2007 Vegas Grand Prix
The 2007 Vegas Grand Prix was the first round of the 2007 Champ Car World Series Season, held on April 8 on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada.
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 1 of 14 in the 2007 Champ Car season | |
| Date | April 8, 2007 |
| Official name | XI Vegas Grand Prix |
| Location | Vegas Grand Prix Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Course | Temporary street circuit 2.440 mi / 3.927 km |
| Distance | 68 laps 165.920 mi / 267.036 km |
| Weather | Sunny with temperatures reaching up to 91 °F (33 °C); wind speeds approaching 17.1 miles per hour (27.5 km/h)[1] |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Will Power (Team Australia) |
| Time | 1:17.629 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Will Power (Team Australia) |
| Time | 1:19.934 (on lap 44 of 68) |
| Podium | |
| First | Will Power (Team Australia) |
| Second | Robert Doornbos (Minardi Team USA) |
| Third | Paul Tracy (Forsythe Racing) |
Qualifying results Edit
| Pos | Nat | Name | Team | Qual 1 | Qual 2 | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will Power | Team Australia | 1:21.007 | 1:17.629 | 1:17.629 | |
| 2 | Paul Tracy | Forsythe Racing | 1:19.784 | 1:19.625 | 1:19.625* | |
| 3 | Robert Doornbos | Minardi Team USA | 1:20.991 | 1:18.515 | 1:18.515 | |
| 4 | Alex Tagliani | RSPORTS | 1:20.437 | 1:18.850 | 1:18.850 | |
| 5 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Australia | 1:19.998 | 1:18.961 | 1:18.961 | |
| 6 | Bruno Junqueira | Dale Coyne Racing | - | 1:19.102 | 1:19.102 | |
| 7 | Mario Dominguez | Forsythe Racing | 1:22.384 | 1:19.156 | 1:19.156 | |
| 8 | Justin Wilson | RSPORTS | 1:20.310 | 1:19.269 | 1:19.269 | |
| 9 | Neel Jani | PKV Racing | 1:21.618 | 1:19.360 | 1:19.360 | |
| 10 | Graham Rahal | N/H/L Racing | 1:23.307 | 1:19.710 | 1:19.710 | |
| 11 | Tristan Gommendy | PKV Racing | 1:21.565 | 1:19.784 | 1:19.784 | |
| 12 | Dan Clarke | Minardi Team USA | 1:22.123 | 1:19.814 | 1:19.814 | |
| 13 | Katherine Legge | Dale Coyne Racing | 1:22.420 | 1:20.104 | 1:20.104 | |
| 14 | Matt Halliday | Conquest Racing | 13:20.444 | 1:20.122 | 1:20.122 | |
| 15 | Ryan Dalziel | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 1:22.202 | 1:20.128 | 1:20.128 | |
| 16 | Sébastien Bourdais | N/H/L Racing | 1:20.197 | - | 1:20.197 | |
| 17 | Alex Figge | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 1:22.788 | 1:20.313 | 1:20.313 |
- Tracy awarded 2nd on the starting grid for gaining provisional pole position.
Grid Edit
| Row | Inside | Outside | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Will Power | 3 | Paul Tracy |
| 2 | 14 | Robert Doornbos | 8 | Alex Tagliani |
| 3 | 15 | Simon Pagenaud | 19 | Bruno Junqueira |
| 4 | 7 | Mario Dominguez | 9 | Justin Wilson |
| 5 | 21 | Neel Jani | 2 | Graham Rahal |
| 6 | 22 | Tristan Gommendy | 4 | Dan Clarke |
| 7 | 11 | Katherine Legge | 42 | Matt Halliday |
| 8 | 28 | Ryan Dalziel | 1 | Sébastien Bourdais |
| 9 | 29 | Alex Figge | ||
Race Edit
The race was a fresh start for the Champ Car World Series. With a new car (Panoz DP01), new rules, including timed races and staggered starts, new teams like Pacific Coast Motorsports, a different season opener on a new track, and an eventual return to ABC/ESPN later in the year, all were the big stories of the day. The race would be one of survival of the fittest as many drivers were taken out by either crashes or mechanical failures. Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing would not have a good day as 3-time champion Sébastien Bourdais was hampered by numerous tire problems and rookie Graham Rahal was taken out on the first lap. Will Power had the dominant car all day long, only being challenged consistently by Paul Tracy, who many saw as the man to unseat Bourdais as the face of Champ Car. In the end, the race would all come down to fuel mileage. Tracy's car struggled with taking a full load of fuel preventing him from snapping his winless streak. Will Power outlasted the field to take his first career victory, which was also the first Champ Car victory by an Australian, in a dominant fashion.
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Will Power | Team Australia | 68 | 1:45:13.637 | 1 | 34 |
| 2 | 14 | Robert Doornbos | Minardi Team USA | 68 | +16.789 | 3 | 27 |
| 3 | 3 | Paul Tracy | Forsythe Racing | 68 | +27.356 | 2 | 27 |
| 4 | 8 | Alex Tagliani | RSPORTS | 68 | +48.981 | 4 | 24 |
| 5 | 22 | Tristan Gommendy | PKV Racing | 68 | +1:10.396 | 11 | 21 |
| 6 | 11 | Katherine Legge | Dale Coyne Racing | 68 | +1:21.261 | 13 | 20 |
| 7 | 19 | Bruno Junqueira | Dale Coyne Racing | 66 | + 1 Lap | 6 | 18 |
| 8 | 29 | Alex Figge | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 63 | + 5 Laps | 17 | 15 |
| 9 | 7 | Mario Dominguez | Forsythe Racing | 57 | + 11 Laps | 7 | 13 |
| 10 | 21 | Neel Jani | PKV Racing | 56 | Mechanical | 9 | 11 |
| 11 | 28 | Ryan Dalziel | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 52 | + 16 Laps | 15 | 10 |
| 12 | 15 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Australia | 47 | Engine | 5 | 9 |
| 13 | 1 | Sébastien Bourdais | N/H/L Racing | 30 | Accident | 16 | 8 |
| 14 | 9 | Justin Wilson | RSPORTS | 20 | Input shaft | 8 | 7 |
| 15 | 4 | Dan Clarke | Minardi Team USA | 13 | Accident | 12 | 6 |
| 16 | 42 | Matt Halliday | Conquest Racing | 3 | Accident | 14 | 5 |
| 17 | 2 | Graham Rahal | N/H/L Racing | 1 | Accident | 10 | 4 |
Caution flags Edit
Notes Edit
|
|
- New Race Lap Record: Will Power: 1:19.934
- New Race Record: Will Power: 1:45:13.637 (68 Laps)
- This was not only Will Power's first victory, but also the first victory for an Australian in Champ Car.
- The win was also the first for Team Australia owner Derrick Walker since 1999.
Attendance Edit
Attendance at the inaugural 2007 event was estimated to be 40,000 fans on race day. This surpassed the number of seats available on the course's temporary grandstands facilitating an expansion for the 2008 season.[2][3]
Future of the Race Edit
This was the third race for Champ Car in Las Vegas, but the only one held on a downtown street course. Two oval Grands Prix had taken place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: the 2004 Bridgestone 400 and the 2005 Hurricane Relief 400. The planned 2008 race was removed from the calendar due to Champ Car's merge with the Indy Racing League (IRL).
IRL returned to Las Vegas in 2011, however the return was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, rather than to a downtown street course.
References Edit
External links Edit
- Race Box Score
| Previous race: 2006 Gran Premio de México Previous Season | Champ Car World Series 2007 season | Next race: 2007 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach |
| | ||
| Previous race: 2005 Hurricane Relief 400 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) | Champ Car in Las Vegas | Next race: 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship (Las Vegas Motor Speedway; IndyCar Series event) |