Reigning Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais got behind the
wheel of his No. 1 McDonald's® Ford-Cosworth Lola-Bridgestone race car for this
first time since he clinched the title on November 7, 2004 for a two day test on
the short road course at The California Speedway March 3-4
source:
paddocktalk.com
He was joined by his teammate, Bruno Junqueira, for the first day of testing
in what was Junqueira's second test since the conclusion of the 2004 season
where his consistency earned him a second place finish in the standings for the
third consecutive time.
Bourdais was able to run approximately 150 miles on Thursday but Junqueira's one
day test was cut short before the 50-mile mark due to an off track excursion
that damaged suspension on his race car. Bourdais also had an off-track
excursion on Thursday in the same location but was able to continue in his spare
race car. The following day Bourdais ran less than 50 miles due to inclement
weather.
"It was great to get back in the McDonald's car for the first time since
November," said Bourdais who turned 26 on February 28. "I have raced in a buggy
in the desert (SCORE Baja 1000), competed in the Race of Champions in France,
and raced a sports car (Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona) and stock car in Daytona (IROC)
but I have been looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the
McDonald's Champ Car for a long time. The test was mostly to clear the dust off
of everything including myself and the team and we accomplished that. I'm
looking forward to the test in Sebring later this month."
"We found a couple of things that made the car quicker on the course and were
able to set a time that was close to one we set the previous year in similar
conditions," added Junqueira. "I think we made some progress but we won't know
for sure how we stack up against everyone else until we get to Long Beach."
The Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season will
begin on April 10 at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The next test for the
test will be on March 23-24 at Sebring International Raceway with Bourdais
behind the wheel.