)…He joined Team Lebanon of the A1GP series for the final three races. He is of Lebanese descent.
DID YOU KNOW: Graham Robert Rahal, 18, was born in Columbus, Ohio on 1-4-1989 and resides in New Albany, Ohio…The 6’2” driver is one of four children of Bobby Rahal, three-time open wheel champion, Indy 500 winner and Hall of Fame race car driver…Has two sisters (Michaela and Samantha) and one brother (Jarrad)…He graduated from New Albany High School with a 3.8 GPA on June 3, 2007…When he is not racing he likes to work on cars, hang out with friends and family or play other sports for fun…To prepare for the physicality of racing he spends many hours doing cardiovascular training and weightlifting, skiing, running or bicycling…He drives a 2007 Atomic Orange Corvette Z06 and his favorite type of clothing is anything made by Puma…His favorite food is sushi and his weaknesses are ice cream and white chocolate mocha drinks at Starbucks…His favorite books are those written by Lance Armstrong (and anything he reads other than for school)…His favorite thing to watch on TV is any Ohio State Buckeye game, his favorite actor/actress are Owen Wilson and Eva Longoria and favorite movie is “Wedding Crashers.”
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Graham Rahal, #2 Medi | Zone Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone: “I ran and won here in Portland in 2005 in Star Mazda. It was a great race and this track has always been one of my favorites. Portland was also a great event for me last year. We were on pole in the Atlantic series and we ran the five fastest laps in qualifying so we had the field covered. Unfortunately as the race started my main competition, Simon Pagenaud, and I got together in the first corner and it took me out of the race. I think he continued but that was it for me so it was disappointing but I’ve always had a lot of success in Portland. My first ever national go karting victory came in Portland and my first ever Star Mazda victory, which was my first ever victory in cars, came in Portland. And then I was on pole in Portland last year so I hope the momentum will continue. Basically, all of my firsts that have ever happened in racing have come in Portland.
“I expect more out of myself here because I'm comfortable on the track. I really like this track. I think the Medi | Zone team can be competitive in Portland, and I'm really looking forward to it. Certainly the track is very difficult. At times it can be very hot in Portland but overall it’s very, very physical on the body and particularly the neck. With all the fast corners and very high grip, it certainly wears you out. Usually over the length of these races, certainly the driver who is the most fit is usually the one who wins.
“I am looking forward to getting back to a road course. Usually street races have always been my favorite but when you start off with three street races in a row its nice to take a step back and go to where racing originated – at the proper road courses like Portland. For us it was a great experience to test at Portland before the race to see how physical the place is in a Champ Car since I had never been there in a Champ Car. Although a lot of teams tested there I think it will give us a leg up once we come back for race weekend since we’ll have a baseline for the car setup. The test was great. Any time I can get in the car is good for me at this point.
“I had school for the six weeks we weren’t racing and that was the biggest thing. We tested in Portland and Mont Tremblant during the break and I also did a media day in Edmonton in between it all but I had to graduate so I had to concentrate on that.”
