McDONALD’S® DRIVER BOURDAIS HOPES TO REGAIN SOLE POSSESSION OF CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD AT THIS WEEKEND’S STEELBACK GRAND PRIX OF TORONTO; MEDI | ZONE DRIVER RAHAL PLANS TO PICK UP WHERE HE LEFT OF HERE LAST YEAR TORONTO, Canada (July 4, 2007) --- This weekend’s Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto is the second of three events in the Champ Car “Canadian Triple Crown” and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Graham Rahal are ranked second to Team Australia in the mini championship. In the previous 21 events held at the 1.755-mile street course around Toronto’s Exhibition Place, Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) earned seven wins, four poles and 16 podium finishes. Bourdais and Rahal will rely on that experience for a strong finish for newly-renamed NHLR here. “The McDonald’s team has managed to win the Toronto race once,” said Bourdais of his lone win here in 2004 and the team’s most recent on this track. “It’s not an easy place to find success. It’s one of the tracks where it’s really easy to make mistakes and lose the handling of the car. Last year in Toronto we just didn’t seem to be able to put it together. Forsythe seemed to have a little bit better pace than we did. It was just the ‘Forsythe Show’ and we were happy to settle for third. The year before we had a pretty good car but Paul was our match and on the pit stop we made contact and he broke his front wing and I damaged my right rear. It was a long way around on three wheels for sure.” In his four previous races on the temporary street course, McDonald’s driver Bourdais has posted four, top-five finishes including one win (2004) one third place (2006) a fourth and fifth. His three straight wins in Rounds 2 through 4 this season in Long Beach, Houston and Portland led some to believe it would be an easy task for him to win his fourth straight title but Bourdais is quick to disprove that theory. “Domination is a very easy word to say but difficult, if not impossible, to make happen,” said Bourdais, who has a series high three wins but is tied for the series points lead with Robert Doornbos, who finished on the podium in five of the six events, at 145 points each. “To make it happen always looks much easier on the outside than it is from the inside. We had tough start in Las Vegas, then got three wins, had a DNF in Cleveland and a second place in Mont Tremblant. There have definitely been challenges along the way, even when we won. We just have to keep working at it and try to get it right every weekend. We will take them one at a time like we always have.” Also taking it one race at a time is Medi | Zone driver Graham Rahal, 18. Rahal continues to gain momentum this season and led another seven laps at the previous race in Mont-Tremblant although a shifting problem during his final pit stop after leading limited his finishing position. After becoming the youngest podium finisher in series history at the previous street course event in Houston with a second place, Rahal is looking forward to competing in Toronto. “I think the Houston street race went well for us,” said Rahal who spent the past few days at his favorite vacation spot – his mother, Debi’s, home in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. “We finished second so that bodes well for us in Toronto. I think we struggled in some of the other events but we are building steam here and the Medi | Zone side has come together as a team and I think it’s only a matter of time before the results will equal the effort and potential.” Rahal is no stranger to the tight Toronto street course after having competed here in the Atlantic series last year. He led both qualifying sessions and started from pole but was denied a chance to win. He is looking forward to picking up where he left off. “Last year in Toronto I got a good start and made it through the first corner which often doesn’t happen,” said Rahal who is tied for eighth place in the standings at 91 points. “But then at the end of the back straight, which in Toronto is usually the place where things happen, I was looking in my mirrors and I could tell that I was clear and that no one was within a couple of car lengths. Then I turned into the corner and got hit in the center of the car, which broke all the suspension. The guy that hit me was Raphael Matos so I went up to him after the race and asked what happened and he said he figured it was his only shot at getting me because it’s tough to pass there. We had a great car, we had the field covered but that is an example of the wild moments the track produces. It was disappointing but I love the track and can’t wait to race my Medi | Zone Champ Car there.” Practice and qualifying will take place on Friday and Saturday with the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto starting at 1:00 p.m. ET on Sunday. Live coverage of the race will be provided by ESPN in the United States and Global in Canada. Fans can also follow all of the action on the internet at Champ Car’s official site, www.champcar.ws. ONE WIN, TWO POLES IN TORONTO: Will be his fifth race here. Started and finished third here in 2006. Regained the points lead here in 2005 after finishing fifth. Started from pole and led the first 34 laps before contact with Tracy while the two were racing out of the pits limited his result. Won from pole here in 2004 after leading 75 laps and setting the fastest race lap. Started sixth and finished fourth in rookie season in 2003. CURRENT 2007 POINTS LEADER: 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…Started third in Portland and brought the team their 100th victory in dominating fashion. After his third place start he temporarily dropped to fifth but stretched his fuel two laps longer than race leader Wilson on the first stint and closed an +18-second deficit to take over the leader after the second stop, which he held through his third and won by a 13.5 second margin over Wilson…His 11 point, pre-race lead over second in the standings was reduced to three after he did not finish the Cleveland event due to engine failure after leading 27 laps and running second at the time. He also started from pole and set the fastest race lap…Qualified third in Mont Tremblant and took the lead on the first lap when polesitter Gommendy’s car wouldn’t start and second place Power stalled. Led the first 27 laps but spun on the wet track on slick tires and dropped back to 11th but recovered to finish second to Robert Doornbos…Is tied with Doornbos for the lead (145 points) but his three wins give him the advantage. 2007 24 HOURS OF LE MANS: Teamed with Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin at Peugeot in his first effort with a factory team and finished second overall despite the program only being six months old. Set the fastest lap (3:26.707, a new lap record) in the pre-race test on June 3 and was 1.5 seconds faster than Pirro in the lead Audi that won last year. Started from pole. 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. 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. 26 WINS IN 64 RACES (40.6 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, Portland). He earned his 20th career victory in just his 49th 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) as the only other drivers to reach 20 wins in 100 starts. 26 CCWS POLES IN 64 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: “The McDonald’s team has managed to win the Toronto race once. It’s not an easy place to find success. It’s one of the tracks where it’s really easy to make mistakes and lose the handling of the car. Last year in Toronto we just didn’t seem to be able to put it together. Forsythe seemed to have a little bit better pace than we did. It was just the ‘Forsythe Show’ and we were happy to settle for third. The year before we had a pretty good car but Paul was our match and on the pit stop we made contact and he broke his front wing and I damaged my right rear. It was a long way around on three wheels for sure. “It’s a high profile event, one of the great venues. Paul (Tracy) has got a lot of fans over there and it has helped the series over the years. Most Canadians like good racing and that has helped make it one of the cornerstone races of the series. It’s definitely a good, historical place for Champ Car and a very successful venue. I definitely love to race in Toronto. “Domination is a very easy word to say but difficult, if not impossible, to make happen. To make it happen always looks much easier on the outside than it is from the inside. We had tough start in Las Vegas, then got three wins, had a DNF in Cleveland and a second place in Mont Tremblant. There have definitely been challenges along the way, even when we won. We just have to keep working at it and try to get it right every weekend. We will take them one at a time like we always have.” 1 POLE IN TORONTO: Will be his second race here and first in a Champ Car. Started from pole in the 2006 Atlantic race here but was hit by Raphael Matos on the first lap. Repaired the damaged suspension and returned to the track a few laps down but later retired in 15th place. Set the fastest race lap. 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…Started eighth in Portland but struggled to pass Dan Clarke and went off course twice while trying and ultimately finished ninth…Earned his highest start of fourth in his home race in Cleveland but a battle with Doornbos for position led to being hit from behind by Tracy and he went off course and subsequently to the rear of the field. Came back to lead four laps for the first time in his Champ Car career and had a late race battle with leader Tracy but had to pit for five gallons of fuel and finished eighth…Is tied for 7th in the standings with Simon Pagenaud at 74 points. 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. 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.” ABOUT MEDI | ZONE: MEDI | ZONE is a leader of medically supervised weight loss, weight maintenance, wellness and performance programs, products, and services as well as the exclusive provider of the leading cutting edge health, wellness and performance systems by Dr. Barry Sears, the best selling author of the Zone Diet series. MEDI | ZONE owns and operates medically supervised weight loss, weight maintenance, wellness, and performance centers. Graham Rahal, #2 Medi | Zone Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone: “Last year in Toronto I got a good start and made it through the first corner which often doesn’t happen. But then at the end of the back straight, which in Toronto is usually the place where things happen, I was looking in my mirrors and I could tell that I was clear and that no one was within a couple of car lengths. Then I turned into the corner and got hit in the center of the car, which broke all the suspension. The guy that hit me was Raphael Matos so I went up to him after the race and asked what happened and he said he figured it was his only shot at getting me because it’s tough to pass there. We had a great car, we had the field covered but that is an example of the wild moments the track produces. It was disappointing but I love the track and can’t wait to race my Medi | Zone Champ Car there. “I think the Houston street race went well for us. We finished second so that bodes well for us in Toronto. I think we struggled in some of the other events but we are building steam here and the Medi | Zone side has come together as a team and I think it’s only a matter of time before the results will equal the effort and potential. Toronto is a favorite because of the fan base there. We’re usually really busy in Toronto with functions and signing autographs because of the amount of fans and that is exciting for us. I don’t know exactly how many times I have been to the event but I know it’s a lot. I must have come to the Toronto event 10 times with my dad. It’s a great event.”