Champ Car: Will Powers to Vegas victory.

[Rory Phoulorie]

The Champ Car World Series saw its 2007 season open at a new venue, with a new car and a new race winner as Team Australia's Will Power converted pole position into victory in the inaugural Vegas Grand Prix.

Australian born Power, driving for the Derrick Walker/Craig Gore co-owned Team Australia outfit, capped a weekend of �firsts' for the series as he crossed the finish line 16-seconds ahead of Minardi Team USA's rookie Robert Doornbos. In doing so Power became the first Australian to win a Champ Car event and laid to rest some of the fears that the 2007 season would turn into a Sebastien Bourdais benefit.

Although the first race of Champ Cars Panoz �era' was blighted by a small, 17-car grid, several early caution periods and an uncomfortable level of mechanical problems Power proved himself a worthy winner by leading 38 of 68 laps around the new 2.44-mile Vegas strip street circuit.

The inaugural Vegas Grand Prix certainly got started with a bang as outside front row qualifier Paul Tracy wrestled the lead away from Power at the first corner with a brave outside pass whilst behind them, Newman-Haas rookie Graham Rahal saw his Champ Car debut come to an end on the start line when he hit the wall.

Tracy continued to lead during the subsequent caution period and, in a stuttering start to the new season, it wasn't until lap eleven, following another caution period, that Power was able to return the favour and retake the lead with another clean �racing' pass.

When Briton Dan Clarke hit the tyre barriers on lap 14, spoiling a good top six run for the Minardi Team USA driver, fears grew that the race would turn into something of a farce but despite an unusual amount of mechanical problems, including a series of apparently faulty refuelling systems that ruined potential winning runs from Tracy and Dale Coyne Racing's latest recruit Bruno Junqueira, the remainder of the race ran without interruption.

Despite resuming the lead during pitstops, Tracy's bid for victory was basically ended as early as lap 27 when his Forsythe team were unable to get the fuelling rig to connect, forcing the Canadian to make another stop several laps later. Although that effectively put Power in the driving seat for the rest of the afternoon it gave Tracy an opportunity to really hammer the new car and do some important �overtaking research.' On both counts, the new Panoz stood up well, which at least bodes well for the remainder of the season, once the current spare parts shortage and mechanical niggles are sorted.

Following Tracy's slightly delayed final stop, Power resumed the lead for good on lap 55 having also waited through a protracted pit stop window that also saw his former Team Australia stablemate Alex Tagliani and an on-form Junqueira take turns in the lead. While Tracy would go all out guns blazing in the closing laps to fight back and take the final podium position, was able to cruise through the final 13 laps to the chequered flag.

�We had a good car,� stated Power. �It handled well all day. The only issue I had was a really long brake pedal at the end of the race. But we had an 18-second lead, so we just brought it home and brought Derrick Walker his second win since '99. It's his birthday. So a pole and a win, I think that's a pretty good present for him.�

On his Champ Car debut, former Red Bull F1 tester Robert Doornbos took second place, 16-seconds behind Power, for Team Minardi USA after a mature, and above all else, quick drive. While Doornbos was undoubtedly helped by the problems experienced by Tracy, Junqueira, triple defending series champ Sebastien Bourdais and RSPORTS Justin Wilson, the Dutchman has already marked himself out as a regular podium contender.

Tracy completed the podium with Tagliani, PKV Racing rookie Tristan Gommendy and Crash.Net columnist Katherine Legge the only other unlapped finishers. Junqueira took seventh after his final stop was thwarted by fuel rig woes while Pacific Coast debutants Alex Figge and Ryan Dalziel and Tracy's teammate Mario Dominguez were the only other finishers, all three delayed by either mechanical or spin related problems.

Forced to start from a lowly 16th on the grid after his practice dramas, Sebastien Bourdais had a torrid time in the #1 Newman-Haas machine, suffering two front punctures before finally clouting the wall on lap 31 and being forced to retire. Wilson's day ended before then, when gearbox troubles sidelined him on lap 21.

The debut of the new Panoz chassis was not without problems and the teams have just a matter of days to resolve the issues before round two on the streets of Long Beach.

http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~3~id~145974~pid~2.htm

[Rory Phoulorie]

Race results: Las Vegas.


Complete unofficial results from Sunday's inaugural Vegas Grand Prix in Las Vegas.

1. Will Power AUS Team Australia Panoz-Ford 68 laps
2. Robert Doornbos* NED Minardi Team USA Panoz -Ford +16.787secs
3. Paul Tracy CAN Forsythe Racing Panoz -Ford +27.356secs
4. Alex Tagliani CAN RSPORTS Panoz -Ford +48.980secs
5. Tristan Gommendy* FRA PKV Racing Panoz -Ford +1min 10.395secs
6. Katherine Legge GBR Dale Coyne Racing Panoz -Ford +1min 21.260secs
7. Bruno Junqueira BRZ Dale Coyne Racing Panoz -Ford 67 laps
8. Alex Figge* USA Pacific Coast Motorsport Panoz -Ford 63 laps
9. Mario Dominguez MEX Forsythe Racing Panoz -Ford 57 laps
10. Neel Jani* SUI PKV Racing Panoz -Ford 56 laps-Mechanical
11. Ryan Dalziel* GBR Pacific Coast Motorsport Panoz -Ford 52 laps-Running
12. Simon Pagenaud* FRA Team Australia Panoz -Ford 47 laps-Mechanical
13. Sebastien Bourdais FRA Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing Panoz-Ford 30 laps-Accident
14. Justin Wilson GBR RSPORTS Panoz-Ford 20 laps-Gearbox
15. Dan Clarke GBR Minardi Team USA Panoz-Ford 13 laps-Accident
16. Matt Halliday* NZL Conquest Racing Panoz -Ford 3 laps-Mechanical
17. Graham Rahal* USA Newman-Haas-Lanigan Racing Panoz-Ford 1 lap-Accident

[* indicates rookie of the year contender]

http://www.crash.net/news_view~cid~3~id~145973.htm

[Rory Phoulorie]

The results posted above indicate that the Champ Cars are powered by Ford engines. This is how the website where I got the information had it presented.

However, as far as I know, the Champ Cars are powered by Cosworth V8s. Ford used to own Cosworth but sold it off, I believe, during the latter part of 2005 to a group of investors, one of which is a co-owner of the Champ Car series.

The cars should therefore be identified as Panoz-Cosworth.