Will Powers To Pole Position
The Sunday Age
Sunday October 22, 2006
TOOWOOMBA driver Will Power's weekend got better yesterday when he claimed the first pole position of his Champ Car career and the first for his Queensland-backed Team Australia for today's Lexmark 300.
Power, a 25-year-old in his first full season in the US open wheeler racing category, is the the first Australian to do so in a Champ Car (or equivalent series) race since Geoff Brabham took pole at Riverside, in California, in August 1981. Power was barely six months old then, and he is the first Australian to achieve the feat in the 16-year-history of this race at Surfers Paradise.Champ Car champion-elect Sebastian Bourdais, who needs to finish only ninth today to take his third title in row, crashed heavily in yesterday's one-hour qualifying run, but will share the front row with Power. The other Australian in the field, Ryan Briscoe, will start from 11th in the 17-car field."I feel awesome. It's just great for Team Australia to do this in Australia with an Australian driver. I could not have hoped for anything better. We did a long run in practice, the car and the balance was consistent, and I think we can maintain good speed during the race," Power said."The car is good but now we have to look to tomorrow and have a good race strategy. We could have gone faster."
© 2006 The Sunday Age
