Race Date April 15, 2007 * Long Beach Street Course * Long Beach, California
Pos Driver # Team Lap Time Mph km/h Leader Previous
1 S. Bourdais 1 Newman/Haas 1:07.546 104.889 168.802
2 W. Power 5 Team Australia 1:07.695 104.658 168.430 0.149
3 S. Pagenaud 15 Team Australia 1:07.883 104.368 167.964 0.337 0.188
4 A. Tagliani 8 RSPORTS 1:08.047 104.116 167.558 0.501 0.164
5 G. Rahal 2 Newman/Haas 1:08.170 103.928 167.255 0.624 0.123
6 R. Doornbos 14 Minardi 1:08.183 103.909 167.225 0.637 0.013
7 J. Wilson 9 RSPORTS 1:08.200 103.883 167.183 0.654 0.017
8 B. Junqueira 19 Dale Coyne 1:08.430 103.534 166.621 0.884 0.230
9 T. Gommendy 22 PKV Racing 1:08.527 103.387 166.385 0.981 0.097
10 M. Dominguez 7 Forsythe 1:08.554 103.346 166.319 1.008 0.027
11 P. Tracy 3 Forsythe 1:08.573 103.318 166.274 1.027 0.019
12 N. Jani 21 PKV Racing 1:08.609 103.263 166.185 1.063 0.036
13 M. Halliday 42 Conquest 1:08.864 102.881 165.571 1.318 0.255
14 D. Clarke 4 Minardi 1:08.890 102.842 165.508 1.344 0.026
15 O. Servia 3X Forsythe 1:08.922 102.794 165.430 1.376 0.032
16 R. Dalziel 28 Pacific Coast 1:09.070 102.574 165.076 1.524 0.148
17 A. Figge 29 Pacific Coast 1:09.151 102.454 164.883 1.605 0.081
18 K. Legge 11 Dale Coyne 1:09.766 101.551 163.430 2.220 0.615
FAST FACTS:
Long Beach Grand Prix Notes:
The timed event will begin at 1:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. Eastern) and can be seen live on NBC.
Overpowering the Competition – In the season opening Vegas Grand Prix sophomore driver Will Power made history becoming the first Australian to win a race and lead the Champ Car points standings. In Saturday qualifying Power claimed the pole position and went on to lead a total of 38 laps.
At home on the Pacific - Carpinteria, California-based Pacific Coast Motorsports made its first start in Champ Car’s premiere series in Las Vegas, with rookie drivers Ryan Dalziel and Alex Figge. The squad brings vast experience to Champ Car, having competed in Champ Car Atlantic, American LeMans Series and in the Rolex Grand American Road Racing Series in the last four years. Currently, it is the only West Coast based team in Champ Car.
Roar by the Shore – This year Champ Car will be celebrating their 24th trip to the streets of Long Beach, California. First ran in 1977, Long Beach Grand Prix is currently the single largest event held in Long Beach, California. Over the years it has transitioned from Formula 5000 to Formula 1 to finally a Champ Car race.
Local driving force – Engine provider for the Champ Car World Series Cosworth Racing is located in Torrance, California which is about fifteen miles outside the Long Beach area. Almost the engineers that work on Champ Car engines call the area home, so every Champ Car on the grid this weekend will be carrying Californian Cosworth Power.
Long Beach Ace – Paul Tracy’s name has graced the Long Beach Grand Prix several times during his illustrious career. In 1993 he recorded his first of thirty career wins on the streets of Long Beach. Over the years the Canadian veteran has picked up a total of four victories, two poles, and a total of 256 laps led.
Championship Foreteller? – Out of the twenty three years that the Champ Car World Series has headlined at the Long Beach Grand Prix, ten victors have gone on to also win the series title. In fact in three out of the last four years the Long Beach Grand Prix winner went on to take the championship.
Racing and More - The Toyota Grand Prix of Long beach is a week-long festival both on and off the track. During the weekend there will be a number of events going on to keep the crowds rolling in. Some of the items include: the Face of Champ Car competition, concerts by Enanitos Verdes and Taking Back Sunday, a street party and charity fund raising events.
F1 Link – Both coming from Formula 1 backgrounds Robert Doornbos and Nigel Mansell now have another commonality regarding their Champ Car careers; Both finished on the podium in their first Champ Car races. Doornbos was second last weekend in Las Vegas and Nigel Mansell won in Surfers Paradise Australia in 1993.
Ladder Climbers – The 2007 Champ Car rookie class is filled with talent from the Champ Car Atlantic Championship. Those who have moved up the ranks and will be making their Champ Car debuts this weekend include: Ryan Dalziel, Alex Figge, Graham Rahal and 2006 Atlantic Champion Simon Pagenaud; who combine for fourteen wins and twelve pole positions in the Champ Car support series.
Quadruple Titles? - Sebastien Bourdais has the rare opportunity to win four consecutive championships this year if he can again capture the Vanderbilt Cup, which would extend the title skein he began in 2004. Bourdais would be making history as no Champ Car driver has ever won four straight championships. Four in a row is very rare in professional sports in fact it has never been done in either NASCAR or NFL and it hasn’t been done in the last twenty years in the NBA, NHL or MLB.
Repositioning Rivalry - Rivals for the Champ Car Atlantic Champion title, Simon Pagenaud and runner-up Graham Rahal look to continue their battle in the Champ Car World Series, only this time they will be dueling for the Roshfrans Rookie-of-the-Year title. In last year’s Atlantic Championship, the two battled for the title up to the last race, but Pagenaud won the title by 16 points in the end.
Carrying on the legacy –Rookie Graham Rahal will carry on the family name in Champ Car competition as the son of three-time Champ Car Champion Bobby Rahal joins Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing for the 2007 season. Last year in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship the young Rahal set the mark as the youngest-ever winner in Atlantic history when he won from the pole in Monterrey, Mexico at age 17. Overall Rahal scored five wins, was the runner-up in the point standings, led 129 laps and won four pole positions.
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