Indy 300 driver preview

There's probably a lucrative scholarship and university thesis involved in trying to sort out the motor-racing fans from the party set at the Gold Coast every October.

But the combination works well with 316,000 fans last year enjoying the high-octane action over four days, on and off the track.

Indy's once a year appearance has its detractors. It's hard to see why. After all, F1 only arrives once a year, too, but the same voices remain quiet.

The Champ cars have the regulation built-for-speed appearance and that throaty, ear-splitting noise necessary to get motor sports pulses racing.

But, without headlights, they're not so flash in the wet, thunderstorm conditions which can engulf the Coast at this time of the year.

As well as praying for safety, the motor sport chaplain Garry Coleman might well be praying for clear skies.

Without wishing to pump up their tyres, it should be noted that Indy officials have an entertaining Champ car program coming up next weekend.

Two-time series winner Sebastien Bourdais of France can be a three-time winner if he takes the chequered flag. But first he has to avoid his arch rival, Canadian Paul Tracy, before he can go on to create some history.

These two bring a simmering feud to each meeting and most of the time it shows. Mind you, Bourdais is not the only driver squarely in Tracy's sights.

His fellow Canadian, Alex Tagliani, who drives for Team Australia, famously crossed swords with him this year, too. Also driving for Team Australia is Will Power, currently seventh in the championship and the leading rookie in the field.

He will be joined this year by another home-grown Aussie, Sydney driver Ryan Briscoe, who will add Champ cars to an impressive and growing list of motor sport achievements when he drives for the American RuSPORT team at the Gold Coast and Mexico events.

Two Aussie drivers will add local interest to a race which tends to suffer in profile by comparison to Australia's V8 Supercars. Also adding interest this year will be the appearance of the English rose, Katherine Legge, the only female racer in the series.

Legge walked away from a high-speed crash at the previous round in Wisconsin just days after coming to Australia to promote the Gold Coast race.

That race was won by A.J.Allmendinger who, technically at least, can stop Bourdais from winning the championship at the Gold Coast. Bourdais won this race last year but Gold Coast Indy has been impossible to win twice. No driver since the first race in 1991 has ever doubled up.

Perhaps it's time for a little bit of history to gladden the heart.