Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Bourdais prefers safe route to podium

Friday, April 8, 2005 | 9:20 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Sebastien Bourdais started last year's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on the front row, but quickly found himself in third place after eventual race winner Paul Tracy made a risky move going into Turn 1 on the first green-flag lap and assumed the lead. Bourdais remained in third for the majority of the race and finished on the podium behind Tracy and Newman/Haas Racing teammate Bruno Junqueira.

No problem, Bourdais said as he prepared for Sunday's Champ Car World Series season opener on the streets of Long Beach. The reigning series champion said it is important to weigh risk versus reward -- especially in the first race of the season.

"You cannot win the championship by being hard on the first race or winning it, but you definitely can lose it," Bourdais said. "If you don't finish the first races of the season, you put yourself out of contention very fast.

"A championship is very long and if you're not consistent -- always there at the finish, it doesn't really matter where you are as long as you're in the top-five -- you take yourself out of contention. For sure, a podium finish in Long Beach (last year) was plenty satisfying for me."

Bourdais certainly has a point. Tracy won the season opener a year ago but struggled to a fourth-place points finish in defense of his first championship. Bourdais, on the other hand, was the model of consistency last season, winning a series-high seven races and finishing in the top five in 11 of 14 races.

That said, Bourdais did acknowledge the importance of starting the season on a positive note.

"It's always important to start the season in good shape," Bourdais said. "Last year, the McDonald's team came to Long Beach definitely having (winning) the championship on our mind but we had to deal with new rules on race strategy and we knew we were going to play it safe with both Bruno and I on the front row."

NEWMAN VS. LENO: Champ Car team owner and Academy Award-winning actor Paul Newman will take on Jay Leno in a go-kart race during Newman's appearance tonight on NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Newman has been a co-owner of the Newman/Haas Racing team, which fields cars for reigning series champion Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira, since 1983.

DE FERRAN TO F1: The BAR-Honda Formula One team has hired two-time CART champion and 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran as its sporting director.

De Ferran, who retired from driving at the end of the 2003 season, will start in his new role immediately and has resigned his position as commentator on the ABC Sports and ESPN telecasts of Indy Racing League events.

"The intention was for me to be a part of the broadcast team through the Indy 500," de Ferran said in a prepared statement. "Unfortunately, the more the matter was discussed, it became clear that some may view serving those two roles at the same time as a conflict of interest. Although I know that I could have maintained my objectivity in the TV booth, I agreed with ABC and ESPN that it was best to avoid such a situation.

"I am quite disappointed not to be able to work with all my TV colleagues one last time. It would have been a perfect farewell."

INDY 500 ENTRIES: As of Wednesday afternoon, the Indy Racing League had received 59 car entries for next month's Indianapolis 500. Entries had to be postmarked by midnight Wednesday and series officials were expecting additional entries to arrive in the next week.

A total of 28 drivers were listed among the entries, including past Indy 500 winners Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002), Buddy Lazier (1996) and defending champion Buddy Rice.

The 89th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for May 29. Practice begins May 10 for all drivers.

WALLACE ON NEWMAN: NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Rusty Wallace said his much-publicized feud with Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman is not beyond repair.

In fact, Wallace said during a national teleconference this week that his problem isn't so much with Newman as it is with Newman's crew chief, Matt Borland.

"You know, if (Newman) comes over and talks to me, I'd be happy to tell him anything I can," Wallace said. "On the other hand, I went over the other day to talk to the crew chief about things, and he refused to tell me anything.

"I really think that relationship (with Newman) will come around, but I really don't have a problem -- believe it or not, the more I look at it -- with the driver; the problem seems to be with the confidentiality problem with the crew chief, but we'll work that out."

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: Las Vegas native Kyle Busch, who is profiled in the current edition of "People" magazine, is scheduled to appear with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Brian Vickers as presenters at Monday night's nationally televised Country Music Television Awards.

MOTOCROSS AT LVMS: More than 3,000 riders from at least 40 states and nine foreign countries will converge on the motocross track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next week for the 34th annual World Mini Grand Prix.

Races will be contested in 38 classes for amateur and semi-pro riders from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with the championship runoffs being held Sunday. Additional information can be found at www.nmamx.com.