Bourdais wins to clinch 4th straight Champ Car title

Justin Wilson #9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 2nd)
“We had a few problems at the start as well. I let the clutch out. Everything was good. I was just getting a little bit of wheel spin. When I went to shift from first to second, I ended up in neutral. A couple of guys went by me. I was quite frustrated at that point. Then Paul went off at the first corner. You know, it was just a matter of staying calm and not doing anything stupid. This race is always that way. After I think the first yellow, there were three people on the same strategy I was, or two people in front of me. I was running third behind Oriol and Sebastien. I was pretty comfortable with that. We were working out when to save fuel, when to push. Then I was behind Oriol when he hit the wall at turn two. He hit it pretty hard. That allowed me to get on a roll. I got a run on him into turn five. After that, it was just a case of running down Sebastien. The car was working well."

Bruno Junqueira #19 Sonny’s Bar-B-Q Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 3rd) –
“Today we had a very eventful day. I was third behind Sebastien and Justin. My car felt very good in the warm-up, much better than in practice and qualifications. I was very confident. But two hours before the race, my mechanics found an oil leak in the engine. So I had to change the engine in a hurry. We put a fresh engine in the car. The car was ready just two minutes before the start of the race. On the start, because you do the out lap without going full throttle, trying to save fuel on the parade lap, I don’t know, when I went full throttle, I lift the clutch the way I usually do, the car just bogged down and stalled. I was first very lucky that nobody hit me from behind. Then the safety team did a very good job to start me. Then I kept racing. I started the race. I was like 57 seconds behind the leaders and realized I had to save fuel. We were very close on the last three races. That put us in a good position in the championship. The team did a great job today on the pit stop and strategy. My car was very good, very fast, not just today, throughout the whole weekend. I’m enjoying a lot."

Robert Doornbos #14 Team Minardi USA Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 4th) –
“First off, I have to thank all the boys, the whole team, and especially my engineers for their terrific strategy getting me up to the front for a strong finish. I was giving it 110% every lap, and we had good pit stops and it’s a great way to finish the weekend. We had a broken exhaust at the end, so we were definitely down on power, otherwise we could have had another podium. I’m happy to be Rookie of the Year and in the top three in points right now. Our target is second place, and we’ll give it a run in Mexico."

Simon Pagenaud #15 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 5th) –
“We had a very good car. The car was just fantastic all race. Just the race is not as good as it should be, the fuel save mode, because all race, I just save fuel and not push a hundred percent. It was pretty disappointing I would say from a racing point of view. I think we need to work on that for next year to make the race a bit more interesting for the drivers and the fans also. But I was really pleased because we worked really well on that car during the practice and in qualifying. In the race I had a really good car. It was very fun to drive. I was also very pleased to see so much Team Australia flags on the side of the track. I could even see it when driving. It was really nice. It’s great to feel so much support coming here."

Nelson Philippe #34 Juniper Soul Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 6th) –
“Even though the results may not show it, it was probably one of the best races of my career. We were very consistent throughout the entire race and able to post fast lap times. Unfortunately, our strategy didn’t completely pay off for us in the end. I’m quite pleased with the Conquest team results, sixth may not be the best result but we have to be realistic and realize it was my first weekend back. We finished ahead of a lot of guys who have been racing all season, I was able to make some good passes and the team was quite competitive. I am happy overall and I can’t wait to go to Mexico City. The Conquest Racing team has had great results on road courses so I think we will do very well there. Additionally, I want to thank the Juniper family for giving us this opportunity to race this weekend. It was great to show everyone that I’ve still got it and can be competitive."

Alex Tagliani #8 PBS Equities Rocketsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 7th) –
“It was a very good team effort. All weekend long we were working towards making a better car, and it was good in the race. We still lacked a little bit of overall grip in the slow corners, that is why we’re behind a little bit in terms of our competitors. But in general we had a good race. A couple of guys in front of us did an alternate strategy and got very lucky finishing on fumes, but if that hadn’t happened then we could have definitely finished in the top five. Considering all the events that happened this weekend, I think it was a very good effort from everyone in the Rocketsports Racing team."

Neel Jani #21 Red Bull-Gulfstream Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 8th) –
“I think it was the most difficult race this year for me so far, we had a very good call from the team at the end, with not changing tires just taking fuel, it definitely got me the top-10 spot. But otherwise I was struggling with the car quite a lot, I was unable to maintain straight away speed, so other drivers were able to over take me very easily. I had a fantastic start, fifth at the first corner, so I was happy but then throughout the race I had some problems, so eighth is where I started and where I finished, so it’s not bad."

Paul Tracy #3 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 9th) –
“I made a good start, got off the line well, and then got squeezed in the first corner by Servia. We touched just a little bit and I spun and that put us at the back, so we basically had to get on a different strategy. We did that and were able to get back towards the front, lead a little bit, try to make the strategy work. We just needed half a lap more of yellow and it never came. The yellows were all falling our way in the beginning and the strategy was working well. We were maybe in a position to win the race. We were going to try to go for it, just try to run. We thought we could make it around maybe two-thirds of the last lap, but it ran out coming onto the front straightaway on the white flag lap, so I came into the pits and by the time I got into the pits I had run out of fuel in the pit box and it wouldn’t start again. It’s disappointing, but we were up there, we made something happen. We made good out of a bad start. The team is working really hard and we’re getting back to where we should be finishing up on podiums. We just need some good luck."

David Martinez #7 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 10th) –
“I’m really happy, it was a difficult race but all the hard work I did over the weekend really paid off. It was a complicated weekend but I never stopped pushing and during the race I found myself racing for position against drivers that have a huge amount of experience and at a pace very close to Paul Tracy so I’m very satisfied with my performance. It’s only my second race in Champ Car and my first this year and I achieved another top ten, we have two top tens in two start in this series and I think that speaks very highly of the consistency and speed that we have. The problem in the pits with Will Power was just a racing incident, his team told him to go just as I was coming in and we touched. I feel bad because this was a very important race for him but his team made a mistake and I’m just glad that my car wasn’t damaged. I leave from this weekend with a lot of enthusiasm, I would’ve liked to qualify farther ahead but it was a very good race and I have a lot of confidence for Mexico. I think I will be able to give my fellow countrymen a great result."

Graham Rahal #2 Medi | Zone Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 11th) –
“The Medi | Zone car was good but (Nelson) Philippe hit us pretty early on and that put us in the back and we went a lap down because of the stop. It was tough but we started to make up some positions when people started to fall out but of course when we need a yellow it doesn’t come. Early on there were a ton of yellows and I was expecting that was the way it would continue to be but it didn’t happen once we had our issues. That’s how it goes but the car was quick."

Mario Dominguez #28 PCM Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 12th) –
“It was a great experience to be back with PCM. The TECATE car was really fast and the Bridgestone tires were very consistent. It was very unfortunate we had the wing break because we had a strong car and we could have easily secured a top-five finish. On the other hand, the positive side is that the car was very strong all weekend and I think we are going to arrive in Mexico City with a very fast car. I learned a lot and I expect us to run up front in the TECATE car in Mexico City."

Alex Figge #29 PCM Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 13th) –
“I am a bit disappointed in our result but we had a good pace and it is unfortunate we had problems with my brakes at the end. We ran strong in the race and I was feeling confident and enjoying the race. I think I was running a bit aggressive when the brakes went, I probably should have backed off a bit at that point. I feel like we took a step forward this weekend. It’s a tough place here and coming in as a rookie with a rookie race engineer is tough, but we made a lot of developments throughout the weekend. My stops were great and my guys have done a great job all year there. I am really excited to get to Mexico City."

Oriol Servia #22 Pay by Touch / PKV Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 14th) –
“I am just very pleased with the whole weekend performance, I did one little mistake which unfortunately happened in the race and in Surfers Paradise you pay for a little mistake like that. I didn’t think it was that bad but a couple of corners later I realized it was, the toe link had broken so I had to basically stop and lost 3 laps. It was just unfortunate for the whole team considering I had just jumped into the car this weekend. The team was really outstanding and I think we all deserved the win that we were capable of. I am obviously disappointed but when you make a mistake pushing as hard as I was, and the whole team was, you know things can happen, they can happen to the best, you have to play with the limits. It was just encouraging the speed we had all weekend and I found the team had improved in many areas, the way they operated, the way everything worked. Definitely PKV is a winning team and has the potential to win a championship and I am just happy I gave them a good weekend."

Katherine Legge #11 Dale Coyne Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 15th) –
“I don’t know how he hit me. I gave him enough room to pass me, but the next thing I knew his car was coming over mine. It is a shame that this incident happened because we probably would have had a top 10 finish today if it wasn’t for that. I just feel sorry for the team. They gave me a great car today. I would have loved to stay out there and finish the race, but the damage to the steering couldn’t be repaired. Hopefully we can end the season on a high note in Mexico City like we started the season, with a sixth place finish in Las Vegas."

Will Power #5 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone (Finished 16th) –
“Once again in the first stint we had to pit under yellow. All the cars are compressed. There’s a lot of mayhem in the pit lane. Unfortunately, I got sent out early. Just a simple mistake. The guy left a lollypop and sent into another car, which bent the steering arm, then we’re on the back foot. From that point on, the steering wasn’t straight. The suspension was slightly bent. So the car wasn’t behaving exactly how it should. Then I was trying to charge back through the field, got a run on Katherine Legge. I guess the car stepped out a little bit and grabbed her back wheel and threw me into the wall. A disappointing day. You know, once again, the same as last year, we have the car, had everything in place to win the race, but, you know, just bad luck. These things happen. Feel disappointed for all the fans that came out to watch us today. Feel disappointed for Craig Gore, as well. Unfortunately he couldn’t be here. You know, we’ll lift above it, move on. We’ve got to race in Mexico. Try and win that one."