Bourdais quote misleading

Sebastien Bourdais stated on a SPEEDTV.com interview Sunday that the increase in speed of the new Champ Car was largely as a result of the repaving that was done to the Mazda Raceway circuit last year. This repaving was done prior to Toyota's attempt to break the track record last August, so that record also would have benefited from the improved surface. In other words the Champ Car went faster on the same surface.

Others we talked to thought the increase in speed for the new Champ Car was more a result of the shorter wheelbase (car turns better in tight corners) and higher underbody downforce rather than the new surface.