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5:52 PM Fri 21 October, 2011
Source: BigPond Sport
THE only man to win the Gold Coast Indy race twice, Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais today proved that he could very well create even more history at this weekendÕs ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600.
Signed to drive alongside Jamie Whincup this weekend, the four-time Champ Car champion proved to be the class of the international co-drivers in todayÕs opening day of practice while the two-time V8 Supercars champ set the fastest overall time for the day.
If Bourdais can snare a race win this weekend, he will be the first man in history to win in both Indycars and V8 Supercars on the streets of Surfers Paradise.
Bourdais won the Gold Coast Indy race in 2005 and 2007.
He was a whopping 0.69s faster than TeamVodafone teammate-for-the-weekend Andy Priaulx after two sessions that were solely for the use of the visiting drivers, making he and Whincup instant favourites for this weekendÕs pair of 102-lap races.
A total of four, 40-minute sessions were held today, with Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon pilot Mark Winterbottom fastest in the first from Whincup and V8 Supercars Championship leader Craig Lowndes.
Bourdais topped both co-driver-only sessions, setting a 1m12.4089s lap that eclipsed even WinterbottomÕs fastest time from the first session, before Whincup scorched around in 1m12.0546s to head the fourth and final practice with the quickest lap of the day.
He headed Lowndes, Trading Post FPR Falcon driver Will Davison, Lucky 7 RacingÕs Tim Slade and SP Tools driver Shane van Gisbergen.
Just 0.97s covered the top 21 cars, with 22nd-placed Rick Kelly only competing a handful of laps in Practice 4 due to a broken rocker arm in his Jack DanielÕs CommodoreÕs engine.
The cars will return to the track tomorrow for qualifying at 9.35am local time (10.35 AEDT), the Top 10 Shootout at 10.50am (11.50am AEDT) and Race 21 of the championship starting at 1.30pm (2.30pm AEDT).
