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CHAMP CAR: Bourdais’ Century in Portland
Written by: David Phillips
SPEEDtv.com   http://www.speedtv.com
06/09/2007
Portland, Ore.
 
At Portland, both Bourdais and his N/H/L team demonstrated the form that has carried driver and team to greatness. (LAT photo) » More Photos


Mario and Michael Andretti. Cristiano da Matta. Christian Fittipaldi. Bruno Junqueira. Nigel Mansell. Oriol Servia. Paul Tracy. Sebastien Bourdais. They've all won Champ Car races for the team now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. All in all, they'd won a total of 99 races heading into the Mazda Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland. Not many times, however, did they win in more impressive fashion than today's 100th victory, one that saw Bourdais first erase a 20-second deficit to early leader Justin Wilson, then romp to a 13.5sec margin of victory – his 26th since joining NHLR in 2003.

" I don't think I made (history)," he modestly observed. "I think I just participated in the history of that team. It's obviously a fantastic organization with three great team owners. Mike (Lanigan) is a new addition to the team, but I think he's going to be the future of it. It's very important….

"It feels even sweeter since the whole thing changed with the new car," he added. "Everybody was pointing fingers saying, 'Newman/Haas has a big advantage.' (This) kind of shuts up all the rumors saying we had the best equipment.

"We've got the best team. We've got the best combination. It's not only the driver, but for sure the team and the mechanics, the whole nine yards. That's how you win. You don't win with a solo effort. You win with a great group of people."

However credit is assigned, Bourdais and NHLR were a devastating combination today. So too were Justin Wilson and RSPORTS, at least for the first 30 laps. At the drop of the green flag – make that when the lights went out on Champ Car's first ever standing start – Wilson and front row mate Robert Doornbos set off in unison with seventh qualifier Will Power living up to his name, scorching past the
third and second rows to slot into third by the time the cars arrived at the Festival Chicane.
There Wilson outbraved Doornbos into the tight right hander, and that appeared to be that.
Champ Car's first-ever standing start went off well, if better for some than others. (LAT photo) » More Photos

"I thought I had a better start than Justin," said Doornbos. "I proved it because I was alongside him. Then I just got a bit too excited with a miss-shift so the advantage was gone.



Catch up on the latest in Champ Car racing each month in RACER. David Phillips catches up with Derrick Walker on the transformation of his Team Australia into a title contender in our July issue, on sale now.


"But all credit to Justin. He braked late. You don't win or lose the race in the first turn. Yeah, it was quite clean. I came out second. Then I immediately felt that definitely the red (Bridgestone alternate) tires were not working for my car, struggling with oversteer. Just saw the gap growing and growing. Very frustrating moment. Justin was just cruising away."

"Like Robert said, the start went well," Wilson said. "He got a slightly better getaway off the line. I got a little too much wheelspin. I was just watching him alongside. When he braked, I braked. Made it pretty simple. I was on the inside. Got through. First stint was working really well. Just cruising really. Very comfortable with the car. It felt really nice to drive."

Unable to stay with the fleeing Wilson, Doornbos consolidated second from Power, Bourdais, Tagliani, Tristan Gommendy, Dan Clarke and Graham Rahal. By Lap 13 Wilson had extended his lead to 10 seconds. Ten laps later, Tagliani outbraked Bourdais into the Festival Chicane to commandeer fourth and it looked for all the world as though the Frenchman would be lucky to make the podium.

But appearances can be deceiving.
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