Practice 2: Jourdain again
Team Rahal's Michel Jourdain again set the pace in Champ Car practice at Portland International Raceway. The Mexican's Lola looked flat and stable through PIR's long and technical bends as he achieved a best lap of 59.816s, just edging out Sebastien Bourdais and Paul Tracy.
Track conditions were slightly slower on Saturday morning than they were on Friday due to cool temperatures and occasional sprinkles. The track wasn't truly awash until very late in the session, leading to a handful of spins.
Tracy completed fewer laps than anyone and broke the nose of his Forsythe Lola/Ford when he went straight on into the Turn 5 tyre wall. The Canadian drove the car back to the pits, but he was clearly unhappy with himself.
Bourdais produced the day's biggest improvement. "We didn't test here in April like a lot of others did and I think that hurt us," said Newman/Haas Racing team manager John Tzouanakis. Bruno Junqueira was 11th fastest in the Saturday morning session.
Scattered showers are predicted throughout the afternoon. If the session is wet, Jourdain's Friday time will not be bettered, but the driver who leads today's qualifying will receive a championship point.
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