CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES: THE CLEVELAND GRAND PRIX

July 3, 2003

Sebastien Bourdais

Bruno Junqueira

Oriol Servia

ORIOL SERVIA: I think, first, as I was saying, I mean, it's fun. You're behind a car, you see sparks, you see the brakes red, and everything, and you feel part of something cool. It's cool. I think you need to improve. You know, was the first time out there. You need to improve a little bit because there were a couple corners that you couldn't see much, I mean you couldn't see perfect, say it that way. I was saying, Milwaukee for us, it felt like daylight. You could see no problems. Here you were feeling every lap, like there's something not right. So they just need to work on it. Apart from that, the Visteon Patrick Racing team gave me good car today. We're struggling a little bit on new tires. Like I go quicker every time on old tires. I don't know why. We need to improve that in order to improve our position tomorrow in qualifying, obviously. But I'm happy with the car for the race because it's definitely quick on old tires.

ORIOL SERVIA: Right now we're just trying to make the car quick. Obviously, more towards the qualifying setup. But I don't think it's a very different car actually. Just a few, but not too different.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I feel good. I think we were fast in the first practice this morning. The car was really good, especially on the heat of the day. And I was pretty confident for qualify. Unfortunately, my second lap, my gearbox broke. I think I had a good shot for the pole today. But I think all the PacifiCare crew did a very good job. They changed all the gearbox and prepare the car for the night's practice. We slow a little bit early on in the night practice because the handling of the car was really different of the morning when it was really hot. But then we did some improvements and we could do a fast lap in the end.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: Yeah, I run stickers that I didn't run in the first session. I think on the first session, I think everyone run stickers, and I think I was like sixth or seventh. I decided to run the stickers at the end of the session. I didn't run two sets of stickers in qualify, as well. I have plenty of new tires. But I struggle a little bit on the first laps, and I spun because of the lights. You get used to when you know where to turning and other things. I just miss the apex, get on the dirt, end up spinning. But I was talking with the CART officials. I think they can schedule some change, it would be cool. Like it's pretty nice to run at night, it's a good thing for the fans, and a very good thing for the drivers because during the day it's really hot. I remember last year in the race here was really hot, really long race. We are glad it's going to be a little bit cooler.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Yeah, we didn't quite done what we were expecting to. We got a problem with the wire comforting the PT meter at the end of the first session. It was a bit cutted and the wire was getting hot on and off by his own. We had the PT meter engaging, which is a bit of a problem when you go back and sort obviously. So we had to replace that. We lost still a very little time because it's a lot to of work to change, and I have to thank the crew for that because they did a great job. We just lost 10 minutes, so it was okay. After that restarting, I don't know what I did, but it's just completely forgot to brake at the quick chicane, I went kind of straight. I said, "Okay, it's going to be fine." Yeah, fine. Just there is kind of a deep, and just completely flew in the air with the car and broke completely the front wing. So it was a bit of a shame. Destroyed the set of tires, so was not great. But even so, doing 14 laps in the second session, I achieved a good lap time at the very end with new tires, obviously. Yeah, I think the McDonald crew did a great job and I think we have a right setup for the qualifying session, so it should be okay for tomorrow.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: No, we're going to wait for sure. We're going to wait. The track will be cooler. I didn't have much of a problem, so the fact that it was a bit darker, I think I run in way more difficult positions than that in the 24 hours, different races I did. When the lights are not well-adjusted and there's no lights on the track, it's kind of brilliant, I can tell you, to compare with what I've had the opportunity to drive sometimes by night. So it's just fine.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: I think most of that is due to the car. I mean, Bruno and I are very quick. So is no doubt about the fact that the car is very good, and that Newman/Haas did a great job again. I think it's a kind of practice, I like pretty much to be in that kind of conditions about the lights. I think from the inside, it looks like it's going way quicker, and I like very much this feeling. And I don't have a lot of problem to get some references when it's kind of changing a bit darker, a bit brighter. It even gives me sometime a kind of reference because, you know, you have some bright points, and it's just giving you some spots that you can refer on. And actually the track is so big and so wide, if you can take it by the right way, it can be a help.

ORIOL SERVIA: The darker part, it's turn seven, I think.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: As Oriol just said, the only part maybe they can readjust the lights like on turn seven. But I think more important than that, I think like racing to the left chicane, we kind of lost our braking point. Then is good like to put different colors of cones or one cone bigger pretty much wherever we brake, because then you can have a new reference. At least me, some corners, like turn one, you have the (inaudible) that you see, all the corners you have like a reference. But the last corner, my reference is very often the asphalt. Now the asphalt is completely dark and you don't know exactly the line.

ORIOL SERVIA: I actual ly remember in the past, they had colored cones.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I asked before the session. They did not do it. I don't know why.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: I think also the panels, one, two, three, four, five, are very high. If you look high you just look into the lights so you kind of lose your vision. If these panels could be on the ground, it would be I think better.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: For sure need to talk with the stewards. I hope they do what you tell them to do because you be important to improve a little bit because a lot of cars went out of the track on this session, more than usual. And I don't know why, but I think if improve, can be good for us. I'm a hundred percent sure it's going to be great for the fans, for everybody, you know. Even for us going to be better because going to be cooler on the race, the tire degradation will be less, the race basically will be faster and it's not going to be that hot. It's just a matter to set up the lights and the cones and those things to make our life a little bit easier.

ORIOL SERVIA: I didn't understand a word. Maybe it's bedtime or something (laughter). Honestly, I didn't understand what you meant, sorry.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: Patrick Carpentier.

ORIOL SERVIA: Oh, Patrick. I thought you were saying Pat Patrick. He isn't here today. I will get someone to translate English for me (laughter).

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: It's my brilliant accent.

ORIOL SERVIA: He was a bit close. Patrick Carpentier was close. But, no, it's the slowest corner on the track, so apart from the start, you can actually avoid if a car stop in front of you.