CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES: LEXMARK INDY 300

October 24, 2003

Sebastien Bourdais

Bruno Junqueira

Alex Tagliani

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: The place is definitely beautiful, no doubt about that. I mean, seeing this afternoon the weather was perfect but if it can hold like that, it's just fine. The course is really beautiful, it's fast, it's challenging, long. It's really a good place and in a great country, Australia. So it pretty fun.

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS: Behind the whole it's not been that good, obviously. But really didn't get a chance to put that together. First run was pretty good, but different -- second (inaudible) happened and couldn't do my best lap time. During the second run just I left the pits and the pop-off valve was not wide open, but we were really down on power and we had to stop to reset the thing and lost all the chances to do a good lap time in the second run. So very frustrated.

ALEX TAGLIANI: Well, i am a little disappointed because the car is really, really fast and in the second set of tires, I don't know why, I just maybe was not putting the wheel exactly where I went all weekend. I lost the right front tires on my second lap and I just destroyed the two front tires. And I did a 33,2 in my second set of tires, with two tires that were completely damaged so I am a little disappointed because the car was really fast the second set of tires and the track was picking up quite a bit of grip so we -- I think we have a good car to compete. I think the team did good. For us it's always a little bit easier when we have tracks that are really grippy like this one and Long Beach and all the other tracks where we have been doing -- we have struggling on the low-grip tracks. So it's pretty good for us to finish this season here and hopefully in Fontana we'll be competitive also.

ALEX TAGLIANI: The track was a little bit more slippery on the first run. The prequalifying, I think the Super V8 had really hard tires and it's just like take a little bit of rubber out. It's slippery at the beginning, but after a while, you know, when you have like 19 cars running with two sets of slicks, the track is going better very quickly so, yes, I mean, we were a little bit concerned for the temperature because if it rains you have to have a time in very quickly. So that's why we went out as soon as it went green. But we had a car to be on pole today and just a little bit sad that we didn't make it. But tomorrow hopefully it's going to be dry and we'll try to do it.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: For sure. This is a really important weekend for me. I have to try to do my best and for the PacifiCare and Newman/Haas team. And today was a good day - we had a really fast car in the morning session, I guess, we were leading the session to the end, the people made me (inaudible) I was on the track. Ten minutes before qualifying we were the fastest by a big difference and qualifying was really difficult because we were afraid of rain. Then we were the first guys out just behind Tracy and I did a really fast lap, 33.4. I was on the pole by a big chunk and Tracy slow down the pit. I had to slow down and I try another lap and we got traffic and then -- one lap later Tag Sebastien went a little bit faster than me. Then I was concerned to wait by the last minute; afraid of start rain again or a red flag. But I mean, that's was all the possibility. Wait until like the eight or nine minutes to go, I guess some traffic in the first two, three laps. The last two laps I had (inaudible) -- I put the safe lap, it was 33,1; that guaranteed me the pole by that time. But last year I lost the pole by a millisecond. I really didn't want to take any race and push really hard on the last lap. I got a perfect lap and I am happy with the results today. But I know that it's still a long way; since tomorrow qualifying track must be really better tomorrow. I am trying to do my best the weekend , in terms of the Championship for sure. I am in position that I not no depend of myself anymore. I need Tracy not to do well in one of the races. I will try to do the best of myself and see what is going to happen with Paul Tracy. I hope I can get out of this weekend close enough with Tracy and I do have a shot to win the Championship in Fontana. That's my goal.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I think the tomorrow the track is going to get better and it is going to be a second faster. I don't know. You never know if it's going to rain at night or not. I hope not. This is such a great place. I love Australia. The weather has been nice every day since I arrived here. Tomorrow can have sunny day again.

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA: I am enjoy a lot this year, this big fight between me and Tracy for the Championship. And I just was really frustrated in Mexico because I mean, I was feeling really sick and I felt that even being sick as I was, I had an opportunity to finish second in the race, but that didn't happen. Then Tracy opened a big gap. As I said, I would prefer even if we have been ahead, put me in position that I depend on myself, to get him in the two races, and win the Championship. Now I need to beat him in the two races and hope that he will have at least one bad race. I think it will be exciting for the fans, this fight between me and Tracy, Michel, Sebastien, Tag, I think this year, I think the CART Series is one of the best years so far. A lot of different drivers winning races, and being competitive like Tagliani for new teams; new drivers like Sebastien and I think it has been a good year, a lot of overtaking because of no traction control. I mean, I just hope that I can have a good weekend here and have a shot during the Championship in Fontana because that's a pretty good race, 500-mile race and if I have a chance to win that race, it will be more exciting for the fans.