Bruno Junqueira takes Champ Car World Series points lead with victory
in event-filled Monterrey
Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
MONTERREY Mexico (May 22, 2005) -- As one of the veterans of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford, Bruno Junqueira (#2 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) has seen a myriad of strange occurrences during a five-year stretch that has seen him finish as the series runner-up for three consecutive seasons.

He would have to call on all of those experiences to dodge a slew of potential calamities and win Sunday's Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Presented by Roshfrans. A huge crowd of 111,518 endured 90-degree temperatures that had more twists and turns than a Mexican soap opera to witness Junqueira come from fifth on the grid to score his eighth career Champ Car win.

The Brazilian used a healthy dose of patience in picking his way through to the sharp end of the grid, doing battle with some of the sport's top names right alongside a trio of newcomers that were fighting for their first taste of Champ Car glory. Junqueira's win came on a day that featured nine cautions, six lead changes and saw so much happen at the front of the grid that Junqueira never even ran in the top two spots until Lap 61.

He took the lead on Lap 68 after a brief bobble by rookie Bjorn Wirdheim (#4 HVM Inc. Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), and held off a stern charge from rookie Andrew Ranger (#27 Tide/Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) to score the win. Ranger came from 14th on the grid to become the youngest driver ever to win a Champ Car podium and is also the first rookie driver ever to claim a spot on the Champ Car podium in Monterrey. They were joined on the podium by Alex Tagliani (#15 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), who carried his new team to the podium in its second Champ Car start.

Junqueira started his day in the fifth spot and appeared content to watch from there for a while as points leader Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) and Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) waged war at the front. Bourdais led the first 17 laps but yielded to second-year driver Nelson Philippe (#34 Wellbox Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) when Philippe and Wirdheim decided not to pit during a Lap 16 caution. Tracy beat Bourdais off pit lane during their first stop, setting the stage for more drama later in the race, but both remained behind the out-of-sequence cars through the first half of the race. For their part, Philippe and Wirdheim each did a good job in leading the field, Philippe eventually leading a race-high 23 laps in his two times at the front.

The lead had filtered back to Tracy by Lap 37 but the sixth caution of the day again returned it to Philippe, who again stayed out while the top 10 cars in the order pitted for fuel and tires. The restart on Lap 48 upped the ante on a day that had already seen its share of gambling play out, as Tracy tried to keep a suddenly frisky Bourdais at bay. Bourdais took the restart in fifth and set his sights on the third-placed Tracy after getting around the car of Oriol Servia (#19 American Medical Response Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) in Turn One.

Upon reaching Tracy in Turn Five, Bourdais went to the inside, had side-to-side contact with Tracy, then got entangled when his right rear wheel had contact with Tracy's left front. The impact broke Tracy's suspension and ended his day immediately, while Bourdais received a flat tire and a trip to the pits for his efforts, dropping him back to 12th. Meanwhile Philippe and then Wirdheim had reassumed the lead as the canary banners continued to fly at seemingly regular intervals.

Caution flags on laps 57 and 64 allowed the young Swede to try and stretch his fuel load to the end of the 76-lap affair, but the relentless pressure from Junqueira - who had narrowly avoided certain disaster when he deftly sidestepped the spinning car of Servia on Lap 61 - eventually forced a brief bobble, allowing Junqueira and Ranger to sluice by and into the lead. The final caution came on Lap 69 when Philippe and Timo Glock (#8 DHL Global Mail Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) had Turn One contact, and set the stage for a four-lap shootout with the veteran looking to fend off not only the hungry rookie Ranger, but also the renewed effort of Tagliani.

Ranger took a look at Junqueira in Turn One on the restart but could not get close enough to threaten as Junqueira rolled away to a 1.376-second margin of victory. Tagliani roared away from Justin Wilson (#9 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) when the flag dropped to secure his 11th career podium finish. Wilson held on for fourth while Bourdais battled all the way back to round out the top five. The performance was not enough to allow him to keep his series points lead, but he leaves Monterrey just a single point behind his Newman/Haas teammate and in second place. The win would appear to bode well for Junqueira as the last three drivers to win in Monterrey have also gone on to win the series championship.

Cristiano da Matta (#21 Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) finished a strong sixth while Ryan Hunter-Reay (#31 Briggs & Stratton Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) came from 17th on the starting grid to finish seventh. Wirdheim held on for eighth while Servia rebounded from his spin to place ninth. A.J. Allmendinger (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) rounded out the top 10.

The Champ Car World Series will next journey to the venerable Milwaukee Mile for a Saturday afternoon event June 3-4 for the Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225 Presented by U.S. Bank.

Quotes from the Top Three Finishers:

Bruno Junqueira, #2 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone: "It's really hard to be mistake free on a hot day like today and I think you saw drivers making mistakes that they normally wouldn't make because of the heat. I think the fact that I train in the heat of the day makes a difference. The car was really good and I am very happy to get my first win of the season.

Andrew Ranger, #27 Tide/Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth / Lola/Bridgestone: "I feel pretty good. We qualified 14th and it was a very tough day and a very tough race. The car was fantastic and it is great for the team to have this performance today.

Alex Tagliani, #15 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth /Lola/Bridgestone: I'm just trying to get back to where I know I can be, and where I have been in the past. The team is showing very good potential and we have to keep in mind that this is the team's first year with the Lola. I feel really good about what we're doing."

Noteworthy -- Today's attendance of 111,518 boosted the three-day event attendance to 190,319, an increase of more than 7,000 from last year's Monterrey race.

Fundidora Park enters final week of preparation for fifth annual visit from the Champ Car World Series
News and photos from Champ Car World Series
INDIANAPOLIS (May 13, 2005) - The Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford is gearing up for its fifth annual visit to the picturesque and historic Fundidora Park layout, as race organizers put the finishing touches on preparations for the May 20-22 Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Presented by Roshfrans. The 2.104-mile Fundidora Park road course has hosted the Champ Car World Series in each of the last four seasons, providing Champ Car fans both in Mexico and around the World with exciting action in one of the most festive atmospheres in motorsports.

The Monterrey race weekend is one of the most-anticipated races of the year from a fan standpoint as the event organizers provide fans with one of the best values in racing. A full slate of on-track action features six different series of racing ranging from Clio Cup cars and pickups to the 750hp lightning bolts of the Champ Car World Series. For fans looking for an occasional break from the racing, there are many activities taking place on the Fundidora Park grounds including three full days of live concerts on two separate music stages. "Ticket sales are going good, better than last year," said Event Director Jorge Lozano. "We are very excited about having the Champ Cars in Fundidora Park for the fifth time, the fans really love them." Mexican fans have responded with great fervor to the event in the past four seasons, making it as much a highlight for the drivers as it is for the fans. The event has drawn over 180,000 fans in each of the past four years and this year's edition of the Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Presented by Roshfrans will see the one-millionth fan to attend a Champ
Car event in Monterrey come through the gate.

"For sure the race in Monterrey is one of the biggest races of the year," said Bruno Junqueira, driver of the #2 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone. "All of the race fans they have there on race day make it very exciting. The event brings so many fans -- it's incredible. I think it looks like a soccer game on race day. The people are getting really excited."

Race organizers have a full week of activities planned leading up to the event including an exhibition by the Champ Car Fast Lap Pace Car team and a public parade of event vehicles. Promotional appearances by many of the drivers competing during the weekend are scheduled to take place as are annual events such as the popular blessing of the racetrack, which will take place on Thursday May 19.

There are still opportunities for fans to purchase tickets for the May 20-22 Tecate / Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Presented by Roshfrans before the cars roll onto the track. Fans interested in attending can purchase their tickets either at the Fundidora Park box office or online at www.ticketmaster.com.mx.
 

Sebastien Bourdais smashes Fundidora Park track record with his third consecutive Monterrey pole
Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
MONTERREY, Mexico (May 21, 2005) -- On a blisteringly hot day in Monterrey, Mexico where temperatures topped the 100-degree mark, Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford points leader Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) took what appeared to be a leisurely approach to Saturday's final qualifying session for Sunday's Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Presented by Roshfrans.

While some of the sport's biggest names hit the 2.104-mile Fundidora Park circuit as soon as the green flag flew over qualifying, Bourdais calmly waited until nearly 20 of the 35 minutes in the session before heading out on track, watching as Champ Car's finest took their best shots at the pole time that he had set on Friday.

Once on track, any traces of leisure evaporated as quickly as a puddle in the scorching Monterrey sun as Bourdais smashed his own track record in romping to his first pole of the young 2005 season. Bourdais actually put up two laps that broke the old track standard, with his fastest going into the record book as a time of 1:13.627 (102.875 mph). The pole position was the third in as many Monterrey trips for Bourdais, who won the 2004 event from the pole. It was also the 14th pole in the young career of the Flying Frenchman.

The record-breaking performance from Bourdais did not overshadow a strong performance from Justin Wilson (#9 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) however as the British sophomore matched a career high with a second-place grid position, taking the outside spot in the front row. The former FIA International F3000 champion earned his second career front-row starting spot after hanging a time of 1:14.204 (102.075 mph) on the board. He also started second in Cleveland a year ago, but was eliminated in a first-turn first-lap melee.

Paul Tracy (#3 Indeck Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) ended his day third on the grid, rebounding after a grim Friday performance with a time of 1:14.321 (101.915 mph). Tracy was one of the drivers that rolled out at the very beginning of the qualifying session, taking advantage of a clear track to put up competitive times. The Canadian star vaulted to the pole on his eighth lap, emerging from a cloud of dust kicked up by Marcus Marshall (#5 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) to take the early lead.

Behind him, Tracy's Forsythe Championship Racing stablemate Mario Dominguez (# 7 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) joined with Wilson to start working their way up the speed sheets. The Mexican gave his countrymen plenty to cheer about as the session hit the halfway point as he and Tracy had carded the top two times of the afternoon, while Bourdais continued to bide his time.

Bourdais and his teammate Bruno Junqueira (#2 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth /Lola/Bridgestone) finally decided to join the fray with 17 minutes left in the session, but the run would last just one lap as Marshall spun and stopped on course, bringing out a red flag. The stoppage slowed the progress of the two Newman/Haas Racing pilots, but came at a fortuitous time for reigning Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year A.J. Allmendinger (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone), who flashed across the line in a time of 1:14.500 (101.670 mph) to briefly take the top rung of the ladder.

The session restarted with 12 minutes to run, leaving drivers plenty of time to get their Bridgestone Potenzas up to temperature and ready for last-ditch shots at the pole. Tracy fired first to leapfrog Allmendinger while Bourdais ran two laps that were faster than his Friday time - but not faster than Tracy. Dominguez and Oriol Servia (#19 American Medical Response Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) swapped the fifth spot with six minutes to run, but all eyes were on Bourdais as he ripped past the start/finish line with the new track record.

Wilson jumped to second directly after Bourdais went to the top, exhorting Bourdais on to lower his time further on his next pass. Tracy tried in vain on his last lap to better his third-place starting spot, but would be left to content himself with starting in the second row. The surprise of the day came in the fourth spot as Alex Tagliani (#15 Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth / Lola /Bridgestone) gave his Team Australia machine a strong run, coming in with a best time of 1:14.342 (101.886 mph). Tagliani is the only Champ Car driver to have scored three top-fives at Monterrey and showed that he knows his way around the Fundidora course with a spirited effort on Saturday.

Junqueira would end up fifth with Dominguez joining him in the third row. Servia held on for seventh and will be joined in the fourth row by veteran Jimmy Vasser (#12 Gulfstream Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone). Vasser's PKV teammate Cristiano da Matta (#21 Bell Micro Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) will grid ninth with rookie Ronnie Bremer (#55 HVM Inc. Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) rounding out the top 10. Bremer was the top rookie qualifier on the day with his time of 1:15.258 (100.646 mph)

Tomorrow's 76-lap event from Fundidora Park will get underway at 2:45 p.m. local time (3:45 Eastern Time) and can be seen on a same-day, tape-delayed basis on SPEED Channel at 11 p.m. Eastern.

Rocketsports Racing Monterrey preview: notes and quotes 
News from Rocketsports Racing
Photos courtesy Champ Car World Series
MONTEREY, Mexico (May 26, 2005) – After a long six week break from the Champ Car season opener in Long Beach, California, Rocketsports Racing recuperates from a rough Milwaukee test, packing its two-car entry and traveling south of the border for Round Two of the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford in Monterrey, Mexico. 

Rocketsports Racing took part in two tests during the break, running laps at Portland International Raceway’s 1.969-mile road course and the famed one-mile oval in Milwaukee, but Rocketsports is ready to get back racing and will do so on the 2.104-mile permanent road course at Fundidora Park in Monterrey this weekend. 

Driver of the #31 Briggs & Stratton Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone Ryan Hunter-Reay kept himself busy during the time off in between testing sessions taking a trip to promote the upcoming Champ Car event in Australia.  During his two day promotional activities Down Under, the American was busy participating in interviews, photo shoots and filming.   

Making his third attempt in the Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix, Hunter-Reay returns to familiar territory after competing last season with Herdez Competition (now known as HVM), and has established a fan base of the Mexican contingents while running under the Mexican colors.  His best start and finish of eighth was recorded during his last trip to Fundidora Park. 

After making an impressive rookie debut when he finished as the top rookie in the 2005 Champ Car field at Long Beach in sixth, Timo Glock gets ready to strap back into his #8 DHL Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone after a hard hit in Milwaukee during testing on his first oval.  A former Formula One driver, the young German is no stranger to road courses.  Making his first appearance in Mexico and on a Champ Car permanent road course circuit, Glock will take to the track and turn a few heads this weekend.