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Q & A with Sebastien Bourdais

Fresh from his third consecutive Champ Car race win, Sebastien Bourdais has returned to Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend with Peugeot's new factory effort

His co-driver Stephane Sarrazin put Bourdais' HDi FAP on provisional pole in last night's first qualifying session, and autosport.com caught up with the triple Champ Car champion to hear his thoughts on final qualifying and Peugeot's race prospects.

Q. How has it been going so far?

Sebastien Bourdais: It's going pretty good. Stephane did a great job to get the pole on the last lap, and it was pretty enjoyable to watch and to be a part of. As far as Pedro (Lamy) and I are going it's a little frustrating with the weather conditions to be out of the car for the session. But it's a team effort and whoever gets the job for qualifying is going to be the one who drives the most amount. That's the way it is.

Q. So do you just use these qualifying sessions to prepare for the race?

SB: We haven't done anything. All we have done is the three laps to qualify at night, and the rest of the time Stephane has been doing the work. Then there was the crash and then the rain came, and as soon as it started to dry he was back in the car to chase pole. It was interesting, but obviously when you are not the one to do it you can only sit back and watch.

Q. So does that mean you need to be in the car more tonight?

SB: I don't think I need some laps. I was on the pace in the test after five laps. I know the car enough, I know the track enough. It was the team's decision to put Stephane behind the wheel and I've got no doubts about what he can do. We can all do it, but this is not my programme. I'm not an Le Mans Series driver. Stephane qualified for the first race, Pedro (Lamy) qualified for the second race, so it was Stephane's turn again here. It doesn't come around for me. Obviously I wish I would have been qualifying the car, for me it would be really special, but I have to go with the decision and it is not a problem.

Q. How has it been travelling to and from America in recent weeks?

SB: It's ok. I've got another couple of transatlantic flights in front of me, but I'm pretty lucky that I get to fly business class with Peugeot. I sleep pretty well on the plane so it's not a big deal. It was no problem, I was getting pretty much a full night's sleep.

Q. Do you think that Peugeot are strong enough to challenge Audi throughout the race?

SB: I think that the team is strong enough, and the car is fast enough, but the problem is always the same. This programme is six months old. The car only touched the track in January, and you are trying to beat the best. It's very ambitious, and that is why we are here. If we don't make it, the target is to win the race in '08. It's all a bonus this year, but if we start from the pole and we can win the race this year it would be a pretty big surprise.

Q. How important is this race to you?

SB: As a Frenchman, remember I was born in Tertre Rouge, which has one of the corners named after it, and I grew up in Le Mans, so this is a special race for me. It's always meant something to me. This is my sixth time here, and I've always said that if I'm free to do it I'll do it. It's one of the best races in the world, if not the best.

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