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Team Australia Begins Championship Charge In Las Vegas |
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Tuesday, 03 April 2007 |
Team Australia drivers Will Power and Simon Pagenaud begin their championship charge in the 2007 Champ Car World Series on the streets of Las Vegas in Nevada, United States this weekend.
Power served his Champ Car apprenticeship with distinction last season, finishing sixth in the championship and winning the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year title in his first full season in Champ Car.
Like Power, Team Australia has come on in leaps and bounds. 2007 is the Aussie Vineyards squad’s third season in the Champ Car World Series and it’s best chance yet for race wins and championship success. Team Australia has set a strong pace in pre-season testing in its pair of new DP01 Champ Cars, the new car bringing a more level playing field to the category for 2007.
Toowoomba-born Power came on strong over the second half of the 2006
season, picking up his first pole position at his home event on the
streets of Surfers Paradise, Australia as well as grabbing his maiden
podium finish at the season finale in Mexico City.
That form has continued in pre-season testing, with Power setting the
fastest time in official testing at the MSR Houston circuit in February
and then scoring the second fastest behind defending series champion
Sebastien Bourdais in Spring Training at Laguna Seca in March.
With 16 Champ Car starts under his belt the 26-year-old is ready to
make the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 a regular podium
contender as he challenges for his and Team Australia’s first Champ Car
win and, ultimately, a crack at the 2007 Champ Car World Series crown.
One of the early favourites to succeed Power’s thrown as the Roshfrans
Rookie of the Year is his new Team Australia team-mate, Simon Pagenaud.
The reigning Champ Car Atlantic Champion will suit up in the #15 Aussie
Vineyards Team Australia DP01 this season and the Frenchman has already
impressed in pre-season testing.
The 22-year-old not only possess the speed to run with the established
stars of Champ Car, but also drives with maturity beyond his years, a
trait that will serve him well this season over the course of the
16-round championship.
Both Team Australia drivers are based in Indianapolis close to the
team’s workshop and have maintained a gruelling training regime over
the off-season to ensure peak physical condition for this early part of
the championship. The first three races of the season are on
consecutive weekends and each is on a demanding street circuit, making
it a challenging start to season 2007.
Team Australia prides itself on the professional appearance of its race
cars. This season the new green and gold Aussie Vineyards DP01 Champ
Cars are decked out in Sherwin William’s Planet Color Paint and are the
early favourites to defend the team’s Sherwin Williams Best Presented
Car Award.
The opening round of the season in Las Vegas also marks an exciting
time for Aussie Vineyards as US sales continue to grow and the
company’s Au range enjoys status as the official wine of the Champ Car
World Series.
WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY …
Will Power – #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01
“We have done all the work necessary to be competitive this year, so I am really looking forward to Las Vegas,” said Power.
“The team has worked really hard in the off-season and I’m in good
form. I have a season under my belt and understand the cars well. I’m
ready to get back to racing.
“I just can’t wait to get started, we have been waiting a long time.
The key this year is to minimise mistakes and to get as many points as
we can and go for the championship.
“My expectations are to qualify in the top five and hopefully win races
and bring Team Australia a championship at the end of the year.”
Simon Pagenaud – #15 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01
“Obviously I’m really excited about going to Las Vegas and doing my
first race in Champ Car there, it’s going to be a huge event,” said
Pagenaud.
“Champ Car has been doing a great job in promoting the race. On the
race side I’m really excited again because the car is so enjoyable to
drive and I just look forward to being there and doing my first
practice session, learning step by step and performing as well as I can.
“This will be my first long race with pit stops, so it won’t be easy, every mile I do I will learn more.
“After the first three races on street courses we can start to push a
little bit more and have a great year with the team with the goal of
rookie of the year and to win some races in mind.”
Derrick Walker – Team Australia Co-Owner
“I think the Las Vegas race, per say being in the streets of Las Vegas,
and what that represents on a Easter weekend, holiday weekend for our
season opener is a great place to have our first event,” said Walker.
“With the promoter we have in Las Vegas, I think it’s going to be one
of the best promoted races we go to all year. It’s a great start to the
season.
“Regarding the team, I would say we are as we well prepared as we have
ever been, given it is a new season starting and also, it’s a brand new
car and lot of work that’s had to be done in a short period of time, to
not only try and learn this car, but find out any weaknesses it might
have.
“Of course, to bring on another rookie driver to the team has been
another winter project that I think overall has gone rather well.
“Going into the race we are as prepared as the time has allowed us, but I’m pretty happy going into the season.”
Craig Gore – Team Australia Co-Owner
“After a couple of years of really cutting our teeth in the Champ Car
World Series, I think Team Australia is set to go to the next level,”
said Gore.
“Derrick Walker has done a fantastic job continually motivating the
team and there is no doubt that the new DP01 chassis and Will Power
having a full year’s experience under his belt will help close the gap
between us and Newman-Haas.
“The exciting thing for us is that we have now launched the Aussie
Vineyards product in the US and the wine is receiving some tremendous
compliments.
“We used Champ Car to launch the brand over a 12-month period and now
we have stock on the shelves that we can sell. In fact, we have the
wine in a range of outlets across Las Vegas this weekend.
“Team Australia is about the promotion of Australian businesses and
products in the massive US market place and we have led the way and
have shown what can be achieved with the Aussie Vineyards wine.
“We are hoping that our on-track results will match the growing in-store sales we are continually achieving with our wine.
“I am sure Will Power will do Australia proud this season and really
take it to defending champion Sebastien Bourdais. I am also confident
that Simon Pagenaud will reward us with the faith we have shown in him.
“It would be amazing if we could get to the Lexmark Indy 300 on the
streets of the Gold Coast in October and be in a position where we are
fighting for the championship, or better still, be in a position to win
it.
“We are proud to be taking Australian talent like Will Power and
Australian brands and companies to the world through the fantastic
marketing tool of motorsport.”
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