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SCOTT PETERSEN
Journal Sports Writer
EDMONTON
If there ever was a time for a lead-foot to walk off the streets and beat Sebastien Bourdais on a racetrack, Monday morning may have been it.
The two-time defending Champ Car champion was coming off his first defeat of the year in Portland the night before. By no means is a third-place finish mentally defeating, but it did stop his four-wins-in-four-events season sweep and prove him human.
Tack on delays in his air travel to Edmonton, add some minor tasks for him to complete, and he didn't hit the sack until 3 a.m. That meant just three hours of sleep before the local media tried to wear him down with more than a dozen radio and TV interviews.
Bourdais downplayed the effect once he finally got to the City Centre Airport. But the gathered challengers liked their chances better in the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix's Go-Kart Challenge against a weary human than a revved-up driver some of the world's best couldn't touch.
So would this be the day Bourdais embarrassingly met his match from the media? With a slight shrug of the shoulders and a stifled laugh, he said: "I don't know. You can try. That's the thing about racing, you can always try.
"Obviously I'd be pretty surprised if I get nipped, but well see."
The challenge had been laid down as a warmup for the Grand Prix race July 21-23.
Bourdais had already snaked his way away from the action to change out of his loafers, blazer and stylish pants and into his racing suit and what resembled wrestling shoes. Someone who looked like an accountant had transformed into an open wheel driver.
Lowering himself into the seat of the 30-horsepower, 125 CC, two-stroke racing go-kart, he turned it on and was gone. Weaving in and out of the small track laid out in a northern section of the airport, he got the most out of the vehicle to set a time of 15.72 seconds.
Bourdais's only advice: Let the kart slide a little, but not too much.
He specializes in being vague.
As each media member and race sponsor took their turn and fell short, it looked like Bourdais would be victor. Then it was my shot at bragging rights.
The kart hovers barely above the ground—much higher than the 3/8 inch Bourdais is used to, much lower than the foot or two I'm used to. The motor vibrates through the seat and whines with the touch of the gas pedal as I snake through my two practice laps. Both are oddly somewhat intimidating.
Then the green flag drops for the final lap and so does the gas pedal to the floor. Things are going smooth through the straightaway, first turn and tiny switchbacks. Then, disaster strikes when I hit the brakes too much and slide right onto the speed bumps laid out as track markers on the final, sweeping turn.
Applause breaks out from the onlookers. I have successfully beached a go-kart. It takes nearly a minute to dislodge me, but I'm given another pity lap to make a time. It goes a bit slower, but much smoother, to clock 18.75 seconds.
In the awards presentation, I'm handed a small children's toy and told I should probably stick to other sports. It draws laughter and at the same time is very true.
I may have more speeding tickets than Bourdais (four-to-two) in my life, but he is truly the faster driver.
Still, in any future stories I tell, that Monday will simply be known as the day I recovered from a big wreck to lose to one of the world's best drivers by just three seconds.
It'll be quite a story.
spetersen@thejournal.canwest.com
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