jourdain interview

[jv#12]

http://www.presstelegram.com/Stories...081620,00.html

Michael Jourdain Jr: 'Long Beach owes me'
Agonizing end in '03 rankles young race star.


By Keith Lair
Staff writer


Michel Jourdain Jr. stood on the Shoreline Drive sidewalk, tears streaming down his face.

The 2003 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was to be his crowning achievement. The eight-year veteran from Mexico had the fastest qualifying time. He led nearly the entire race, and seemed certain to be on top of the highest step of the victory podium for the first time in his Champ Car history.

But with seven laps remaining, on his final pit stop, a small, defective pin in his gearbox bent. His day was over.

"Long Beach was the biggest heartache of my life, of my career,' Jourdain, 28, recalled. "I had the weekend of my life. I qualified on the pole, led most of the way and had a great car.'

And then on the 83rd of 90 laps, he could not get out of his pit box. He led the most laps of the race, was the quickest all day, yet finished in 15th place.

"What happened last year increased his popularity in Southern California more than if he had won,' Long Beach Grand Prix Association president Jim Michaelian said. "People still remember that picture and have been calling me to find out if he was racing this year.'

It would eventually turn into only a forgettable weekend for Jourdain, who raced for Bobby Rahal last year, but will compete for Rusport in the 30th edition of the event this weekend.

Later-season success proved that. He set a Champ Car record by leading 234 laps en route to his first victory, at the Milwaukee Mile. He then won at Montreal, and finished third in the point standings. He had six podium finishes, five fourths and led more laps than any other driver.

"It helped me,' Jourdain said of that forgettable sunny day in Long Beach. "It helped my career. It showed us our potential and it gave us determination. It showed how hard we could work and not get anything; how tough victory can be.'

In some ways, last year's race was the epitome of his racing career.

He began racing in the series in 1996 when he was 19, then the youngest driver to have competed in the series. He was with under- funded teams until 2002 when he hooked up with Mexican retail giant Gigante as his sponsor, and racing for Rahal, who won three CART driver championships and the 1986 Indianapolis 500.

He seemed to blossom under Rahal's leadership.

But then came another blow. Just a couple of days after the new series' Spring Preview in Long Beach, Rahal was out. Off to the rival Indy Racing League.

"It was, of course, a terrible thing,' Jourdain said. "We were together with Team Rahal fighting for the championship, winning races, being real competitive. Until that time. I was thinking it was going to be the same this year. It was really, really hard, and really sad to see them leave.'

He said he had no idea Rahal wanted to leave. Without a race in Mexico the Champ Car World Series is scheduled to race in Monterrey and Mexico City Jourdain says Gigante likely would have been reluctant to switch to the IRL, and Jourdain says he has no desire to race in an oval-only series.

"This is where I want to be and these are the races I want to win,' he said. "I decided to stay here because this is what I thought was best for me and my career.'

Jourdain says he was first contacted by Rusport owner Carl Russo. On March 26, he climbed into the Rusport Champ Car of A.J. Allmendinger at Sebring, Fla., who was suffering from bursitis, and did five hours of testing. He came to Southern California to fulfill a Ford Focus Midget obligation at Irwindale Speedway the next day, and returned to Sebring on March 28, secure in that he had a ride in 2003, and for more test sessions.

"It was the way it had to happen if I wanted to start the Long Beach Grand Prix,' he said of going to the team, which has yet to race in a Champ Car event.

The first race he attended outside of Mexico was Long Beach. He was 2 and his father was a Super Vee driver, competing in the undercard to the Formula One race. He was back in Long Beach in 1991, watching uncle Bernard finish 20th. And then in '96, racing for Team Scandia, Jourdain was the youngest competitor to have raced Long Beach. He finished 23rd. His best finish has been fifth, in 2002.

"Long Beach owes me one,' he said. "For me, Long Beach has always meant a lot. Last year was a great day. So dropping out made me want to win it even more.'

[Amar7605]

Damn straight, he does have something to prove in LB. Of course, being with a rookie team like Rusport may not help him, but I think that he will win at least 1 race this year.

Go, Michel! We are all with you!