Champ Car World Series: Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland

Topics:  Grand Prix of Portland

Sebastien Bourdais
Bruno Junqueira
Paul Tracy
June 19, 2004

PORTLAND, OREGON

ERIC MAUK: Ladies and gentlemen, we'll go ahead and start with our first qualifying press conference of the Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland, Round Four of the Bridgestone Presents Champ Car World Series Powered by ford. Our third place qualifier, started inside of the second row, driver of the #1 Indeck Ford-Cosworth Lola/Bridgestone for Forsythe Championship Racing, Paul Tracy, he put up a top lap of 59.414, 119.506 miles per hour, to take the third spot. How do you feel about the way things went today?

PAUL TRACY: It went okay, other than the fact that we crashed at the end but the damage looks pretty minor. They rolled it back to the pit, and it's just really the back wing was knocked off. But I had a good first run. Did a good time. I thought I could have gotten more from the car, but really, just my first blind lap was held up by traffic and then I had to abort the lap and then try to start over again. So the tires really wearing at their best. And then came in, I thought the car was good. I felt that we could go quicker, and went for the second time on the second set of tires and had a good lap going my first blind lap again was matched, the time that I did previously. And my second blind lap I was up better at the time. Coming out of the back straightaway, I was like .18 quicker which was going to be good. And then the car got a little bit oversteer on me and I tried to stay in it and it just got away too far and came around and went into the tires. So, you know, it was right there, but not there.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I mean, the PacifiCare car did really good throughout the weekend, and it felt good to be on the pole today again, at least with Sebastien, Tracy. I thought my first run on hot tires, on the regular Bridgestone and I got a lot of traffic. I got stuck, I think I was two, three, sometimes four seconds off the pace, and I slowed down a little bit because he screwed my lap that was supposed to be the back one, and then I slowed down and I saw one of the -- inaudible car coming and I got up to speed, maybe two or three cars behind me, never even close. I remember slowing him down and then they told me -- the team told me there was no point any more to run, because they are penalize me, taking my fastest lap. And then I was ready to put a set of soft tires to run go on the 58 and forget the pole but there was no point because they already penalize me. And very, very frustrating, because they always make mistakes against they make last race in Milwaukee letting Mario (ph) pass me. I was in front of Mario (ph) like they did twice in Australia and Vancouver and some lot of races. And they make a very difficult call because that's what the qualifier is. Sometimes, I mean they support the kids that's three seconds lower and will get behind me . What do you want to do, not going to wrestle your tires trying to pass him. I have to slow down -- inaudible -- the guy that was behind me, he had to come to the pits anyway. You know, it's very, very frustrating. PacifiCare Newman/Haas team did a very good work this weekend but unfortunately didn't get the pole. But I'm looking forward to see if we can have a good race and I think it will be good tomorrow.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: I think the Newman Haas team did a great job for both the PacifiCare car and McDonald's car. It was a good chance and we kept up the good work and we started with a good setup. We had three setups today. Bruno was very fast, I don't know that we did this 59.2 but I think he was probably a bit faster than me at least. Unfortunately he did not get a good call, but I don't really feel the track was much better today and so I am happy that we can put the level Bruno established yesterday, and tomorrow is going to be the race. And we have plenty of tires Bridgestone options and regular tires, so we should do a good check.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Well, the tires are all right but you definitely have to change a lot, the setup on your car and try to make sure the reds are not going to go up. Looks like the conditions are going to be pretty similar. We are expecting the temperatures to go down a bit, if not the case today, I think so we see tomorrow.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: No. It's a waste of time, you know, because you always talk with them and they don't listen to us. I mean, it's actually, when they make mistakes, they go to the drivers and say, oh, I'm sorry, it was our mistake. Last week, there was at least eight of the mistakes that they excuse on the drivers, and now one day they decide they are going to make those kind of calls that are very great, you know, really difficult to make those calls. I'm very upset because the last race again they make a mistake, they got against myself, and I'm not saying that they have anything against myself, but, you know. And then the race is before in Monterrey because the qualify season, it's very sad. You know, everything you hear it looks like it's going the wrong way. I think I'm doing good at the track and I feel good at the track and -- inaudible -- it's very sad.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Not radically different. We went pretty far from the baseline because of the temperatures. I mean for the race setup, it's just going to be the regular changes between qualifying and racing setup.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Doesn't look like it is. (Laughter). No, it is, it's still going to be like that. I mean, you know, you're feeling five, six, seven laps, seven times, it doesn't really matter at the end of the day -- the yellows, it's different. But on this racetrack, we know that the pit window, we are giving a good show. You know what I think about it, anyway.

PAUL TRACY: It's always pretty wild out here. Especially if you're trying to achieve a nice order here because everybody gets a little bit antsy from the middle back. So there's definitely opportunity and there's also consequence. So you have to -- I've been here many years. In the past, some guys thought they could go from 20th to third in the first corner. Maybe one time out of ten it works, but the other times it's always a huge problem. There are times when I've passed six, seven, aerate cars in the first corner here. So we'll just have to say how they want to control the start. It's really in the starter's hands. It's up to him to tell us what he wants us to do and see what happens.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I'm going to be leading that one no matter what.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I will be leading the first lap no matter what happens, if I need to use push to pass ten times, I will do it. (Laughter).

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I mean it. The lap is 59 seconds; then I can use the whole lap if I want to. (Laughter).

PAUL TRACY: It's on until you lift off.

PAUL TRACY: It's only eight, nine seconds long.

PAUL TRACY: Not to pick a time or position.

ERIC MAUK: Same way it is everywhere we go. All right. Appreciate your attendance today and we go racing tomorrow at 1:00.