NHLR Race Report: Mexico City

Even though Newman Haas Lanigan Racing took their forth consecutive Champ Car World Series Championship with Sebastien Bourdais in Australia, they did not plan to take it easy in Mexico City as the Frenchman wanted to go out in style as he heads to Formula 1 next season. Although Bourdais did not take the pole position, he did go on to win the race Sunday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City with teammate Graham Rahal finishing forth. Both drivers were limited to only 53 seconds (the rest of the field having a full 75 seconds) of Cosworth’s Power to Pass due to infractions in the morning warm-up during standing start practice.

Four-time series champion Sebastien Bourdais began Sunday’s race in second position and was able to maintain the position through the first of two cautions on the day that was due to three cars stalling on the grid. Bourdais closed the gap to less than a second on pole sitter Will Power on lap 18 and made a pass for the lead on lap 24 in turn one having used Power to Pass for the first time and thus setting the fastest lap so far. Sebastien made his first pitstop on lap 25. His crew got him back on the track in front of Power who had pitted the same lap. Bourdais held the position till the end of the race. After the second round of pitstops, Bourdais held an 11-second lead over the rest of the field until another full-course caution appeared on lap 55 for debris. This in turn bunched up the field putting Bourdais’ 30 seconds of Power to Pass up against Power’s 65 seconds. When the race went green once again, Bourdais had a very nice restart and never looked back taking the last race of the season and probably of his Champ Car career.

“It was a difficult race after being penalized once and then suffering some kind of a weird yellow,” said Bourdais. “You know, we tried to do the best we could to stop the pressure from building around us, but there was just no way out. Everybody was really emotional today, and I was, too. I had to leave a couple of times before jumping in the car. I couldn't hold it. It was really, really strange just to finally realize that it was going to be the last time. When I closed the visor it was all business.”

Graham Rahal began Sunday’s Gran Premio Tecate Champ Car race in seventh position but quickly began moving up through the field. After making his first pit stop on lap 23, Rahal returned to the track in third position. He would hold this position till the restart from the second caution period where Oriol Servia managed to pass him in the closing stages of the race. Finishing forth on the day was good enough for Rahal to close out his rookie Champ Car season fifth in the points standings.

"Overall it was a good day for the Medi Zone team,” said Rahal. “It was good to pass guys and move into the top three. It would have been even better to hold onto third place and end the season on the podium but (Oriol) Servia was on the red Bridgestone alternate tires and I was on the primary ones and he also had more Power to Pass. He closed on me so fast it caught me by surprise. It was impossible to hold him off because he had so much grip. All in all it was good to end the season with a competitive day and run up front most of the race.”

Mexico City concluded the 2007 Champ Car World Series schedule. Drivers, owners, team members, media, and other special guests will convene in Indianapolis on Friday November 16th for the awards ceremony.