RFM Front Page News

SEBRING, Florida (March 20, 2004) – We’re here on a sunny race morning, and the roar of the cars can be heard in the background as the Mobil 12 hours of Sebring motors on behind me. But I’m talking with someone most sports car fans would not recognize unless he was in a firesuit: Champ Car’s 2003 Rookie of the Year Sebastien Bourdais. Knowing that he would most likely be coming to the event, RFM requested an interview; and he most graciously agreed. After the roller-coaster ride in January with the courts and now the exciting re-birth of Champ Cars, Sebastien and Newman/Haas are “good to go” – to a full grid at Long Beach, with a championship in their sights, and (I’m sorry to report!) there isn’t a negative word to be heard.

Margot Orenchuk: Thank you very much for interrupting your fun time at the race to speak with me. So, why did you come to Sebring? Are you checking out the competition for Le Mans this year?

Sebastien Bourdais: I know a lot of people here with the ACO, a couple of friends like Jean-Philippe Belloc and Romain Dumas, la Competition was with the Panoz, it’s pretty close for me, I am living in Tampa now. We moved from Miami after Mexico.

MO: So, do you still have a chance to drive at Le Mans this year?

SB: I have the blessing of Newman/Haas and an agreement with Henri [Pescarolo], so I am going to do it. My Champ Car team told me, yes, you can do it. So it’s good. Pre-Qualifying falls the week after Long Beach, so it’s all good and I can do it. I’m going back to Europe to do a night endurance test at the beginning of April; I do not know if the car will be able to challenge the Audis, it’s tough.

MO: JJ Lehto told me they have changed a few regulations this year on fuel capacity and wing configuration for less downforce this year, so you never know.

SB: As far as the (Le Mans) team. It started in 2000, and it finished 4th its first year, it was 1st after the Audi’s.

MO: And do you know who your co-drivers are yet?

SB: No, that hasn’t been announced yet.

MO: So, Sebastien, what about all of this negative press since the OWRS launch at Long Beach. You seem happy! You are on one of the most stable teams around with the strongest, most vocal owners. Is it tough on the drivers that have actually been announced?

SB: The very difficult thing is every 2 days someone is calling you to announce to you some bad news. Like, someone is retiring, or Rahal is leaving the series, you aren’t going to have enough cars…and at the end of the day none of them knows what is really going on; it’s all just speculation.

MO: RFM appreciates you doing this for us, we want to get it out that OWRS is strong, and going to be there at Long Beach with a vibrant grid and a healthy lineup of Champ Cars and drivers that is going to make 2004 one of the best years ever to watch.

SB: Well, at the end of the day, Champ Car will be back on the road, and I think it will be good. You know, we already have 16 cars. (Dale) Coyne is going to do 2 cars; I think it’s going to be OK! Actually, we may have around 18 or 19 cars on the grid at Long Beach. I think it’s way too much bad coverage of what’s going on – we do have positive news. Sure – it’s true there may have been a few bad decisions, but there are difficult things and in context it is always easier to see things when you are on the other side. How easy it is to say “you did wrong, you did wrong…”

MO: You were down visiting Bruno testing; have you not done any yet?

SB: NO! It’s just because Bruno, we just have a different planning for testing. (Note: Sebastien was heading down to do testing the following Wednesday and Thursday in Fontana after this interview)

MO: Is that because you have different planning or different car set ups?

SB: It has nothing to do with the cars, we try as much as we can to not drive at the same time; when we do test we try to only put one car on the track at [a] time and to have everybody working, the analyzers try to change the cars as fast as possible to concentrate on the whole team and the single car.

MO: So, where have you been testing, Laguna?? My favorite track?

SB: No, Fontana.

MO: You are testing on an Oval?

SB: No! There is an infield there, a small track, it’s actually very demanding on the car.

MO: I’ve never seen it!

SB: That’s because it’s REALLY small! It’s a kind of simulation for a street course. It’s good, actually.

MO: So, I see the Golden Arches on your shirt. Is McDonalds your new sponsor?

SB: Yes, McDonalds is a new multi-year sponsor commitment to the #2 car at Newman Haas.

MO: THAT is certainly great news! So, have you ever raced here at Sebring?

SB: Yes, in 2000.

MO: What is your favorite part of the track?

SB: I like the fast stuff at the back of the track, after the short one, there is these fast curves, and if you do a mistake you aren’t going to hurt the car.

MO: Why do you think all these drivers keep saying this is such a tough track? You have been on most of THE tracks, including Le Mans.

SB: I don’t know. I think Elkhart Lake is more difficult than this. But here, the biggest difficulty here is the bumpiness and the tightness.

MO: Can you imagine driving your Champ car here??

SB: Of course!! The Champ Car is actually pretty well balanced, it’s pretty good, we go on really rough race tracks like Toronto, that kind of races that are difficult where there is concrete where the car is just jumping; you see what we did in Miami (2003).

MO: I was going to ASK you about that!!

SB: The car was behaving badly! You saw the Porsche with the bumps.

MO: Wasn’t that wild?? The way they left the ground?

SB: We were all not quite jumping that much but…… at the end of the day, our cars could take it and win.

MO: Thank you for interrupting your race watching, Sebastien, go enjoy the show. I will see you in Long Beach!

SB: You are welcome.

RFM would like to thank Kathi Lauterbach of Newman/Haas for arranging this interview, and for Sebastien for interrupting his fun time for us and our readers. Champ Cars will be starting their engines on April 16, 2004 in Long Beach, and RFM will see you there!

Next: Ryan Hunter-Reay of Herdez Competition!