Newsroom
HOME CROWD ADVANTAGE TO SPUR ON DOMINGUEZ
Friday, 19 May 2006
Round three of the Champ Car World Series reaches Monterrey in Mexico this weekend with local favourite Mario Dominguez set to ride a huge wave of support in an attempt to topple series dominator Sebastien Bourdais.
Dominguez, who recorded his first win on the Gold Coast back in 2002, rolls into his home country carrying the momentum of his first career Champ Car pole position last week in Houston.
The Forsythe Championship Racing driver led a career-best 63 laps in Houston after taking pole position before going on to claim third place - the 10th podium finish of his career.
Dominguez currently sits second in the championship standings behind two-time defending series champion Bourdais who was the winner of the first two rounds this year.
The Mexican 30-year-old has fond memories of the Monterrey circuit after making his Champ Car debut there in 2002 and then achieving a podium result in 2004.
“I can’t wait to get to Monterrey,” said Dominguez. “I feel very confident and the morale in the team is very positive.
“We are going to go to Mexico, continue where we left off, and we are going to give all my fellow Mexicans a great show and a great result.”
Bourdais flies into Mexico aiming to continue his record-breaking run in Champ Car. His 47 Champ Car starts since his first season in 2003 have yielded 18 wins, giving the flying Frenchman a winning percentage (38%) that is unmatched in Champ Car history.
The Newman/Haas Racing driver has finished on the podium in more than half of those starts and is the first driver in 23 seasons to defend his Champ Car title with two wins in the following year’s first two events.
He has already built an 18-point lead in his quest to become the first driver in 57 years to win three consecutive Champ Car crowns.
Australian interest will once again be on the performance of the two-car Team Australia outfit featuring Queensland rookie Will Power and Canadian veteran Alex Tagliani.
Power, born and bred in Toowoomba, assumed the lead in the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year standings after two events, following an impressive seventh-place finish in Houston.
“I’m feeling very confident for Monterrey,” said Power. “I am getting use to the Champ Car and what it needs … the more tracks we run, the better it feels.”
“I suffered a bit from a virus during the Houston weekend which zapped a lot of my energy, but I feel rested and I’m ready for a good weekend.”
Team mate Tagliani has displayed a distinct affinity for the Monterrey layout, having scored top-five finishes in previous four trips, including podium results in 2003 and 2005.
The 33-year-old also sits in the top five in the current standings despite a late-race accident in Houston that knocked him out of contention for what would have been his second consecutive podium finish.
“It’s a bummer what happened in Houston,” said Tagliani. “We would have been third in points, but that’s racing.
“Last year we went well in Monterrey … had a podium. I like the track a lot which is probably why I seem to go so well there.”
Round three of the Champ Car World Series in Monterrey will start with qualifying sessions today and tomorrow, and then the 76-lap race on Sunday.
Queensland will host Round 14 of the Champ Car World Series with the Lexmark Indy 300 to be held from October 19 to 22. The annual Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast is a partnership between the Queensland Government and IMG.
Back | Back to top
Dominguez, who recorded his first win on the Gold Coast back in 2002, rolls into his home country carrying the momentum of his first career Champ Car pole position last week in Houston.
The Forsythe Championship Racing driver led a career-best 63 laps in Houston after taking pole position before going on to claim third place - the 10th podium finish of his career.
Dominguez currently sits second in the championship standings behind two-time defending series champion Bourdais who was the winner of the first two rounds this year.
The Mexican 30-year-old has fond memories of the Monterrey circuit after making his Champ Car debut there in 2002 and then achieving a podium result in 2004.
“I can’t wait to get to Monterrey,” said Dominguez. “I feel very confident and the morale in the team is very positive.
“We are going to go to Mexico, continue where we left off, and we are going to give all my fellow Mexicans a great show and a great result.”
Bourdais flies into Mexico aiming to continue his record-breaking run in Champ Car. His 47 Champ Car starts since his first season in 2003 have yielded 18 wins, giving the flying Frenchman a winning percentage (38%) that is unmatched in Champ Car history.
The Newman/Haas Racing driver has finished on the podium in more than half of those starts and is the first driver in 23 seasons to defend his Champ Car title with two wins in the following year’s first two events.
He has already built an 18-point lead in his quest to become the first driver in 57 years to win three consecutive Champ Car crowns.
Australian interest will once again be on the performance of the two-car Team Australia outfit featuring Queensland rookie Will Power and Canadian veteran Alex Tagliani.
Power, born and bred in Toowoomba, assumed the lead in the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year standings after two events, following an impressive seventh-place finish in Houston.
“I’m feeling very confident for Monterrey,” said Power. “I am getting use to the Champ Car and what it needs … the more tracks we run, the better it feels.”
“I suffered a bit from a virus during the Houston weekend which zapped a lot of my energy, but I feel rested and I’m ready for a good weekend.”
Team mate Tagliani has displayed a distinct affinity for the Monterrey layout, having scored top-five finishes in previous four trips, including podium results in 2003 and 2005.
The 33-year-old also sits in the top five in the current standings despite a late-race accident in Houston that knocked him out of contention for what would have been his second consecutive podium finish.
“It’s a bummer what happened in Houston,” said Tagliani. “We would have been third in points, but that’s racing.
“Last year we went well in Monterrey … had a podium. I like the track a lot which is probably why I seem to go so well there.”
Round three of the Champ Car World Series in Monterrey will start with qualifying sessions today and tomorrow, and then the 76-lap race on Sunday.
Queensland will host Round 14 of the Champ Car World Series with the Lexmark Indy 300 to be held from October 19 to 22. The annual Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast is a partnership between the Queensland Government and IMG.
Back | Back to top
RSS