CHAMPCAR/CART: Sebastien Bourdais raced the Le Mans 1000km

INDIANAPOLIS (November 10, 2003) - Less than one week removed from taking home an armload of hardware from the 2003 CART Champ Car Awards Ceremony, Sebastien Bourdais climbed back in the cockpit as he helped his former Pescarolo Sport squad to earn a berth in next year's 24 hours of Le Mans.

The 2003 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford Rookie of the Year returned to his hometown of Le Mans this past weekend, teaming with Stephane Sarrazin and Franck Lagorce to finish second in a 1000km race that qualified teams for the 2004 edition of the world's most famous sports-car endurance event.

No stranger to the fabled Le Mans circuit, Bourdais stepped back into the LMP900 Pescarolo Courage-Peugeot in which he scored two FIA Sportscar Championship victories in 2002 and helped take the car to runner-up honors in Sunday's race. The finish guarantees the team a spot in next year's 24-hour event, a race that Bourdais finished fourth in during the 2000 season.

Bourdais was a regular with Pescarolo Sport in 2000-02 before coming to the United States with Newman/Haas Racing last season and joining the Champ Car World Series. He took the pole for the first two races of his CART career and would go on to win three races and four poles in his rookie Champ Car season. At last week's awards ceremony, Bourdais not only captured the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year Trophy, but also took home the Greg Moore Legacy Award as well as the Bridgestone Grip on the Season Award.

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