July 26, 2007 – Team Australia Champ Car star Will Power is determined to bounce back from a disastrous round last weekend in Edmonton, Canada at the San Jose Grand Prix in San Jose, California this weekend.
Power, driver of the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01, was neck and neck with rivals Sebastien Bourdais and Robert Doornbos heading into last weekend's race and even qualified on pole position for the event.
But a manufacturer-default in the steering rack of his car put him out of the event while in contention for the win, giving Bourdais a sizeable jump in the championship standings.
The 2007 Champ Car World Series is still in its middle stages, but Power and the Aussie Vineyards team realise how important it is to stay in championship contention with the likes of three-time champion Bourdais.
This weekend at San Jose, Power and rookie team-mate Simon Pagenaud will be working hard at making the most of Team Australia's strong street circuit set-up as Power looks to earn his third victory for the season and Pagenaud, who now lies an outstanding fifth in the championship, looks for his debut Champ Car podium.
The Frenchman, who won last year's Champ Car Atlantic Championship for Team Australia, has scored three-consecutive fourth places finishes and five top five finishes out of the last six races.
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WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY...
Will Power – "San Jose is a pretty important weekend for us since we lost valuable points, but I'm confident that we'll do well, because the San Jose circuit is one that I really enjoy," said Power. "We are still very much in the championship fight and we need to keep on going and get some more race wins."
Simon Pagenaud – "After the Canadian Triple Crown win, Team Australia is on a great roll and we have good momentum for San Jose," said Pagenaud. "I'm excited to get back to a street course and to get the Aussie Vineyards car back on it as well. Our car has been strong on these circuits, so I feel very confident for the weekend. It will be a tight, tough race and real close on times in qualifying so we will have to work extra hard to have a good set-up, but we will be ready to give the California race fans a good show."
Derrick Walker – "Our previous street race set-up has been fairly effective, so hopefully we can recapture that this weekend," said Walker. "With the point standings, every race counts so rest assured we will get maximum points for San Jose."
Craig Gore – "Team Australia has performed very well on the street circuits this season with Will taking wins at Las Vegas and Toronto," said Gore. "San Jose is another tough, tight street circuit and we all know what the next street circuit is after San Jose – Surfers Paradise. With Sebastien getting the jump on Will in the points as a result of the steering failure at Edmonton it's important we start closing the gap and take every opportunity that presents itself."
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2007 Champ Car World Series Points Standings - After Round 8 of 16
1. #1 Sebastien Bourdais 194
2. #14 Robert Doornbos 174
3. #5 Will Power 169
4. #9 Justin Wilson 165
5. #15 Simon Pagenaud 143
5. #8 Alex Tagliani 134
7. #21 Neel Jani 129
8. #2 Graham Rahal 126
9. #3 Oriol Servia 121
10. #19 Bruno Junqueira 108
2007 Roshfrans Champ Car Rookie of the Year - After Round 8 of 16
1. #14 Robert Doornbos 174
2. #15 Simon Pagenaud 143
3. #21 Neel Jani 129
4. #2 Graham Rahal 126
5. #28 Ryan Dalziel 95
6. #22 Tristan Gommendy 80
7. #29 Alex Figge 50
8. #42 Matt Halliday 18
RACE SCHEDULE
Local San Jose (US Pacific) Times
Practice 1
Friday 27 July 2007
10:15am – 11:30am
Qualifying 1
Friday 27 July 2007
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Practice 2
Saturday 28 July 2007
10:15am – 11:30am
Qualifying 2
Saturday 28 July 2007
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Warm-Up
Sunday 29 July 2007
11:00am – 11:30am
Race
Sunday 29 July 2007
3:00pm – 5:00pm
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UNITED STATES TV SCHEDULE
Sunday 29 July 2007
ESPN2
6:00pm US Eastern
ABOUT SAN JOSE STREET CIRCUIT
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Circuit Type: Temporary Street Circuit
First Champ Car Event: 2005
Track Length: 1.448 miles (2.33 kilometres)
CHAMP CAR RECORD BOOK
Defending Champ Car Race Winner: Sebastien Bourdais
Defending Champ Car Polesitter: Sebastien Bourdais
2006 RESULTS
Will Power – #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia Champ Car
Qualified: Sixth
Finished: Sixth
Simon Pagenaud – #15 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia Champ Car Atlantic
Qualified: Fifth
Finished: Ninth |
