ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Sebastien Bourdais is no stranger to IndyCar or to St. Petersburg.
Bourdais, a native of Le Mans, France, lived in St. Pete from 2003–2007, during which time he raced in the Champ Car World Series, now IndyCar, where he won four consecutive championships.
Now Bourdais is back in IndyCar and back in St. Pete—a sort of flashback and also the start of a new future for the 32-year-old Frenchman.
Between practice sessions on Friday, the returning champion described the changes, the differences, and the difficulties of starting over in the extremely competitive IndyCar series.
Bourdais said that being back in St. Pete felt “a little strange—it’s been about 3 years since I have lived here. We brought our daughter so she could see where she was born.”
Bourdais won four consecutive championships, 2004–2007, and 31 races, while driving for the Newman-Haas Champ Car team.
Despite his successes in Champ Car, he has never won at St. Pete. Bourdais finished 11th in his first race here, in 2003, and the race was off the schedule after that until 2008.
The track has changed a lot since he last raced here, according to Bourdais. “It’s a lot wider in places than it used to be,” he said. “Last time I was here the track was slippery, but now it’s pretty bumpy.”
Bourdais, a native of Le Mans, France, lived in St. Pete from 2003–2007, during which time he raced in the Champ Car World Series, now IndyCar, where he won four consecutive championships.
Now Bourdais is back in IndyCar and back in St. Pete—a sort of flashback and also the start of a new future for the 32-year-old Frenchman.
Between practice sessions on Friday, the returning champion described the changes, the differences, and the difficulties of starting over in the extremely competitive IndyCar series.
Bourdais said that being back in St. Pete felt “a little strange—it’s been about 3 years since I have lived here. We brought our daughter so she could see where she was born.”
Bourdais won four consecutive championships, 2004–2007, and 31 races, while driving for the Newman-Haas Champ Car team.
Despite his successes in Champ Car, he has never won at St. Pete. Bourdais finished 11th in his first race here, in 2003, and the race was off the schedule after that until 2008.
The track has changed a lot since he last raced here, according to Bourdais. “It’s a lot wider in places than it used to be,” he said. “Last time I was here the track was slippery, but now it’s pretty bumpy.”
The cars have changed a lot, too. “These cars have 100 less horsepower and less downforce than the Champ Cars. You could really push a Champ Car around this track,” Bourdais explained. “I’m having to relearn to drive again.”
After conquering Champ Car, Bourdais moved on to Formula One and sportscar racing. After a year-and-a-half with F1 team Toro Rosso, Bourdais and the team parted ways.
“I haven’t been on this track since 2003, but I’m very confident in what we can do this weekend.”
After conquering Champ Car, Bourdais moved on to Formula One and sportscar racing. After a year-and-a-half with F1 team Toro Rosso, Bourdais and the team parted ways.
At the same time, Bourdais drove for the factory Peugeot team at Le Mans, earning a pair of second-place finishes in the world’s most important endurance race.
Now the former champion is back in an IndyCar, driving for Dale Coyne Racing, and back in St. Pete, driving in the 2011 IndyCar season opener, the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.
Bourdais signed with Dale Coyne after a successful test at Barber Motorsports Park in mid-March. With only a few days of preparation, Sebastien’s return has offered some challenges.
“We are still trying to figure some things out, as our team came together at the eleventh hour,” said Bourdais.“I haven’t been on this track since 2003, but I’m very confident in what we can do this weekend.”
The 2011 IndyCar St. Petersburg Grand Prix starts at 12:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 28. Tickets are available through the St. Pete GP website.
The race will be televised on ABC.
