Backstretch Motorsports

BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, Canada (June 14, 2008) — Nothing was going to keep Scott Maxwell, Joe Foster and the No. 55 Hyper Sport Ford Mustang GT from claiming the team’s second consecutive Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series Grand Sport track victory Saturday at Mosport International Raceway.

On the race’s fourth and final restart, with nine minutes to go, Maxwell got a great jump on Plumb, and won by 3.013 seconds over Plumb in the No. 60 Rehagen Racing Ford Mustang GT. Maxwell had slipped past Hugh Plumb on Lap 66 - with just over 35 minutes remaining in the 82-lap, two-and-a-half hour race - as the pair approached Turn 1. The pass came just before the race’s third caution, which involved the No. 171 APR Motorsport Volkswagen GT of Ian Baas.

[read more…]

“There’s no reason for anybody to gloat or to feel down because, in the end, we’ve all come together.” Tony George, Feb-22-2008

So for your trivia books, Will Power (pictured above) takes victory in the last-ever Champ Car World Series race. The final Champ Car World Series race happened today on the Streets of Long Beach course. The final remnants of the most bitter spilt in modern auto racing history come to an official end.

Power brings 53 points toward the championship in the unified IndyCar Series. He ranks fifth in the standings heading into the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway on April 27.

[read more…]

NEWMAN/HAAS/LANIGAN RACING COMPLETED FIRST OF THREE CHAMP CAR OPEN TESTS AT SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY IN PREPARATION FOR 2008 SEASON

SEBRING, Fla. (February 4, 2008) – Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing drivers Graham Rahal and Justin Wilson completed the first of three open tests prior to the start of the 2008 Champ Car World Series after two-and-one-half days of running on the 1.669-mile course at Sebring International Raceway.  A full day of testing took place on Saturday and Sunday and the test concluded at 12 noon ET today, all during warm, sunny conditions.

At the end of testing on Saturday, Wilson and Rahal were third and sixth fastest, respectively, of 14 cars while on Sunday they were second and third respectively.  Rookie Franck Montagny, who was driving for Forsythe Pettit Racing, set the fastest lap times both days.  During the four hours of testing on Monday most drivers improved their lap times and Rahal ended the test second fastest overall with a lap time of 49.950 while Wilson set the fifth fastest time of the test with a lap of 50.207.  Former Atlantic series runner up Franck Perera set the fastest lap time of the test at 49.806 on Monday while driving a Conquest Racing entry.

“I certainly didn’t expect to be as far up (on the time sheets) as we are but I’m definitely happy about it,” said Rahal who ran a total of 238 laps during the test.  “I tend to struggle at this track specifically.  As a team we made a lot of leaps forward in car development and we’ve got a good idea of what we need to accomplish in the next tests and during the season.  Justin and I certainly work well together.  We like similar car set-ups which helps a lot.”

“I’m very pleased with the way the test has gone,” added Wilson, who ran approximately 269 laps over the 2.5 days.  “The team has worked hard to make me comfortable in the car and it feels good.  I’m not sure how relevant the results of this test in Sebring will be but we learned some things to build on.  We did well here and stayed disciplined and hopefully learned some things that will help us be competitive this season.  I’m looking forward to building on our program at the next test at Laguna Seca.”

“We are very pleased with the progress made at the test,” said Brian Lisles, general manager of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.  “We had a change in our driver lineup and a few personnel and everyone accomplished most, if not all, of the test program.  We had a trouble-free test and laid the foundation for a competitive season in Champ Car.”

The 2008 Champ Car World Series season begins on April 20 with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.  The series will hold tests at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (March 13-14) and MSR Houston (March 28-29) prior to the season-opener. 

About Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing…Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing LLC (NHLR), owned by actor/race car driver Paul Newman, racing entrepreneur Carl A. Haas and businessman Michael Lanigan is the most successful team competing in the Champ Car World Series. Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) began competing in 1983 and the team was renamed NHLR prior to their 25th season of competition in 2007 with the addition of Michael Lanigan as partner.  The team will enter their 26th season of Champ Car competition in 2008 and will attempt to add to the eight championships, 105 wins and 106 pole positions they have earned to date.  Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal were preceded at the team by Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Christian Fittipaldi, Cristiano da Matta, Sebastien Bourdais, Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia.  For more information log on to www.newmanhaaslaniganracing.com, www.justinwilson.co.uk, www.grahamrahal.com, or www.champcarworldseries.com.    

[read more…]

SEBRING, Florida (February 4, 2008) - Conquest Racing completed their first Champ Car pre-season test of 2008 today by showing their intentions for the upcoming season. The team topped the open test with driver Franck Perera and showed good pace with Simon Pagenaud.

The Conquest Team is heading into a new direction this year with many new team members, including talented engineer Eric Zeto, and a core group that remains intact, with Team Manager Chris Mower, long-time engineer Don Bricker and others, the sixth year team has every intention of contending for the win, week in and week out. The Sebring test is only the beginning and a reflection of their potential as things got off to a very good start.

It was only his fifth day driving a Champ Car but Atlantic standout Franck Perera seemed to have been doing it all his life. The 2007 Atlantic 'Rookie of the Year' posted the fastest lap over the three days of testing, beating out the 13 other drivers present in Sebring.

"It's been great!" exclaimed 'Fearless Franck'. "Everything is new right now, a new season, a new team, a new track but we did a pretty good three days. It was not easy because we had a short time to prepare everything but I think this is a very strong team with very talented and experienced people. We progressed well, it was like a crescendo, each session we were faster. We tested many things for each phase of a race weekend and we were pretty fast in all of them. It's good to show that we can already fight with the top guys but there is still more work and preparation to be done before the start of the season."

On the first day of testing in Sebring, Perera had already posted the fourth fastest time of the day with a lap of 50.986 seconds. The Frenchman continued his progression on day two of the open test remaining in fourth overall but improving his time to 50.495 seconds. The final day is when it all came together and he posted early on a lap of 49.806 that kept him at the top of the timing sheets when the checkered flag fell on the first Champ Car open test of the season.

Testing the second car for Conquest Racing was the 2006 Atlantic Champion Simon Pagenaud. The first day didn't go quite as expected for the Frenchman, but things got better for him on the second day when he moved up the charts to eighth. He ended the test ninth overall.

"The team has been doing a great job," said Pagenaud. "Overall we had very good communication throughout the test. We've been working really well together and everybody is really enthusiastic. It's a good team and it's very enjoyable to work with everybody here. The good thing is that Franck did very good lap times so we know the car is quick and that we have a good set-up. It was a bit more difficult for me as we were unable to find a good comfort level in the car, but the Conquest guys will take a look at the data and I hope that I can be back in Laguna and back up front."

Conquest Team Owner Eric Bachelart was very satisfied with the performance of his entire team throughout the test.

"We worked really hard these past four weeks just to get ready to run two cars. We have reorganized our engineering department and put a lot of work and effort into preparing this test the best way possible.

"We're happy to have had two talented drivers to help us out in preparing the season. They both did an excellent job. It's good to see Franck P1 after only four days in a Champ Car. With Simon, I don't think his performance reflects his potential. We worked on giving him a set-up and a car that he was comfortable with but we never quite got there with him. Now, we are going to go back to the shop and debrief and get ready for the Laguna Seca test. We have good sponsors behind us this year and the whole team has high ambitions. It's good to see that we could run at the top at this first test in Sebring."

The Conquest Racing team will be back on track March 13 and 14 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the second of three pre-season tests.For more information on Conquest Racing, please visit www.conquestracing.com, on Simon Pagenaud, visit www.simon-pagenaud.com and on Franck Perera please visit www.cjmotorsport.us.

[read more…]

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (January 29, 2008) – Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) announced today that British driver Justin Wilson will team with American Graham Rahal for the 2008 Champ Car World Series season.  NHLR will attempt to earn their ninth series title in their 26th season of Champ Car competition.

“I am extremely pleased and proud to be joining Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing,” said Wilson, 29.  “For the entire time I have been competing in Champ Car, they have been the strongest team. Sebastien (Bourdais) has left pretty big shoes to fill but I have big feet! Joking aside, I am excited to have the opportunity to add to the results Sebastien and other drivers before me have achieved for the team.  I am hoping to learn my environment quickly and let the results take care of themselves.  I am confident that with having a team like this behind me, we can be championship contenders for 2008.”

Wilson’s first time to drive a Champ Car was on October 8, 2002 on the Homestead Miami Speedway oval where he tested for Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) for a possible position at the team for 2003.  The test went well and he was scheduled to attend a driver shoot out for the team at Sebring International Raceway in December but withdrew to pursue an opportunity in Formula One where he ran for the Minardi and Jaguar teams in 2003.  The position was ultimately taken by Sebastien Bourdais who went on to win consecutive titles for NHR/NHLR from 2004-2007.  

Wilson has competed in Champ Car since 2004 when he drove for Mi-Jack/Conquest Racing and finished 11th overall in his rookie season before moving to RuSPORT in 2005. He finished third in the season-ending standings in 2005 and was runner-up to Bourdais in 2006 and 2007.  He has won four races, six poles and finished on the podium 14 times in 54 starts to date.

American Graham Rahal, 19, will return to the team for his second year in the series.  In 2007, he became the youngest driver in series history to finish on the podium when he drove to a second place finish in Houston and ended the season ranked fifth after a total of four top-three finishes.  He also led races on three separate occasions and set the fastest lap of the race once in 14 events.

“I am really looking forward to entering my second season with such a great team, and most of all building on a solid foundation that was started last year,” said Graham Rahal, 19. “I think that we should have a strong chance at winning races, capturing podiums, and hopefully earning another championship for this historic team. I think we can all look forward to new beginnings, with great new events, and keep growing the races we have had for many years. This season will hopefully be another championship year for myself, and the whole team.”

"Paul, Mike and I are excited about our lineup of Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal,” said Carl Haas, co-owner with Paul Newman and Michael Lanigan, of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.  “Graham ran well for us in his rookie season last year and showed the potential to win races.  Over the past three seasons, Justin has consistently been one of the strongest challengers for the championship and we are now looking forward to having him represent us and again being a contender for the title.”

After open tests at courses in Sebring, Florida, Houston, Texas and Monterey, California the Champ Car World Series season opens April 20 with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

About Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing…Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing LLC (NHLR), owned by actor/race car driver Paul Newman, racing entrepreneur Carl A. Haas and businessman Michael Lanigan is the most successful team competing in the Champ Car World Series. Newman/Haas Racing (NHR) began competing in 1983 and the team was renamed NHLR prior to their 25th season of competition in 2007 with the addition of Michael Lanigan as partner.  The team will enter their 26th season of Champ Car competition in 2008 and will attempt to add to the eight championships, 105 race wins and 106 pole positions they have earned to date.  Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal were preceded at the team by Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy, Christian Fittipaldi, Cristiano da Matta, Sebastien Bourdais, Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia.  For more information log on to www.newmanhaaslanigan.com, www.justinwilson.com, www.grahamrahal.com or www.champcarworldseries.com.

[read more…]

EAST LANSING, Michigan (January 28, 2008) – Just as Rocketsports Racing gears up for their first test in 2008, the team is proud to announce that Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi will be the pilot of the #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone in its 2008 Champ Car World Series effort. The former Formula One driver is excited to open a new chapter of his racing career in North America by competing in Champ Car.  “I am very excited about my opportunity this year in Champ Car with Rocketsports Racing,” said Bernoldi. “Racing in the United States is something that I have always wanted to do and I think that Champ Car is the best series for me to have the opportunity to do so. I like the variety of circuits that are on the schedule. There is a range of street and permanent courses which will be fun and similar to what I have been racing on in Europe.”  The 29-year-old driver from Curitiba, Brazil started kart racing in 1987 at the age of nine and won a variety of regional and national kart titles before heading to Europe at the age of 16 to try his hand at car racing. After being successful in the Italian Formula Alfa Boxer series, the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup series, the British Formula 3 Championship, and F3000, Bernoldi got his first taste of Formula One in 1999 when he drove for Sauber at Magny-Cours. His performance earned him a test drive with the Swiss team for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. After a test with the Orange Arrows Team in 2001, it was announced that he would become a full-time F1 driver. He made his F1 debut at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix. He continued to drive for the team in 2002 but when the Arrows F1 team folded in 2003, he opted to change series. He entered the Formula Nissan World Series for two years before returning to the F1 scene in 2005 as a test driver for BAR Honda. In 2006 he got his first taste of Champ Car when he tested with Rocketsports. Most recently, he competed in the StockCar Brazil series in 2007, which is similar to stock car racing in the states, but they do not run on ovals. “Considering that I have a lot to learn, it will be a good challenge for me this year”, Bernoldi continued. “Not only do I have to learn a new race car, but also how the racing works in the United States. My experience in Europe and Formula One will definitely help me, but the rules are different over here.  I know that Rocketsports is willing to help me learn as much as I can, as we are all in it for the same reason - to win! Paul Gentilozzi is not only a team owner, but a driver. He will be able to understand what I need to know as a driver, since he has that kind of mentality, so that will be a huge factor to help me progress quickly this year. I think that Rocketsports is a good team. I was impressed by the team when I tested with them two years ago. Unfortunately we were able to get a deal together that year, but I am excited to have the opportunity now.” The 2008 Champ Car World Series will kick off on April 20 in Long Beach, California for the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix. With that being a few months away, Bernoldi and the team will have plenty of time to prepare. They will be participating in three pre-season Champ Car sanctioned tests. Those tests will be held in Sebring, Florida (Sebring International Raceway, February 2-4), Monterey, California (Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, March 13-14), and Houston, Texas (MSR Houston, March 28-29). This will give Bernoldi ample time to get acclimated with the team and the #8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone before taking the green flag to make his first Champ Car start.  “We are excited to have Enrique (Bernoldi) on board with us this season,” said Rocketsports Team Owner Paul Gentilozzi. “It is nice to be able to sign a driver this early, as it will be a great benefit for us to have him testing with the team during the pre-season. Together we can prepare for an exciting 2008 season in the Champ Car World Series. He has been associated with some of the elite Formula One teams and has a great understanding of open-wheel cars. That really showed in his quick learning skills and resulting performance when he tested with us. He is extremely professional and talented; I can definitely see him as a potential race winner in Champ Car.” Bernoldi added, “It will be great to have three tests with the team before the season begins. I will be able to work with the team and the engineering staff to get the feedback that I will need to narrow the learning curve so that I am prepared for Long Beach, and the rest of the season. I feel that there is great potential, I obviously want to go out there earning top five finishes and win races, but first I have to take it one step at a time. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead for me in 2008.” Bernoldi and his wife currently reside in Brazil, but have plans to relocate to the U.S. before the season begins late April. He will be at the East Lansing-based race shop January 28-29 for a seat fitting and final preparations for the first test of the year. The team then heads to Sebring, Florida for a three-day test on February 2-4.

Munich/Hinwil, 14th December 2007. When the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park visitsLas Vegas in the U.S. state of Nevada from 7th to 10th January 2008, the world-renownedentertainment capital won't be alone in celebrating a Formula One comeback. On this specialoccasion the American Rahal family of racing drivers will also be re-entering the orbit ofmotorsport's crowning discipline. Graham Rahal (US), the son of U.S. motor racing legendBobby Rahal (US), will for the first time get a taste of driving the BMW Sauber F1 Teamracing car in the Pit Lane Park.

"It's a great thrill for me to be driving a Formula One car even though it's not on a properracing circuit," said the 18 year old. "It has been a dream of mine to drive an F1 car and I can'tthank BMW enough for giving me this opportunity.

Rahal's formula racing career began in 2004 with Formula BMW USA. He led the ToyotaAtlantic series in wins and poles in 2006 before graduating to the Champ Car World Series in2007 - and putting in a convincing performance from the start. In only his third race, hefinished second to become the youngest driver ever to claim a podium place in this series. Hefinished fifth in the series, becoming the youngest driver ever to finish in the top-five in theChamp Car championship standings. The BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park driver line-upwill be completed by Daniel Morad (CA). The 2007 Formula BMW USA champion will drivethe Formula BMW car.

Early in the new year, the BMW Sauber F1 Team's Pit Lane Park will be one of the highlightsof the support programme for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas. Oneof the companies represented will be Intel, the Presenting Sponsor of the Pit Lane Park andfor many years a key presence at this trade fair for home entertainment products. On each ofthe four days, the high-tech event park will be laying on a Formula 1 experience of a veryspecial kind for CES visitors. The gates will open to the public on the Wednesday andThursday.

Pit Lane Park opening times for CES visitors:Monday, 7th January        - 10.00 to 19.00 hrsTuesday, 8th January       - 09.00 to 19.00 hrsWednesday, 9th January      - 09.00 to 19.00 hrsThursday, 10th January     - 09.00 to 19.00 hrs

Pit Lane Park opening times for the public:Wednesday, 9th January     - 14.00 to 19.00 hrsThursday, 10th January     - 09.00 to 19.00 hrs

[read more…]

British Driver Leads Podium of Heylen and Junqueira; Bourdais Falls Short of Capturing 2007 CCWS Championship 

The 2007 Champ Car World Series title is set to once again be decided on the streets of Surfers Paradise during this year’s Lexmark Indy 300 on October 18-21.

Three-time and reigning Vanderbilt Cup titleholder, Sebastien Bourdais (#1 Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing) could only manage a seventh placing at the weekend’s Bavaria Beer Champ Car Grand Prix of Holland, leaving him just shy of claiming enough points to snare yet another crown.

In the simplest terms, the mathematical equation will require Bourdais to finish at least 12th overall in Australia to put the title hunt out of the reach of his fellow competitors, with just one round remaining in Mexico after the Gold Coast feature.

British ace Justin Wilson (RSPORT Racing), who’ll arrive in Australia later this week to assist Australia’s Will Power to launch the 17th Lexmark Indy 300, took his first Champ Car World Series victory of the year in Assen – taking the second leg of the championship's European tour and elevating himself into second place in this year's title race.

From the very start of the Holland round Wilson made it known he would be the man to beat, taking the lead in the opening corner and holding off a variety of challengers to earn his fourth career win.

After suffering a broken wrist during Practice at last year’s Lexmark Indy 300, Wilson will be keen to make amends on the Gold Coast and with such strong lead up form he’ll be confident of a strong result.

Leading 39 of the 69 completed laps on his way to the winner’s circle, Wilson only once lost the lead to Bruno Junqueira (#19 Dale Coyne Racing) who was on a different pit strategy.

Joining Wilson on the podium were Conquest Racing’s Jan Heylen, with Junqueira muscling his way to successive placings to complete a memorable European tour.

Neither driver had an easy trip to the podium. Heylen started seventh and picked his way through the field on the fast TT Circuit Assen.

The Belgian’s charge through the field combined with quick pit work from his crew led to Conquest Racing’s first podium since Monterrey, Mexico in 2005.

While Heylen took one route to the podium, Junqueira and the Dale Coyne Racing team used a separate plan, pitting under the first yellow, having to pit again later with a flat tyre and then using timely cautions to keep the Brazilian driver near the front of the field.

After finishing second last week at Zolder, it looked like Dale Coyne Racing could take its first ever win, but a problem with the pit lane speed limiter during Junqueira’s final pit stop cost him valuable time and allowed Wilson and Heylen to pass.

PKV Racing’s Tristan Gommendy and Neel Jani finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The finish is a career best for the Frenchman Gommendy. For the Swiss driver Jani, perseverance paid off as he overcame a problem with his Power-to-Pass on lap 22 to earn his fourth top-five finish this season.

Jani wasn’t the only driver affected by a problem with Power-to-Pass as Sebastien Bourdais also dropped several positions on the first lap with a similar issue. Following Jani’s incident, Champ Car officials instructed all of the teams not to use their Power-to-Pass during the remainder of the event.

For Championship leader Bourdais, the race was a battle from start to finish. After losing the lead in Turn 1, and having his Power-to-Pass malfunction on the same lap, the three-time champion sat fifth in the running order.

Following his first pit stop during the second full course caution period, Bourdais dropped another two spots to seventh and then during the final full course yellow, Bourdais stalled on pit lane and rejoined the field in 16th position. Showing his true form he steadily drove through the field to salvage a seventh place result.

For Team Australia’s Will Power, his home event at the Lexmark Indy 300 takes on even greater significance after a disappointing 14th placing in Holland.

The Toowoomba driver can still put himself in a position to claim a career best second place in the 2007 Championship, but will need to put it all together in Queensland in just over a month’s time.

Next up for the Champ Car World Series is a trip 'Down Under' to Surfers' Paradise, Australia. Queensland's marquee event runs from October 19 - 21.

Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald's Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) proved once again why he is the driver to beat in the Champ Car World Series, earning nearly every point by grabbing the pole position on Saturday, setting the fastest race lap and winning by more than 13 seconds. With the weekend Bourdais extended his points lead to 53 markers over Dutch driver Robert Doornbos (#14 Minardi Team USA Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone).

Finishing second was Dale Coyne Racing driver Bruno Junqueira (#19 Sonny's Bar-B-Q Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone), who scored the best ever finish in Dale Coyne's 24 years as a team owner. Though the Brazilian started fourth, it wasn't an average Sunday drive. Junqueira lost one position at the start when the entire field came to pit road on lap 17, a fueling problem saw him exit pit lane in 15th place.

Mired in the back of the field, Junqueira and the Coyne Racing crew came back onto pit lane under the next yellow just ten laps later. The alternate strategy saw Bruno move up to second in the order as the other drivers had to dive onto pit lane for service under green flag conditions. Junqueira made his final stop on lap 48 also under green flag conditions and dropped back to tenth. When a full-course caution slowed the race again, the majority of the field used the opportunity to come to pit road for a final splash of fuel to reach the end of the race.

While they came to pit lane, Junqueira stayed out and moved back up to the fourth position, sitting behind Simon Pagenaud (#15 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone), Belgian Jan Heylen (#34 Grafiprint Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Tristan Gommendy (#22 Pay By Touch-MegaSpirea Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone). The three drivers in front all had to pit for fuel while Bruno worked hard to conserve fuel and make it to the checkered flag. In the end, the three-time championship runner-up battled valiantly with Bourdais and his Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing teammate Graham Rahal (#2 Medi|Zone Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) letting the French champion slip by but holding off the American rookie.

By holding onto second, Junqueira forced the 18-year-old Rahal to settle for his fourth podium finish. Much like Bruno, Rahal was embroiled in a tight battle throughout the race, mostly with Will Power (#5 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Justin Wilson (#9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone).

Power finished fourth losing more ground in the race for the Vanderbilt Cup, with Wilson right behind in fifth. Forsythe Championship Racing driver Oriol Servia (#7 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) finished sixth, his ninth top-10 finish in 10 races.

Doornbos finished seventh, also losing ground to Bourdais in the Championship chase, finishing just ahead of fellow rookie Neel Jani (#21 Red Bull-Gulfstream Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) who came home eighth. Rounding out the top-10 were Canadians Alex Tagliani (#8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone).

With the double podium, Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing took the early lead in the Phanos Champ Car European Team Cup competition earning 70 points over the course of the weekend. Team Australia, winners of the Champ Car Canadian Triple Crown, are second with 60.5 points and the Rocketsports/RuSPORT duo are third.

Next up is the back-end of the European double header as the Champ Car World Series heads to Assen, Holland for the Bavaria Beer Champ Car Grand Prix of Holland presented by Audi, Hertz, Gant, Pioneer and Jumbo. The event in Holland runs from August 31 - September 2, with live coverage on Eurosport 2 in Europe at 1 p.m. local time, and in the United States on ESPN Classic at 7 a.m. ET. Fans can also follow all of the action via the official website of the Champ Car World Series, www.champcar.ws.

Three-time Champion Continues Run Towards Record Championship  Zolder, Belgium (August 25, 2007) - For the fourth time this season, Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald's Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) will lead the field at the start, as the French driver drove to his 30th career pole position at the Zolder Circuit in Belgium. Bourdais lapped the 2.492-mile circuit in 1 minute 12.821 seconds setting the track record at the historic race track.

The three-time champion is looking to become the first driver to win four consecutive Champ Car titles, and after earning one championship point for today's pole position, Bourdais now leads the race for the Vanderbilt Cup by 38 points over third place qualifier Robert Doornbos (#14 Minardi Team USA Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone).

After not being able to run in yesterday's qualifying because of mechanical issues, Doornbos showed the speed that has put him at the top of the rookie-of-the-year standings to earn the third spot on the grid. Though his time was faster than Team Australia's Will Power (#5 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone), the Aussie driver will start second after setting the fastest time in Friday's qualifying session. Tomorrow will mark the fourth time Bourdais and Power have shared the front row.

Bruno Junqueira (#19 Sonny's Bar-B-Q Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) will start fourth, his best starting spot of the year and Dale Coyne Racing's best start since Long Beach in 1998.

The third row will be made up of the RuSPORT/Rocketsports duo of Justin Wilson (#9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Alex Tagliani (#8 Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone). Both drivers moved up considerably from Friday's qualifying session obviously adapting their setup to the Zolder circuit.

Starting seventh will be Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) who also gained time overnight. He will be joined on the fourth row by rookie Simon Pagenaud (# 15 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone), who was third quickest on Friday but unable to improve his time as much as the other drivers.

Another rookie, Neel Jani (#21 Red Bull-Gulfstream Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) will start ninth next to Oriol Servia (#7 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone), who improved his time by more than one second compared to Friday's qualifying.

Local hero, Jan Heylen (#34 Grafiprint Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) will start 11th. The Belgian driver was unable to run on Friday after being involved in multi-car accident in the morning practice. His Conquest team spent the next 13 hours rebuilding Heylen's DP01 until after midnight.

The Champ Car Grand Prix of Belgium will kickoff the Phanos Resorts Champ Car European Cup competition at 2:00 p.m. local (8:00 a.m. ET) on Sunday. The race can be seen live on ESPN Classic in the United States and on Eurosport 2 throughout Europe. Fans can also follow all of the action via the official website of the Champ Car World Series, www.champcar.ws.

QUOTES FROM THE TOP THREE STARTERS

Sebastien Bourdais: "It was a little harder than I thought. The 15 minute practice went really well with the standard tires on the McDonald's car. I thought when we put the red tires on it was going to be easier and the lap time would come really fast but we got a little bit of traffic and I made a couple of mistakes and didn't hit the tires when they were at their best."

Will Power: "That is exactly how we thought it would play out today so we used the red tires yesterday to try and guarantee a front row start. We are thinking of tomorrow - we need to win a race and everything has played out exactly as I wanted, no problem.

Robert Doornbos : "Today went really well. It is an amazing circuit to drive with Champ Cars, it's really fast - turn one and two in particular we have been going faster and faster."