Bourdais pre race notes Iowa
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS
18 TEAM SEALMASTER – DALE COYNE RACING WITH VASSER-SULLIVAN
HONDA/DALLARA/FIRESTONE
Iowa Corn 300 – Iowa Speedway – July 7-8, 2018
Sebastien Bourdais Summary:
Sebastien Bourdais will pilot the No. 18 Team SealMaster – Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser-Sullivan entry this weekend in the Iowa Corn 300 on the 0.894-mile Iowa Speedway oval in Newton, IA. Bourdais is coming off a 13th place finish two weeks ago at Road America. He is ninth in the championship standings with 235 points. Bourdais has finished in the top-10 four times (three in the top-five) with a win at St. Petersburg, a fourth-place finish in the INDYCAR GP and a fifth at Barber Motorsports Park (eighth in Texas).
Sebastien Bourdais quotes:
“We have qualified very well this year including the ovals and the car has been strong in the races, so I am pretty happy about that. However, Iowa’s track is trickier, especially with the lower level of downforce we will use this year and what is expected to be a hot weather race. We, unfortunately, didn’t get an opportunity to test unlike half of the field, so we won’t know what we have until we unload the car and get to it, but I count on my SealMaster crew to give me another very competitive car. At this point in the season, I’m just looking to have a good result and see how things play out. We’ll just need to keep working hard and hopefully catch a break.”
| Career Statistics | |||
| Seasons | 13 | Top-Five | 74 |
| Career Starts | 181 | Top-10 | 107 |
| Wins | 37 | Poles | 34 |
| Podiums | 55 | Laps Led | 2,639 |
| 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Statistics | |||
| Starts | 10 | Top-10 | 4 |
| Wins | 1 | Poles | 1 |
| Podiums | 1 | Laps Led | 108 |
| Top-Five | 3 | ||
| 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Results | |||
| St. Petersburg S/F | 14/1 | Indianapolis 500 S/F | 5/28 |
| Phoenix S/F | 1/13 | Detroit Race 1 | 17/13 |
| Long Beach S/F | 9/13 | Detroit Race 2 | 16/21 |
| Barber S/F | 3/5 | Texas | 5/8 |
| IndyCar GP S/F | ¾ | Road America | 6/13 |
| Iowa Statistics | |||
| Number of Starts | 4 | ||
| 2016 Q/S//F | 16/16/8 | 2013 Q/S/F | 22/19/14 |
| 2015 Q/S/F | 24/24/9 | Best Finish | 8th 2016 |
| 2014 Q/S/F | 6/6/19 | Best Start | 6th 2014 |
Fast Facts:
- Bourdais is contesting his 13th Verizon IndyCar Series season, third with Dale Coyne Racing and first with Dale Coyne Racing w/ Vasser-Sullivan.
- The 2018 Iowa Corn 300 will be Bourdais’ 182nd Verizon IndyCar Series start, 38th on an oval and fifth at Iowa Speedway.
- In four previous races at Iowa Bourdais has a best starting position of sixth in 2014 and a best finish of eighth in 2016.
- In 181 career IndyCar starts, Bourdais has won 37 races (sixth all-time) and captured 34 pole positions (seventh all-time).
- Of Bourdais’ 37 career oval starts, 29 have come in the last six years (28 in last five years).
- Bourdais has made 30 IndyCar oval starts (includes 2005 Indy 500) with a best qualifying effort of first (pole) at Phoenix in 2018. Phoenix was his first pole since Mid-Ohio in 2014 and first on an oval since 2006 when he captured the pole at Milwaukee (previous high was fourth at Fontana in 2013). His best finish is a victory at Milwaukee in 2015. It was his first oval win since 2006 also at Milwaukee.
- Bourdais made seven oval starts in Champ Car earning four victories: Lausitz, 2003; Las Vegas in 2004 and 2005; Milwaukee 2006 and capturing three poles: Lausitz, 2003; Las Vegas 2005 and Milwaukee in 2006.
- Bourdais is the only driver to win four consecutive IndyCar championships (2004 – 2007).
- Bourdais, 39, is a native of Le Mans, France but resides in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Next Race and Broadcast Times:
Round 11 of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series, will be the Iowa Corn 300, July 8, on the Iowa Raceway 1-mile oval in Newton, IA. The race will be broadcast live on NBCSN at 2:00 p.m. ET. It is also available on radio: XM 209 and IMS IndyCar Radio as well as online: IndyCar.com and Verizon IndyCar 15 app.