Motorsports

A race rookie in name only

Sebastien Bourdais has 10 years' experience, but he's a newcomer to Indy.

By JOHN SCHWARB
Published May 27, 2005

INDIANAPOLIS - The rookie tag should almost be an insult to Sebastien Bourdais, yet it has fit so well before that perhaps it's worth having for one more weekend.

In 2003, his first season of Champ Car racing, the Tampa resident who is moving to St. Petersburg won three races, finished fourth in the points standings and claimed rookie of the year honors. Five years before, he was rookie of the year in his native France's Formula 3 championship series.

"He's a very good, very talented driver," Newman/Haas Racing teammate Bruno Junqueira said. "One of the best drivers in the world for sure."

But when you come to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time to enter the Indianapolis 500, even with nearly 10 years of open-wheel experience like Bourdais, you're considered a rookie. His resume earned him a rookie test exemption (a 40-lap driving test in which progressively faster speed marks must be reached), but nothing keeps the R-word away entirely.

Bourdais won't complain. In fact, he understands completely.

"I never did a 500-mile race, never raced on a superspeedway," the 26-year-old said. "You have a lot of things to learn."

That may have showed a bit during qualifications, where Bourdais secured an average 15th spot. But it is hard to believe his race-day talent won't carry over from his home circuit.

Bourdais won the Champ Car season opener at Long Beach, Calif., last month and finished fifth last weekend at the second event in Monterrey, Mexico, a fine start to defending his 2004 points title. In all, he has won 11 Champ Car events in two-plus seasons.

There are differences in the Champ Car and Indy engines and chassis, but they're negligible, especially for talented drivers. What isn't negligible is the schism between the leagues, and Bourdais is outspoken about their often-teased-yet-unfulfilled union.

"I am just so sick of it, Champ Car, IRL (Indy Racing League) and all that, it doesn't make sense any more," he said. "I really wish we would just raise the same banner and forget about this controversy."

Bourdais has seen the excitement when one series' driver takes a shot somewhere else and succeeds, as Nigel Mansell's race in 1993 first piqued his interest in Indianapolis. Mansell, a former Formula One champion and one of the most popular drivers of his era, finished third at Indy in 1993.

Then 14, Bourdais took notice. A visit to the 2003 race sealed the desire to drive at what he calls "a temple of speed."

"When I was growing up, I can't really say I was really aware of it. It was a different culture," he said. "As soon as Mansell made the jump overseas, definitely the attention kept growing. I saw what it was all about, I knew at that point it was one of the biggest races, if not the biggest race anywhere.

"So when I came over in 2003 and saw the crowd ... gosh, it's huge. I think you can't realize it until you get there."

The same can be said for the subtleties of the speedway. That's where Bourdais is finding help in teammate Junqueira, a three-time Indy driver who had a solid fifth-place finish in his 2001 rookie year.

"We talk about the car, the lines," the Brazilian said. "It's very hard (at Indy), you have to be patient."

Doesn't sound like a problem for Bourdais, who moved from Miami to Tampa in 2003 and lives with girlfriend Claire Ragot, a USF hurdler. Call him a rookie if you must, but don't believe the term.

"I can still achieve something nice," he said. "It's a weekend I've been looking forward to the past three years."

[Last modified May 27, 2005, 00:40:18]