Bourdais on Toronto pole

In a carbon copy of what happened last year, Sebastien Bourdais has taken the first round of his battle with points leader Paul Tracy by snatching pole position from under his now, and if 2004 is to be completely repeated, then Bourdais is odds on for victory.

However, qualifying didn't run smoothly for Bourdais as an error 15 minutes into the session almost cost him dearly. A brush with the wall at Turn 6 saw the Frenchman return to the pits for quick repairs, but thanks to the quick work of his Newman/Haas team, he was out quickly and fighting for pole.

Tracy was inconsolable in second as he lost pole position for his home race for a second year in succession, and to the same driver! The Canadian was the quickest driver out there but was held up by Cristiano Da Matta car on his quickest lap, leaving him to settle for second behind Bourdais.

Britain's Justin Wilson looks set for a strong race after his RuSport team did a great job to transform his car from an ill-handling machine into a possible pole sitter, setting a best time just 0.002 seconds slower than Bourdais to take third on the grid.