CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES: GRAND PRIX OF CLEVELAND

July 1, 2004

Sebastien Bourdais

Bruno Junqueira

Paul Tracy

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I feel fine. I think the whole PacifiCare Newman/Haas team did a very, very good job. I have to thank them to repair the car after this morning's crash. We came back strong until I think the last minute you were on the pole. Quite happy with the car. I have a little bit too much understeer, but for sure I didn't have enough time to adjust and make the change that you plan. But I think was a great result, and was good.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I was eight. I don't know, I was a slow lap. I just pass Oriol. I was like 10 miles an hour slower than I used to, and just lost it. I don't understand. I was in a cool-down lap because of Oriol preparing to go on another fly lap. I don't know. I just felt I lost completely grip. I don't know if I hit something on the track or something. I don't know. Is difficult to say. But the important is that I'm okay. For sure going to be a little bit sore tomorrow. But the PacifiCare car is good, strong, and ready to go.

PAUL TRACY: I feel good. Had a pretty good session. We started off quickest in the first run, and then we pitted for new tires. I felt the car was good. We could do a better lap. Then I kind of didn't really get a clear run, and was held up for five or six laps, couldn't get the right spot to get the lap, really had to wait too long and did it on the last lap. The tires were really probably not at their best. So it was a little bit frustrating when we came in, you know, P2 only by a hundredth of a second. But, you know, we'll try tomorrow.

PAUL TRACY: I think the track really isn't as slick. When we first went out this morning, it was pretty slippery. But the times came down really fast. Last year's first day pole was 58.5. Stowed was a 58.3, so it's quicker than last year. You know, we're only a 10th or two off of the pole from last year on the first day. So for sure I think the track will be faster tomorrow, and, you know, overall I think the track, it started out maybe a little bit slippery, but it sure got quick pretty fast.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Yeah, well, I think we got to be glad with the result because didn't look so well for quite a while since this morning. We just keep collecting red flags after red flags. And every time we go out, it looks like it's not the right timing. So I'm pretty happy for the McDonald's crew because, you know, we have a solid baseline from last year, and obviously that's what we qualified with, because we couldn't really test anything this morning. So I'm pretty happy. I think there's some more in the car, but we'll see that tomorrow.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: As PT said, the racetrack is in pretty good shape. I think without the red flags and the conditions, in a clean run, maybe two in a row, because we only had one shot, we probably can do a 58 flat, something like that. So tomorrow with a better racetrack, could go 57.6 probably.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Yeah, sure. Well, last year basically the very important sessions were the ones that were by night, and that's where you really had to set up the car because the pit was pretty big. This year we just have to, you know, set up the car in racetrack condition. Hopefully is going to hold and isn't going to be similar stones, but we aren't quite sure of that.

PAUL TRACY: I think it's better. I mean, it's always difficult. There's always tires at the apexes here. You're going so quick, you're dealing with inches for the apex. So that's always been a problem here. You can clip the tire and bounce it into the track. But the paving they've done, for whatever reason, it's good. It's smoother. It doesn't have so much big rolling bumps in it. So I think it's good.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I agree. The pavement is much better on the back straightaway. Maybe a little bit in turn eight, the tarmac, if you go out of the tarmac, is a little bit dirty. But for sure can be less bumpy between turn eight and nine. I think they did a great job.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: It's probably going to pick up more than other years, because it's probably the slickest, I mean, if anything, because there's no rubber down. It's kind of greasy. The oil is going out of it. I think there's probably more potential of improvement than the years before.

PAUL TRACY: Well, I mean, really it will be a sun-up race the whole time. Last year was sun setting, then going to dark. So this year, I mean, it doesn't get dark now till 9:30, quarter till 10, and we'll be done by 7:00. So, you know, really it's a daytime race, but it allows the fans to, you know, stick around. After the race I guess there's a fireworks show, which will be good for the fans.

PAUL TRACY: I think it's pretty similar to how we just qualified. It's 4:30 now, quarter to 5, so the track conditions right now are good.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Yeah, I agree. I think it might be a bit of a problem with the sun at the end of the race if, you know, if anything. But last year we had it in the eyes at the very start. So I think, if anything, it's going to be better. As PT said, it's a daylight race.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think it's a good idea. It's going to be new for everybody. I think nobody start a race at 5:00. Very often between 12:30 and 2. It's going to be good for the fans.

PAUL TRACY: I think really there's only one place where you really have to be like a little bit on the careful side, and that's where Bruno crashed this morning, because if you make a mistake there, it's going to be a big mistake. But the rest of the track, I mean, you can give everything that you have and you can ask everything of the car. So it's a lot of fun.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think it's a good track, for sure. I love Road America. But I think it's a good racetrack. One thing that's pretty cool here, that's something always difficult, I had a problem today, I'm sure Tracy and Sebastien had a problem, the track is very wide, then the drivers push so hard, and very often go a little bit off the track and put a lot of dirt in the track, and a lot of red flags, as well. Times when you're in qualify, and you get those red flags, a little bit frustrate because it's pretty nice when you get like three or four clear laps, building up every lap a little bit faster. I like a lot.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: I think, yeah, since I arrived there, I said that the racetrack was first unique, which makes it really fun for us because, you know, you can really push, you don't have so much problems about that. If you do a mistake, most of the time you end up in the grass, unless you're really unlucky. But, you know, it's a fun racetrack. I think it's a great show, and everybody can see it. So, I mean, personally I really like it. It's challenging, it's fast. It's probably one of the racetrack that has the fastest average speed in all the corners because you always in third our fourth gear, which makes it really challenging and interesting.

PAUL TRACY: I think some of the drivers that hadn't been here, it's difficult to see because the corner is so far away from when you you're braking, some guys, sometimes it's difficult to find it. Plus there's a big cone in the road. As you're braking, you've got to turn over the cone. Sometimes you if sit very low in the car, you can't see the cone from where you're braking.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think the cone always been there. Just this morning session, it wasn't there. The other years, there's always been a cone there. Is that right, Paul?

PAUL TRACY: There's been a cone, sometimes no cone, sometimes lots of cones (laughter).

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: I think personally I like the single-car qualifying. I think it's more representative of the real performance of the guy. You know, there's no excuse. You can't say, "Oh, well, I've been hold up in the traffic." But for the fans and for you guys, I think it makes it more interesting. You know, spins, guys upset against other guys. You know, so it's just the way it is.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I agree with Sebastien.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: But quite honestly, apart of street races, there's probably no reason to put a single-car qualifying on a racetrack like this one, especially since the Bridgestone tires are pretty consistent. You don't have only one flying lap. I would say Portland was more an issue because you had one very good lap, and after the tires would go a bit down. So it was critical really to hit, you know, the tires right. But here it's really consistent and you just, you know, you can turn around and you're always going to have a shot.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: It's always better if you have three laps in a row. But if you're a good driver, you can do it in one lap and it's still decent, when sometimes on a street course it's really, really difficult. If you don't have a few laps together, you're never going to make it.

PAUL TRACY: I'm not going to comment on the officials.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: From both of these guys, it looks likes it's very expensive.

PAUL TRACY: That's the answer. Sometimes we don't know why.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Well, it's always nice to have your name, you know, in some books. But honestly I don't think it's up to me to evaluate the performance of the thing. I just try and do my best. It ends up being, you know, five times on the first row. But, well, you know, I guess it could be worse.

PAUL TRACY: Last year.