August 30, 2007 – Team Australia will have one last chance to shine before it's home event on the streets of Surfers Paradise as Will Power and Simon Pagenaud compete in the Bavaria Champ Car Grand Prix at the Assen circuit in Holland this weekend.
Power had strong car speed in the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 at Zolder last weekend, qualifying on the front row of the grid and finishing fourth.
This weekend Power is eager to post a podium finish, seeking to overtake Robert Doornbos and reclaim second in the championship standings before his home race, the Lexmark Indy 300 on October 18-21, which is the next race on the schedule after Assen.
Pagenaud is one of the few drivers in this weekend's field with previous racing experience at the Assen TT Circuit, which is more renowned for motorcycle racing that open-wheel motorsport.
The Frenchman scored victory at the Dutch circuit back in 2003 in Formula Renault competition, beating the likes of Lewis Hamilton on his way to the win.
Pagenaud will now be out to revisit the Assen podium as he seeks to earn his first Champ Car podium result in the #15 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 after five top five finishes already this season, his rookie year in Champ Car after winning last year's Atlantic title with Team Australia.
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WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY...
Will Power – "I am really looking forward to carrying our speed into Assen," said Power. "The Aussie Vineyards car has been so quick and we had a great, mistake-free race last weekend, I just wish we could have brought back better results, but we can do it this time around. I've never been to this circuit before, but from Simon's experience there and as great as the car has been, I hope to bring Team Australia a podium this time, we are well overdue."
Simon Pagenaud – "We are coming off of some bad luck the past couple of races, but you can't always have bad luck, that will soon go away," said Pagenaud. "We will try to pull all the details together for Assen. It has been a tough rookie season, but all of this is good for next year, because I'm learning a lot by having so much trouble. It's a very nice track, very fast, which should suit our car very well. I really expect to put the Aussie Vineyards car up front again and show the Team Australia colours again."
Derrick Walker – "Our analysis of the race track should suit our cars and drivers very well, so we are cautiously optimistic to be running up front again," said Walker. "Will had the speed at Zolder but missed the podium and Simon had some rotten luck, so we look for a turnaround this weekend in Assen, another new and exciting venue for Champ Car."
Craig Gore – "This is our last race before the Gold Coast event so I'm sure the entire team would love to get a good result on the board in Assen to give us momentum for Surfers Paradise," said Gore "Will closed the gap to second in the championship at the last race and there is no reason he cannot overtake Doornbos at Assen. The team gave Will a great Aussie Vineyards car in Zolder and the aim will be for us to get another front row start this weekend. Simon has experience around Assen so Will and the team will no doubt be speaking with him and learning about the circuit. Simon has been on the Assen podium before so it would be great for him to get his first Champ Car podium in Holland."
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2007 Champ Car World Series Points Standings - After Round 11 of 14
1. #1 Sebastien Bourdais 283
2. #14 Robert Doornbos 230
3. #5 Will Power 221
4. #9 Justin Wilson 211
5. #2 Graham Rahal 196
6. #3 Oriol Servia 189
7. #21 Neel Jani 182
8. #8 Alex Tagliani 174
9. #15 Simon Pagenaud 173
10. #19 Bruno Junqueira 165
2007 Roshfrans Champ Car Rookie of the Year - After Round 11 of 14
1. #14 Robert Doornbos 230
2. #2 Graham Rahal 196
3. #21 Neel Jani 182
4. #15 Simon Pagenaud 173
5. #22 Tristan Gommendy 117
6. #28 Ryan Dalziel 105
7. #29 Alex Figge 72
8. #42 Matt Halliday 18
Phanos European Team Cup Standings
1. Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing 70
2. Team Australia 60.5
3. Rocketsports/RuSport 54
4. Dale Coyne Racing 53
5. Forsythe Championship Racing 51.5
6. PKV Racing 41
7. Minardi Team USA 37
8. Conquest Racing 31
9. Pacific Coast Motorsports 25.5
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UNITED STATES TIMES
US Eastern Times
Practice 1
Friday 31 August 2007
4:05am – 5:20am
Qualifying 1
Friday 31 August 2007
8:00am – 9:00am
Practice 2
Saturday 1 September 2007
4:15am – 5:30am
Qualifying 2
Saturday 1 September 2007
8:00am – 9:00am
Warm-Up
Sunday 2 September 2007
3:00am – 3:30am
Race
Sunday 2 September 2007
7:00am – 9:00am
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UNITED STATES TV SCHEDULE
Sunday 2 September 2007
ESPN Classic
7:00am US Eastern
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ABOUT TT ASSEN CIRCUIT
Location: Assen, Holland
Circuit Type: Permanent Road Course
First Champ Car Event: 2007
Track Length: 2.83 miles (4.554 kilometres) |
