FIVE PAST WINNERS NIKON INDY 300 BOUND

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What do Michael Andretti, Dario Franchitti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Bruno Junqueira and Jimmy Vasser have in common? They are among the 16 drivers who have won Indy car races on the Gold Coast of Australia, and they will all be returning Down Under for the Nikon Indy 300, October 23-26.

Although the official and complete Nikon Indy 300 IndyCar Series entry=list will not be released by the category's management until the two weeks preceding the Event, the IndyCar Series has confirmed the above names will return to Australia both as drivers and team-owners this October.

While not all will return to the driver's seat, each has their own s=ecial tale to tell of their experiences on the Streets of Surfers Paradise.

‘It was one of my best wins because it's a very special track,’ =aid Dale Coyne Racing's Junqueira, who won in 2004.

‘It's very difficult to drive there. In 2002 and 2003, I was so =lose to winning the races, but because of changing weather and yellows, I didn't win even though I led the race.

‘In 2004, it was really nice. It was a big fight between me and Se=astien (Bourdais) and Paul Tracy, as well. I put some really fast laps in and pulled away from them. It felt fantastic, especially because I was fighting for the championship with Sebastien, and that kept it close going into the last race.’

Junquiera's victory came one year after Hunter-Reay earned his first=career victory during his 2003 rookie campaign.

‘It was an amazing day,’ recalled Hunter-Reay.

‘That race usually has something that throws everyone a big curvebal=, which is great, because it's great for the fans. We had a lot of rain, we even had a stoppage for hail. We had a half-race dry at the end. We were the first car to go to slicks (tires), and it paid off for us. To win there was awesome. I was able to hold them off and win.’

It was also an amazing day for Franchitti when he won in 1999, winning=from the pole to take the season points lead from Juan Pablo Montoya with one race to go.

‘I think it was one of my best ever drives there in '99, the quali=ying and race,’ said Franchitti, who will make his return to the IndyCar Series with Target Chip Ganassi Racing at the event.

‘Australia is a fantastic race. The way they go about there before=the race, the atmosphere ˜ from the very first time I went down there in '97 I've always loved it.’

While Junqueira, Hunter-Reay and Franchitti will return to the 2.795=mile street course and attempt to become two-time winners, Andretti and Vasser, now co-owners of Andretti Green Racing and KV Racing Technology, respectively, hope to lead their teams to Victory Lane.

Andretti earned his Australian win in 1994.

‘That may well be my biggest win personally that I had,’ said Andr=tti.

‘I was coming off a difficult year in Formula One, and we came back =nd won our first race back. It was also (team owner) Chip Ganassi's first win and Reynard's first win in Indy cars, which kept a streak alive that they had at that point with new cars, so it was a very, very big win for me.

‘There were some difficult conditions, it rained a little bit, and I=sort of hit the wall at one point. From then, I just hung on. At the end, it started to get dark because it was such a long race and I could barely see.

‘The last two laps I had to count the braking markers to stop, becau=e I couldn't read the numbers, so it was a little hairy there at the end. At that point, I remember Emerson (Fittipaldi) was catching me, too. It was pretty crazy.’

Vasser, who won in 1996, retains a souvenir from his victorious day in=Australia.

‘It was one of only a few races in my career that I won from pole,’=said Vasser.

‘It's one of those rare races where everything went right. I rem=mber that I hit a cone and it got wedged up behind my helmet in the roll hoop, and I was running around with this cone stuck in my car. They took it out on my last pit stop, and I still have the cone in my office.’

With 96 hours of non-stop excitement over October 23-26 as the Gold Co=st comes alive to the sound of the IndyCars burning up the track and Australia's own V8 Supercars scorching around one of the most famous beach-side cities in the world, the event is the hottest ticket in town.

Tickets are now on sale for the Nikon Indy 300 with ticket options to =uit everyone's needs. Four day Grandstand passes are available for those who prefer to watch the racing from the comfort of their own reserved seat or for those who prefer to wander around and soak up the atmosphere then a four day, weekend or single day General Admission pass might be more their style. For more information on ticket options go to indy.com.au. For information on Corporate Hospitality packages please call the Nikon Indy 300 Sales Team on (07) 5588 6800.