Engine shortage could keep Bourdais out of 500

Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais wants his Newman/Haas Racing team to enter a car for him in this year's Indianapolis 500. Bourdais, who dominated the 2004 Champ Car season with seven wins in the 14-race schedule, told The Toronto Sun that he has been asking team owners Carl Haas and Paul Newman "for months" to get him in the May 29 race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team already is nearing completion of a deal to enter at least one car — for Bourdais' teammate Bruno Junqueira — at the U.S. Memorial Day classic. Junqueira is a former Indy 500 rookie of the year and has two races at the 2.5-mile oval under his belt.

"I am ready for it," Bourdais said. "But if I never get to race (at Indy), I never get experience." The 25-year-old native of Le Mans, France, said he has been told a plan to get him a car for the Indy 500 is being worked on. "Well, they are trying but whether it's going to happen or not, I'll know in a few days," Bourdais told the Sun while in Toronto to promote the 20th Toronto Molson Indy race on July 10. Bourdais said one of the obstacles is that the team is having trouble getting a Honda engine for a second entry. "We will have to find an engine," he said. "I was told there may be an engine shortage." Toronto Sun