Texas: Conquest Racing preview

Still No Time to Rest With only two complete days before hopping on a plane for Fort Worth, Texas, the Conquest team was back at work Monday morning getting ready for this weekend's Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway. This weekend's race will be Conquest's fourth IndyCar Series appearance in Texas. The team first competed at the 1.5-mile oval in 2001 in its second IndyCar Series start. Conquest then raced in Texas twice in 2002 scoring a best finish of 10th with Laurent Redon.

Gaining Momentum
After scoring their best oval start of the season in Milwaukee with Enrique Bernoldi, the team is looking to build on that strong performance in Texas. The Conquest crew has been continuously progressing on ovals this season with its two rookie drivers despite the steep learning curve. Enrique Bernoldi has completed his last two oval races and will be looking to complete his first on a 1.5-mile superspeedway. The rookie is now hoping to pick up his best oval finish of the season. The same goes for Jaime Camara who has started to rebuild his confidence following two hard hits at Indy.

Return to the 1.5-mile Oval Like all the other tracks he has visited this season, this will be Bernoldi's first appearance at Texas Motor Speedway and his third race on a 1.5-mile oval. Round 7 on the 2008 IndyCar Series schedule will also mark the return of Jaime Camara to Texas Motor Speedway. The rookie's last visit was three years ago in the Firestone Indy Lights Series with Sam Schmidt Motorsports where he started third and finished ninth. The IndyCar Series rookie is looking to carry the momentum he gained in Milwaukee after a tough month of May.

Best of Conquest 2008
Conquest scored its best oval starting position of the season with Enrique Bernoldi with an eighth spot on the grid by Enrique Bernoldi in Milwaukee and achieved its best combined effort when they placed both drivers in the top six in Long Beach in April at the Champ Car World Series finale. The team also completed their first Indianapolis 500 this year when Bernoldi took the checkered flag on the lead lap in 15th place. It was the Brazilian's first oval finish of the season.

#34 Jaime Camara Sangari Dallara/Honda/Firestone "I raced at Texas in Firestone Indy Lights in 2005 and I know that it will be a completely different experience aboard an IndyCar Series car but I'm looking forward to it. I really want to build on the momentum that I gained in Milwaukee. I would have liked a better result but after a tough month of May, finishing the race in Milwaukee was a good confidence booster heading to Texas. I want to give the guys an excellent result this weekend, they deserve it so much."

#36 Enrique Bernoldi Sangari Dallara/Honda/Firestone "We're going back to a 1.5-mile oval which is the type of oval that has been the most difficult for me so far with this season. But I have learned a lot in the last couple of races and I'm sure that even if it was on a different type of track it will serve me well and I will be able to continue my progression on ovals. I had a disappointing race in Milwaukee and I want to make up for it in Texas. The team has been doing an amazing job all season and our results don't reflect the hard work that everybody puts in. I'd like to help change that."

Eric Bachelart, owner Conquest Racing "I'm looking forward to some good results this weekend with our two rookie drivers. Texas may not be the easiest track but they have learned a lot in the last few weeks and they continue to progress at each and every race. Don't get me wrong, we are still on a steep learning curve and are still not up there with AGR, Ganassi and Penske on this type of track but improving week in and week out is our main goal. Jaime had difficulty during the month of May but he had a strong race in Milwaukee that really helped him regain his confidence in the car since his two accidents at Indy. As for Enrique, he has been getting better and better and much more comfortable in the car."

-credit: cr