2004 Champ Car Champion Sebastien Bourdais nearly didn't win the title last year after a close call during the season finale in Mexico City. This year, he'll wrap things up 'Down Under' just by scoring three points source: paddocktalk.com Like the 2004 event here, McDonald's® driver Sebastien Bourdais will arrive to the 2.795-mile temporary street course in Surfer's Paradise, Australia with a chance to clinch the Champ Car World Series' most prized honor - the Vanderbilt Cup. Also similar to the 2004 season is the fact that the only driver standing in his way is his teammate and pilot of the PacifiCare-sponsored entry. Due to an accident not of his own making, that driver is not Bruno Junqueira but Spaniard Oriol Servia, who has impressed many since joining the team while Junqueira recovers from an accident in the Indy 500 on May 29. Bourdais entered the 2004 weekend with a slimmer margin of 27 points over second place but this year he holds a nearly-insurmountable lead of 67 points (310-243) over Servia with a maximum of 70 left in the two races this season. It's only the second time in Newman/Haas Racing's (NHR) 23-year history that the title fight is between its two drivers. Servia could remain a contender until Mexico City if he earned the maximum of 35 points in Australia (fastest in both qualifying sessions, setting the fastest race lap, leading the event and winning) if Bourdais doesn't earn any points in qualifying, doesn't lead a race lap or set the fastest lap and finished last in the 19 car field (two points) or is 36 points or less in arrears. Although an unlikely scenario, the Surfers Paradise track has a history for unpredictability with 14th different winners in the 14 events held here. "I haven't really thought out a strategy heading into the race in Australia," said Bourdais, who won the 2004 title in the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford title with seven wins and eight poles. "I'm just going to treat it as another race; try to go for it and win. For me the work is done on my side. Setting the fastest time in qualifying on Friday or Saturday is just going to change the time frame of when I clinch because it should take place at some time over the weekend. The McDonald's team is just going to try to win both poles which is what we try to do every weekend. I don't race for championships; I keep in mind that I need to finish each of the races but if I have a winning car I try to get that result. If I don't have a winning car, I just try to get best out of it and hope for a podium. It's a testament to how good Newman/Haas Racing is that they have been able to give me a car that is capable of winning so many times."
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