Racing News: Au revoir Sebastien

Like so many other events this past season in the Champ Car World Series, a significant racing achievement went all but unnoticed this past weekend when the brilliant Sebastien Bourdais recorded his fourth consecutive championship for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing at the Surfer's Paradise Grand Prix in Australia.
A perusal of Canadian sports television networks and of Canada's largest newspapers found only secondary mention of Bourdais' record-setting mark, and this in a market that plays host to three of Champ Car's premier events.
There is still one race left on the Champ Car calendar -- in three weeks in Mexico City -- but for all intents and purposes Surfer's Paradise was the final race that counted for Bourdais, who will move to F-1 and the Toro Rosso team next season.
And the 28-year-old native of Le Mans, France, showed his class right to the end.
"Obviously it's a great challenge that awaits me for next year," Bourdais said. "But so far I'm a Newman-Haas-Lanigan driver, driving that McDonald's car. I'll think about next year when it's time.
"I just couldn't stand myself if I didn't give it all I had until the very end. The team deserve the very best, and we're going to do just that until the very end.
"There's one more race to go before we turn the page of my Champ Car career, and we'll just give it our very best again in Mexico City.
"You realize how much has come to you and how much you've achieved with these guys, and you get a sense that it's coming to an end very closely now."
The void he leaves in Champ Car will be all but impossible to fill.

On a personal note, I've met alot of the Champ Car drivers and have watched them at work. Being Canadian, Sebastien has never been one of my favorite drivers, in fact he has been one of those guys that you love to hate. But this year I actually had an opportunity to meet Sebastien and watch him at work. Sebastien is class through and through. He always seemed to make time for the fan, no matter how busy he was. And watching him drive, you realize how truly talented this guy really is, he really is light years ahead of the rest of the field.

So thanks for the memories Sebastien, even when I was cursing your name, I had to admire your style. You are the cream of the crop, and you presence will be missed. Good luck in F1, you certainly earned your chance to shine at the big show...

Story courtesy of http://www.torontosun.com, pictures courtesy of http://www.champcarworldseries.com