“I can’t wait for the weekend to get started!" the rookie enthused, "I’ve been in Mexico City for almost a week now and we’ve been working really hard promoting the race and making sure that this event is as successful as possible. The buzz and the excitement are definitely building up and I think that we are going to put on a great show for all the Mexican fans. I’m especially excited because Axtel and Tecate have come on board - it’s great to have Mexican sponsors supporting Champ Car again, especially as we’ve just found out that the contract for this race has been extended. We need to keep building momentum so we can get Champ Car back to where it was a few years ago in Mexico.”
Since Mexico City returned to the Champ Car World Series calendar in 2002 - it previously hosted races in 1980 and 1981 - there have been five races and four different winners. Kenny Brack won the 2002 event, with Paul Tracy capturing the race in his championship season of 2003. Bourdais joined three-time champion Rick Mears as the only repeat winners of the event, having won the race in 2004 and last year, with Wilson winning in 2005.
With seven wins to his credit, Bourdais has to be the pre-race favourite, but Wilson has always found the track to his liking. Along with his victory, the Briton has second- and fourth-place finishes in three appearances, and has captured the pole for the past two years, having started third as a rookie in 2004. Tracy also runs well at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but missed last year’s race due to a shoulder injury suffered in an off-track incident.
