Posted by Terry Blount
Surprising stat of the week: Four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais finished ahead of defending Formula One champ Kimi Raikkonen in the F1 season opener.
Bourdais had a respectable debut, running fourth in Australia before an engine failure. He still earned two points for a seventh-place finish (one spot ahead of Raikkonen) after Rubens Barrichello was disqualified.
Helio likes Kristi ... on "Dancing With The Stars"
IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves, the defending "Dancing With The Stars" champ, is picking figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi to win the 2008 spring edition of the TV show. He said he believes the 1992 Olympic gold medalist will benefit from her ice-skating skills.
"Right now, the early favorite is Kristi," Castroneves said. "She has the experience ice skating that might give her an advantage. But remember, it's not only about dancing. It's the whole package."
Castroneves will be a dance competition color analyst as a regular contributor to Entertainment Tonight, watching some of the shows with the DWTS studio audience.
Castroneves recently gave some advice to Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who is paired with Edyta Sliwinska.
"You think your training camp is hard?" Castroneves told Taylor. "But I told him, 'Just have fun and don't be too competitive. Just relax.'
