Sebastien Bourdais, No. 1 McDonald’s Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone: “To be honest I didn't think we were going to be P1. In the first 15 minutes, it felt like it, but then in the first run we just really struggled and we had not changed much on the McDonald’s car. So I didn't know what really happened. On the second and third run, when we went out with the red Bridgestone alternate tires, it was fantastic; the car came alive and I had a great time. Like I said this place is fantastic. It's really fast and a lot of fun when the car is working. So just another one, and hopefully we can have a good race and do the best we can. It’s going to be hard to conserve fuel based on the track layout and the race can go any way since we’ve seen a lot of people go off. The timing of the yellow flags could determine the outcome of the race if some people take an alternate strategy.”
FAST FACTS: Leads the point standings by 54 points over Doornbos (283-251)…1st and 2nd and 29th CCWS wins came in Europe. Will be his fourth Champ Car race in Europe. After DNF’s (did not finish) in his first three Champ Car events as a rookie in 2003 (St. Pete & Monterrey – contact; Long Beach – engine), the first time he finished a Champ Car race was also the first time he drove to victory after he paced 95 laps at Round 4 in Brands Hatch, UK, including the final 33…Became the first driver in series history to win from pole in his oval racing debut in Lausitz, Germany after he led 74 laps and earned back-to-back victories in the series with a thrilling win over Mario Dominguez by 0.084 seconds. Won from pole in 2007 Belgium race…He has the rare opportunity to win four consecutive championships this year if he can again capture the Vanderbilt Cup, which would extend his run that began in 2004. Bourdais would be making history as no Champ Car driver has ever won four straight championships. 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.
Graham Rahal, No. 2 Medi | Zone Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone: “The Medi | Zone car is much better than the qualifying position shows. I’m actually disappointed with the outcome. It was eventful day and session for us. There were a lot of ‘offs’ today which is usually uncharacteristic for me. We ran well in the pre-qualifying practice and ended up P2 (second fast) so we were hoping challenge for pole. There were times when the wind just caught me out like when I had the thing sideways. There was a cone on the track and I was trying to avoid it and got a little sideways. It was just a tough day but at the end I think that we have a pretty quick car. The problem is, literally, there is no passing here. Certainly the last lap I had a pretty good lap going but then I messed up in Turn 8 and lost it. I don’t think I would have gotten Gommendy but I certainly would have been in front of Pagenaud and Jani but that’s the way it goes. The segment times don’t matter, you have to put the whole lap together. I think we’ll do okay in the race. The Medi | Zone team does great pit stops and their strategy is strong so we’ll be able to move forward that way. It’s going to be a tough race. We had a three run strategy in qualifying because we didn’t use any Bridgestone “reds” yesterday (in the wet) so we figured since we had 15 laps and the tires were good here on the fourth or fifth lap so you don’t need a six-lap stint. Therefore you could make three runs and that’s what we did.”
FAST FACTS: Will be his second Champ Car race in Europe. Finished third in Belgium last weekend...Finished runner-up to the champion in the Atlantic standings in 2006 after the fight went to the Road America finale and he retired in 20th due to an electrical failure after starting third. Also competed in two Formula BMW events here in 2004 and once in Start Mazda in 2005…Finished second in the 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).
NHR has won THREE races in Europe (Bourdais – Lausitz, Germany &Brands Hatch, England in 2003 & Belgium 2007) and THREE poles (Bourdais – Germany 2003, Belgium 2007, Netherlands 2007). They have earned a total of SEVEN podiums in Europe (2nd – Junqueira, Brands Hatch, UK 2003 & Cristiano da Matta, Rockingham, UK 2002; 3rd – da Matta, Rockingham 2001 & Rahal Belgium 2007). The series raced in Europe in 2001(Lausitz, Germany & Rockingham, England), 2002 (Rockingham, England) and 2003 (Brands Hatch, England & Lausitz, Germany).
The morning warm-up will take place from 9:00-9:30 AM local time while the Bavaria Grand Prix will begin at 1:00 PM.
