Tony Kanaan Keeps Title Hopes Alive With Win
Tony Kanaan kept his hopes for a second IndyCar Series title alive, winning a wild Detroit Indy Grand Prix at the Raceway at Belle Isle.
Kanaan, who claimed his IndyCar Series-best fifth victory this season, stayed on the track while most of the leaders pitted during a late-race caution and was in front when IndyCar Series officials declared the race a timed event rather than its scheduled 90 laps due to the mandated 2 hour, 10 minute time limit for all road/street events.
But as the leaders raced on the next-to-last lap of the 89-lap event, the second-place car of Buddy Rice ran out of fuel, triggering a three-car accident that also involved IndyCar Series title contenders Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Danica Patrick avoided the wreckage to finish a career-best second. Dan Wheldon was third followed by Darren Manning and Kosuke Matsuura. Despite the accident, which dropped Franchitti from fourth to sixth, he ended the day three points ahead of Dixon in the championship standings heading into the season-ending race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Kanaan, 39 points behind his teammate, remains mathematically alive in the championship hunt.
This is Tony Kanaan's fifth win of the season and his 12th career IndyCar Series win. His last win Kentucky last month.
This is Andretti Green Racing's 31st win in the IndyCar Series, the most by any entrant in the IndyCar Series.
Danica Patrick finished a career-best second. Her previous best was third at Texas and Nashville this year. It is also her best road/street course finish. Patrick matches Sarah Fisher's 2001 mark for best finish by a female driver in a major open-wheel event.
This is the second consecutive season that the points lead has changed with two races remaining and then again with one race remaining. This also occurred in 2002.
Darren Manning matched his career-best finish of fourth. He last finished fourth at Pikes Peak in August 2004.
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Justin Wilson Wins In Holland
From the start of the Bavaria Beer Champ Car Grand Prix of Holland, Justin Wilson made it known he would be the man to beat on Sunday, taking the lead in the opening corner and holding off a variety of challengers to earn his first win of the season and the fourth of his career. Wilson led 39 of the 69 laps and jumped two spots in the Series championship standings to second and now sits 58 points behind leader Sebastien Bourdais. Joining Wilson on the podium was Conquest Racing’s Jan Heylen and Dale Coyne Racing’s Bruno Junqueira. Neither driver had an easy trip to the podium, as Heylen started seventh and picked his was through the field on the narrow TT Circuit Assen. The Belgian’s charge through the field combined with quick pit work from his crew led to Conquest Racing’s first podium since Monterrey, Mexico in 2005.
PKV Racing’s Tristan Gommendy and Neel Jani finished fourth and fifth respectively. The finish is a career best for the Frenchman Gommendy. For the Swiss driver Jani, perseverance paid off as he overcame a problem with his Power-to-Pass on lap 22 to earn his fourth top-five finish this season. After starting near the front, rookie Simon Pagenaud fell all the way to 11th in the running order before recovering to finish sixth. His fellow countryman, Bourdais finished right behind in seventh. For Bourdais, the race was a battle from start to finish. After losing the lead in Turn 1, and having his Power-to-Pass malfunction on the same lap, the three-time champion sat fifth in the running order. Following his first pit stop during the second full course caution period, Bourdais dropped another two spots to seventh and then during the final full course yellow, Bourdais stalled on pit lane and rejoined the field in the 16th position. Showing his true form as a Champion, he steadily drove through the field to salvage a seventh place result. Coming home in the eighth spot was Oriol Servia just ahead of America rookie Graham Rahal. Rahal’s top-ten performance along with Bourdais’ seventh place result secured the Phanos Champ Car European Team Cup for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.
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Dan Clarke Reinstated
Champ Car Race Director Tony Cotman has reinstated Dan Clarke for this weekend’s Bavaria Beer Grand Prix of Holland Presented by Audi, Gant, Hertz, Pioneer and Jumbo following his exclusion from the Champ Car event in Zolder, Belgium. “I think Dan has learned a lot in the past week and he is ready to compete again.” said Cotman. “During Dan’s suspension, he showed us what he’s all about. He participated in fan and media activities, helped his team and also came to race control to see how we come to our decisions. I hope he is more aware now, that in racing small mistakes can lead to big consequences.”
Clarke will remain on probation through the rest of the 2007 season. Champ Car suspended Clarke after he caused a four-car incident on the first lap of Friday morning’s practice session in Zolder. The last driver to be suspended from a Champ Car event was Paul Tracy, who was excluded from the 1999 season opener in Homestead. The second-year driver has scored one podium this season, finishing second at Road America in early August. Clarke participated in a media event in Holland on Tuesday, racing “botters,” 19th-Century traditional Dutch sailboats with some of his fellow drivers and the local media.
Helio Castroneves On Belle Isle Pole
Helio Castroneves won his IndyCar Series record seventh pole of the season, claiming the AAMCO Transmissions Pole Award for the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone at The Raceway at Belle Isle. Castroneves, driving the No. 3 Team Penske Dallara/Honda/Firestone, recorded a lap of 1 minute, 12.0688 seconds (103.401 mph) to move from third to first during the Firestone Fast Six session and break Billy Boat's 1998 single-season pole record. Castroneves, whose trademark victory fence climb was born on Belle Isle following his first North American victory in 2000, started from the pole in four of the five street/road courses this season.
Championship contenders Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan also were involved in the 10-minute rally session on the 2.070-mile, 14-turn circuit on Belle Isle. Dixon, the points leader by four over Franchitti, improved from fourth to third (1:12.5830; 102.669). Franchitti (1:12.1430; 103.295) will start second and Kanaan fourth (1:12.8451; 102.299). Ryan Hunter-Reay, making his first appearance in the Firestone Fast Six, will start fifth in the No. 17 Team Ethanol car (1:13.3434; 101.604), while Marco Andretti will join him on Row 3 (1:13.3840; 101.548). Hunter-Reay improved one position in the shootout.
This is Helio Castroneves' seventh pole of the season, setting a series record for most poles in a season. It is the 23rd pole of his IndyCar Series career, extending his series record.
Dario Franchitti qualified second. It is his fourth consecutive front row start.
Helio Castroneves earned the pole on four of the five road/street courses this season. He only failed to win the pole at Infineon last weekend.
Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Ryan Hunter-Reay improved positions in Firestone Fast Six. Four of the six drivers improved their lap times.
Ryan Hunter-Reay qualified fifth, his career-best qualifying effort.
Sam Hornish Jr. qualified in the top 10 for the 31st consecutive race, extending his series record.
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Sebastien Bourdais Rolls To Another Pole
In what is beginning to be a familiar tone for the Champ Car World Series, Sebastien Bourdais will once again lead the field at the start of a race after earning his sixth pole position of the season and the 31st of his career, extending his lead in the Series championship to 54 points and inching closer to securing his fourth straight Champ Car title.
The three-time champion lapped the 2.83-mile circuit in a track record time of 1 minute 18.765 seconds (129.347 mph) after only being able to post the sixth best time in Saturday morning’s practice session. Nearly every driver improved their time from the morning session but none as much as Bourdais, as he bettered his morning lap by nearly two seconds. The French driver will be joined on the front row by Justin Wilson, who earned his starting spot during Friday’s rain soaked qualifying. This marks the third time this season the two have shared the front row.
Tristan Gommendy qualified third and Neel Jani rolls off in the fourth spot followed by Simon Pagenaud, Graham Rahal, Jan Heylen, Will Power, Robert Doornbos and Dan Clarke round out the top ten. Doornbos is looking to thrill his fellow countrymen with a strong run on his “home” track while Clarke is returning from a one-race suspension.
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