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DAN CLARKE OF MINARDI TEAM USA WINS MOLSON INDY MONTREAL!!!
MONTREAL, QUEBEC CANADA - AUGUST 28, 2011 - Today's running of the Molson Indy Grand Prix of Montreal saw alot of action as the Champ Cars took to the 2 mile road course.
Minardi Team USA's Dan Clarke started the day in 3rd behind polesitter Bruno Junqueira and 2nd place Robert Doornbos. With Clarke, the team had to decide which tire compound they wanted to use first. Per Champ Car rules, every driver has to run atleast five laps on both the black primary and red alternate bridgestone tires. This circuit in Montreal is well known for causing tire wear problems for drivers and teams. So many cars pitted early due to needing a new set of tires. Dan Clarke made his move on lap 16 when Bruno and other drivers came into the pits for tires and fuel. Dan Clarke drove a smart race and took care of his tires to be able to stay on track a handful of laps longer then everyone else. Dan Clarke only gave up the race lead inbetween pit stops for the rest of the race. Today's 80 lap race saw three caution periods and four lead changes among six drivers. Minardi Team USA's second driver Robert Doornbos finished 2nd today, moving him 1 point out of 1st place in the championship standings. Dale Coyne Racing's Bruno Junqueira who sat on pole today finished on the podium in 3rd. This race also saw alot of teams decide to go with an alternate strategy due to a lack of speed, Sheri Plourde and Mario Dominguez both started 15th and 17th and used an alternate pit strategy to gain several spots on track. Both drivers did well and finished the race in the top ten.
Dan Clarke Post Race Comments: "Today went really well for me, We had to make a few adjustments in order to steal the race lead but we did it. All the Minardi guys did a good job with the strategy and I did my job which was taking care of my car and tires. It was really hot and really tough out there. Today was a great day for myself and our team."
MARIO DOMINGUEZ WINS AT ROAD AMERICA IN 75 LAP SHOOT OUT!!!
ROAD AMERICA, ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 21, 2011 - Today's Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America saw alot of twists and turns right from the drop of the green flag. The day begin with three consecutive yellow flags to begin the race. Polesitter Mario Dominguez had a clean day and stayed up front for all but ten laps of the 75 lap race on one of america's most difficult tracks "Road America". On lap 16, Forsythe Racing's James Hinchcliffe was involved in an incident as was Matt Halliday. Several cars went off course but were able to continue. Dale Coyne Racing's Bruno Junqueira had the best race of 2011 placing 2nd today. Lap 30 saw the race's fourth caution when Sigma Autosport driver Clark Davidson struck the turn 5 wall. Lap 30 also kicked off the first of three rounds of pit stops for the drivers. There were some drivers who decided to try and complete the race in two pit stops however most drivers used three stops to make it to the end. On lap 41 Simon Pagenaud and Alex Figge came together while trying to battle side by side which resulted in our fifth caution of the day and both cars being out. For Mario Dominguez, he drove a strong race and overcame alot of on track incidents to come away with the victory. 3rd place finisher Mark Plourde, also had to overcome another accident when he was hit from behind on lap 16. Mark kept the car fired and was able to rejoin the race in 10th and battle back for a podium finish. Today's race also saw a new face driving, long time british driver Franck Perera made his Champ Car debut driving for Dale Coyne Racing as a sub driver for the injured Justin Wilson. Perera, who started last (19th) raced a solid race and came very close to scoring a top ten result, he finished 11th. This race was a rough and very exciting experience for the drivers, teams and the fans. For Mario Dominguez, the victory today was bitter sweet for himself and his PCM team.
ORIOL SERVIA WINS AT MID-OHIO FOR FIRST TIME IN CAREER!!!
LEXINGTON, OHIO - AUGUST 7, 2011 - Oriol Servia knew he had it in him to win on one of the USA's toughest tracks to race on. The Mid-Ohio sportscar course in Lexington, Ohio has been known as one of the hardest tracks for any open wheel driver to compete on. On Sunday, Oriol Servia drove a heart pounding race and passed polesitter Mario Dominguez on lap 6 and from then on never looked back. Servia would go on to lead 59 laps of the 80 lap race enroute to his first win on the 2.25 mile Mid-Ohio road course circuit. Today's race also had some fireworks, On lap 6, Team Australia driver Greg Mansell cut a tire down and crashed in turn 4 ending his day for Derrick Walker's team. On lap 21 Antonio Pizzonia was having a great race running in 2nd place after he passed five cars within the first ten laps, Mark Plourde was running in 3rd and attempted to make a pass on Pizzonia in turn 3, the two cars came together sending Mark off track with front end damage. He would return to racing action but in 17th place, Mark would finish in 7th. Pizzonia was forced to serve a drive through penalty for blocking Mark Plourde from making the pass. Antonio Pizzonia would battle back to a 12th place finish. On lap 29, Forsythe Racing's James Hinchcliffe found the turn 7 wall when he tried to go three wide and was forced off course and into the dirt. There was four lead changes among three drivers today but in the end it was Oriol Servia that drove a clean race home to victory.
TEAM AUSTRALIA'S SIMON PAGENAUD WINS THE MOBIL 1 GRAND PRIX OF MOSPORT!!!
MOSPORT RACEWAY - ONTARIO, CANADA - JULY 31, 2011 - Simon Pagenaud drove an error free race in what turned out to be a very close and fun race at circuit Mosport in Ontario, Canada. This was Champ Car's first ever race at this venue and it was a tough 70 lap event. Polesitter Mario Dominguez was hit right on the first lap by Justin Wilson that dropped Mario right to the back of the field. Seven yellow flags caused every team and driver to save as much fuel as possible to make it to the end with just two pit stops. For Derrick Walker's driver Simon Pagenaud, he balanced racing hard and saving fuel all at the sametime, which ended up taking him to victory lane. Forsythe's Oriol Servia drove from 5th to 2nd and MP Racing's Mark Plourde drove from 11th on the grid to finish 3rd.
For Pacific Coast Motorsport's Mario Dominguez there is no other way to describe his race then being a victim. He qualified the No. 28 Tecate Beer PCM car on pole and was running a good race until turn 7 of lap 1 where he was hit by the #9 car of Justin Wilson. Later on lap 25 Minardi Team USA driver Nelson Philippe was hit by the #42 of Matt Halliday which put Nelson into a tough spot to regain track position. The amount of bumbing and hitting that took place was more then we have seen before. Simon Pagenaud worked hard to stay out front and out of trouble and led the first 18 laps before giving up the lead to Oriol Servia. Pagenaud would retake the lead on lap 26.
ROBERT DOORNBOS WINS 2ND RACE OF 2011 SEASON WITH VICTORY IN THE MOLSON INDY GRAND PRIX!!!
MONT TREMBLANT, QUEBEC CANADA - JUNE 26, 2011 - Today's Molson Indy Grand Prix of Mont Tremblant saw a different sort of race then most have experienced here in the past. Fast cars, the pits being ever so busy and the on track action was intense. Thats the normal Molson Indy races you would see but today, we saw several lead changes among a record 16 drivers, more passing on one track then most may see in a full season. Polesitter Justin Wilson was overtaken for the race lead on the very first corner of the race by Robert Doornbos and that would take us through a series of fun heart pounding events that made up today's Molson Indy of Mont Tremblant presented by Molson Ice.
Robert Doornbos, looking for his 2nd win of 2011 took the race lead on lap 1 but lost it to Simon Pagenaud on lap 4, The lead would swap back and forth a record 16 times over the 66 lap Molson Indy event. Doornbos held his position towards the top of the field for the entire race. He never ran lower then 6th. The Minardi Team USA crew gave Doornbos really fast pit stops that allowed him to stay with the lead pack for the entire race. Doornbos would lead 27 total laps enroute to victory. With the victory Doornbos overtakes Mark Plourde to regain the Championship points lead. He now leads Plourde by five points. 2nd place today was Mario Dominguez who drove from 5th on the grid to his highest finish of 2011 for himself and the PCM team. Dominguez had a fast race car and also led the race for 4 laps inbetween pit stops. 3rd place was Mark Plourde who again scores another top five finish this season. Mark drove through the field and also led the race for 5 total laps. There were two caution periods during the 66 lap race, one coming on lap 23 for debris on the track. The other was on lap 42 when Canadian James Hinchcliffe struck the wall. 18 out of the 19 car field finished the Molson Indy Grand Prix.
TEAM AUSTRALIA'S SIMON PAGENAUD EARNS FIRST VICTORY OF 2011 CHAMP CAR SEASON IN BELGIUM!!!
ZOLDER, BELGIUM - JUNE 12TH, 2011 -
The Champ Cars returned to the twists and turns of the Zolder Belgium circuit this weekend for 56 laps of heart pounding action. Polesitter Justin Wilson led the field of 19 cars to the green flag. The race ran smoothly until lap 14 when the yellow flag was displayed for the first time. Minardi driver Nelson Philippe found the wall and hit hard in turn 6. That event would trigger pit stops to begin. On lap 22, we again had the yellow out for Sigma autosport driver Jan Heylen who blew his engine coming down the back straight. On lap 38 Team Australia driver Simon Pagenaud was into 2nd from his 7th place grid position. Justin wilson would fall back due to his last pit stop and that gave Pagenaud the race lead for good. Simon Pagenaud would go on to win for the very first time in 2011. Mark Plourde places 2nd and will take the championship lead by 5 points, third place was PCM driver Mario Dominguez.
Speaking about his race effort today Simon Pagenaud said, "It was fantastic, very exciting. The car was balanced and really felt great. The race was very smooth and equal and so I had to wait my turn."
DALE COYNE RACING'S JUSTIN WILSON WINS THE CHAMP CAR GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON!!!
HOUSTON, TX - May 15th, 2011 - Today's Champ Car Grand Prix of Houston was very exciting. Alot of on track action was the topic for this one. Justin Wilson started on pole and held the lead all day. Wilson by far was the fastest car on the track and surely had an easy day from the start. Wilson, who not only is a Champ Car star but a former Formula 1 veteran as well. He drove an awesome race flag to flag. Finishing 2nd was Mark Plourde who also drove a strong race. Mark had a disappointing qualifying run and qualified 12th but he quickly made up for that. Mark made four passes in the first five laps. He quickly moved into 8th and hovered just inside the top-10 for much of the race getting as high as 4th before moving into 2nd place on his final pit stop when he took the position from Bernoldi. Finishing 3rd today was Rocketsports driver Enrique Bernoldi, he started 4th and drove a smart race moving up as high as 2nd for part of the race. He fell back to 3rd later on lap 59 when Mark Plourde took that spot away. For Justin Wilson it was a perfect day and with the victory he is rewarded with valuable championship points. Justin did not score any points in the season opening race last month in Mexico. Wilson is now fourth in points with 25.
Commenting on the race Wilson said, "This was a great race. For me it was exciting to get the win and the monkey off my back. We were able to hold onto our position even on the restarts which was key, so we were looking strong at every stage."
MINARDI TEAM USA DRIVER ROBERT DOORNBOS WINS THE TECATE/TELMEX GRAND PRIX OF MEXICO TO OPEN THE 2011 CHAMP CAR SEASON!!!
MONTERREY, MEXICO - APRIL 24TH, 2011 - Today's much anticipated opening race of the 2011 Champ Car World Series season, ending up being a very exciting race that saw alot of action. Minardi Team USA driver Robert Doornbos stole the race lead from polesitter Simon Pagenaud right on the first lap. With the new Champ Car passing rule enforced this weekend, drivers may not pass another driver until they are passed the white "passing line" on track. This made for a closer race coming down into turn 1. That made for alot of action heading into the first corner on this Monterrey, Mexico 2.104 mile road course at Fundidora Park. Alex Figge was part of the three car incident that led to a series of yellow flags to open the race.
Robert Doornbos made his first race of the 2011 Champ Car season a huge success by finishing on the podium with the victory. After having troubles in both 2009 and 2010, Robert wanted to get off on the right foot starting this weekend. Robert had been racing Champ Cars on and off since 2007 so he was No stranger to the challenge of this opening race in Mexico. His #14 Minardi pit crew gave Robert two fast pit stops coming on laps 24 and 46. Besides giving up the race lead inbetween pit stops, he held the race lead for most of the day. Sheri Plourde finished a career high of 2nd today at Monterrey after making several nice passing moves to move her up from her 10th place starting position up into 2nd and on the podium to begin the year. Polesitter Simon Pagenaud managed to secure a 3rd place after dropping one spot to Robert Doornbos on the first corner and later falling to third after he was passed in the pits. Defending series champion Mark Plourde and Sigma Autosports Clark Davidson rounds out the top five drivers today.
ORIOL SERVIA WINS LEXMARK CHAMP CAR 300 AND MARK PLOURDE WINS THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO BRING THE 2010 CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES SEASON TO A CLOSE!!!
Queensland, Australia (Oct. 24, 2010) - The Champ World Series's last race of the 2010 Season was a good one. Polesitter Enrique Bernoldi led the field of 19 cars down into the first corner to kick off the Lexmark Champ Car 300. Right from the start Forsythe Racing's Oriol Servia slided into 3rd behind 2nd place runner Bruno Junqueira. Everyone pitted on lap 23 and Oriol Servia took the race lead on a very fast pit stop by his crew. Bernoldi had a much slower stop and rejoined the race 3rd behind Junqueira and Servia. Oriol Servia would go on to win the race. Champ Car points leader Mark Plourde only needed 1 more point to secure his 3rd championship and did so with a solid 7th place finish. Oriol Servia won back to back races for the first time in his career today. Dale Coyne's Bruno Junqueira turned in a nice race result with 2nd followed by polesitter Enrique Bernoldi in 3rd. Sheri Plourde wrapped up 2nd place in the championship with a good 4th place run today and rounding out the top five was Justin Wilson. The 2010 season provided some very exciting moments and gave fans a good show. Congratulations to Mark Plourde and MP Racing on a great year leading to the championship victory.
FORSYTHE RACING'S ORIOL SERVIA CLAIMS VICTORY IN FIRST EVER CHAMP CAR RACE AT ROAD ATLANTA!!!
BRASELTON, GA (Oct. 3, 2010) - The drivers and Teams of the Champ Car World Series got another opportunity to learn a new track. For the first time the Champ Cars took to the track at Road Atlanta. Polesitter Mario Dominguez didnt last up front when he blew his Ford-Cosworth engine on lap 27. That was when Forsythe Racing's Oriol Servia took over the race lead. Several cars were involved in accidents on track including Oriol's teammate James Hinchcliffe. Sheri Plourde turned in a nice drive for 2nd and kept her 2nd place standing in the championship as well. Bruno Junqueira had a great day finishing 3rd and also led 15 laps in between pit stops. He was followed by points leader Mark Plourde who finished 4th along with Rocketsports driver Enrique Bernoldi in 5th. The 70 lap event Sunday at Road Atlanta was a great race and gave each driver a different challenge.
POST RACE COMMENTS: Oriol Servia - Race Winner
"This is a nice win for us, new track, new place oh yeah it was simply great. I hope we return here next year. This was fun". Servia concluded
MINARDI TEAM USA'S ROBERT DOORNBOS STEALS THE VICTORY IN THE FINAL LAP OF THE GRAND PRIX OF CHINA SUNDAY!!!
ZHUHAI - PROVINCE, CHINA (Sept. 19, 2010) - The Champ Car World Series made the long trip from the USA all the way to China for round #14 of the Champ Car World Series championship. This marked the 2nd year for the Champ Car Grand Prix of China and it was a rocking race. Fans were on their feet for the standing start and it was a fun filled event every step of the way. Polesitter Oriol Servia took the green flag and led 31 of the 70 laps and pretty much had the race in his hands. Many drivers used fuel strategy to gain track position which made it interesting. That allowed 15 lead changes among six drivers over the course of the afternoon. Robert Doornbos of team Minardi who started 3rd, decided not to use an alternate fuel strategy and hung with leaders Oriol Servia and Simon Pagenaud for the whole race. Doornbos was running in 3rd place up until lap 49 where he dove down inside of Simon Pagenaud's car and made a difficult pass heading out of turn 7. Doornbos was then running in 2nd at that point on and had about 5.1 seconds to make up in order to catch leader Oriol Servia. On the final pit stop of the day, Robert Doornbos decided to use the (Red) Bridgestone tires which is the faster compond tire and for the final 10 laps of the race he begin to chip away at Servia's lead. Finally with one lap left Doornbos was right behind leader Oriol Servia and in turn 7 again Robert Doornbos dove inside of the Forsythe Racing machine of Oriol Servia and passed him taking the race lead for the first time all day and holding on to win the China Grand Prix.
DRIVER COMMENTS: Grand Prix of China Race Winner - Robert Doornbos
"It was hot today, very hot and it was hard to keep the pace. The guys did a great job and im so happy to win another one. It's good to win and have fun at the sametime. It was a good experience. These fans were wild today and that was awesome". Concluded Doornbos
CHINA GRAND PRIX
#14 Robert Doornbos
#7 Oriol Servia
#15 Simon Pagenaud
SHERI PLOURDE DOMINATES AT TT CIRCUIT ASSEN AND WINS THE GRAND PRIX OF HOLLAND FOR THE 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR!!!
ASSEN, HOLLAND (Sept. 5, 2010) - MP Racing's Sheri Plourde returned to the track at which she won her very first Champ Car race a year ago here at TT Circuit Assen in Holland. This race seemed as if she had never left. She took the lead on lap 4 after starting 2nd and never looked back after that. Sheri in the #11 MP Racing machine led 61 of the total 70 lap race on Sunday afternoon. Polesitter Justin Wilson only managed to create a 2.2 second gap between himself and Sheri Plourde. On lap 4 Wilson lost the race lead and never took it back. On lap 21 the lead lap cars entered pit road for their first pit stops of the day. #15 Walker Racing driver Simon Pagenaud had a minor pit fire when his fuel probe did not release during his pit stop. Pagenaud ended up finishing 9th as a result. Later on lap 43 rookie driver John Edwards ran into the back of Jan Heylen ending both of there races.
Robert Doornbos of Minardi Team USA went off the race track when he spun heading into turn 9, He would get refired and joined the race back in 11th. He would come back to finish strong in 5th after a short fill on his last pit stop gained him five positions on track. Mark Plourde the current Champ Car series points leader started 5th and was running with the lead pack for all of the race had a decent drive and picked off cars one by one, slowly moving toward the front. Mark reached 2nd with only three laps left and was too far back to catch his wife Sheri who was nearly 12.0 seconds in front of him. Mark Plourde would finish 2nd to continue his strong performance as of late. No one was a match for Sheri Plourde in the #11 car. She drove a smooth race and had a very fast race car the entire day. This marks Sheri Plourde's 3rd Champ Car victory and 2nd in back to back years here in Holland.
DRIVER COMMENTS: Sheri Plourde - Winner Grand Prix of Holland
"I must admit, that was a fun fun race today. I really had a blast out there. This track surface is so smooth and nice to race on that it makes my job as a driver so much easier out there. Mark and the who MP team really helped me with strategy and picking my battles out there today so it was just awesome. The car was fast and my setup and balance was really right on so everything fell into place". Sheri concluded
MINARDI TEAM USA WINS BACK TO BACK RACES AS ROBERT DOORNBOS TAKES THE VICTORY IN THE MOLSON INDY MONTREAL GRAND PRIX SUNDAY!!!
MONTREAL, CANADA (Aug 29, 2010) - The Champ Car World Series has been anxious to return to the Montreal circuit all year and the drivers sure put on a show Sunday afternoon in the 80 lap Molson Indy Grand Prix of Montreal which also marked the last of the Canadian races for the 2010 season. For the second week in a row, Minardi Team USA was the team to beat. Last weekend Dan Clarke won at Road America for Minardi Team USA, Today it was Robert Doornbos who was dominating the field of 19 who took the green flag Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, Bruno Junqueira started on the pole but was spun out from behind when he was hit by Sigma Autosport Driver Clark Davidson and Walker Racing driver Simon Pagenaud. Junqueira was able to get re fired and rejoined the race back in 14th while Davidson and Pagenaud sustained too much damage and were out of the race. From lap 2 on it was 22 year old Sheri Plourde who was in charge of the race as she took the race lead during the first lap series of incidents. On lap 24, the first pit stops of the day began and Robert Doornbos decided to short fill his race car to gain track position. That move helped Doornbos go from 7th into 3rd. On lap 54 the leaders pitted for the final time. Sheri Plourde had a slower pit stop due to a problem with the fuel probe and Sheri fell from 1st to 2nd and was later passed and dropped to 3rd. Robert Doornbos took the race lead away from #7 Oriol Servia on lap 60 and led the final 20 laps to victory.
Driver Comments: Robert Doornbos - Winner Molson Indy Montreal
"It was a great race for myself and the Minardi Team. I was very happy to see that checkered flag. Despite all the on track difficulties and us having to short fill and changing from the red to black tires on that last pit stop. I'm very pleased with the progress of the team and how we have performed as of late". Doornbos concluded
MINARDI TEAM USA'S DAN CLARKE WINS FIRST RACE OF 2010 BY STAYING CLEAN IN WILD RACE AT ROAD AMERICA!!!
ELKHART LAKE, WIS (August 22, 2010) - For many of the Champ Car World Series drivers coming here to Road America was something they already knew was going to be difficult. What they did not expect was this race would turn out to be a survival race. Dan Clarke of Minardi Team USA started todays contest in 4th and was ready for a Sunday drive type of race, Right from the start it was a tough run of on track mishaps. Clarke ended up surviving a variety of on-track accidents and seperate incidents to win his first race of 2010. On lap 2 of the 70 lap event pole sitter Bruno Junqueira struck the turn 2 wall and took Walker Racing driver Greg Mansell right with him. Later on lap 29 a large crash on the back straight involving rookie John Edwards and Jan Heylend really made it tough on drivings trying to make it through that part of the track. Dan Clarke took the race lead on lap 37 from #15 Simon Pagenaud and never gave it up after that. Clarke had great pit work from his Minardi Team USA crew and he drove a spectacular race to victory lane.
DRIVER COMMENTS: Dan Clarke - Race winner, Road America
"Wow that was a very hard race. So much was going on all the time that you needed eyes in back of your head to catch everything. I just want to thank all the guys who helped with this effort today". Clarke concluded
MARIO DOMINGUEZ WINS FIRST RACE OF 2010 BY DRIVING A "CLEAN" RACE IN WHAT WAS A TROUBLE FILLED EVENT SUNDAY IN THE GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND!!!
Portland, OR USA (August 1st, 2010) - Champ Car World Series driver Mario Dominguez took the green flag Sunday in 14th place and its a good thing he did. As the 19 car field came racing at speeds of over 200 Mph down the front straight and towards turn one which is famous here for several large crashes over the years. Polesitter Justin Wilson along with 2nd place Simon Pagenaud and 3rd place Bruno Junqueira all went for the lead heading into turn one and the vestival curves. All three cars made hard contact with eachother causing a large first corner accident that took out all three drivers and two others. As the three cars made contact with eachother Forsythe Racing driver James Hinchcliffe, who was enjoying his first top five qualifying effort of the season in 4th could not slow down in time and hit the rear end of Pagenaud's car. Rocketsports driver Enrique Bernoldi who was running in 5th also made hard contact with the side of Bruno Junqueira's car ending his day as well. Many cars used the run off and pit lane roads to avoid the large five car pile up in turn one. After pit stops and a long clean up, the Champ Cars went back to green flag racing on lap 9 of 70. Mario Dominguez was 3rd behind Oriol Servia and race leader Nelson Philippe. Later in the race Dominguez pitted on lap 49 instead of 56 like the leaders and ended up short filling his car with fuel. That made Dominguez's stop a 5.2 second stop. Once everyone cycled through pit stops, Mario Dominguez was now the race leader. From then on it was a smooth ride for Dominguez to win his first race of 2010 and first for race team Pacific Coast Motorsports.
POST RACE COMMENTS:
"Wow now that was a wild race. We didnt have a clue what to do out there when five cars were all over the place in turn 1. I just want to thank my guys for a great car and great strategy to pit early and then use the short fill to get me the lead. It was a fun and scary day all rolled into one". Dominguez concluded.
MARK PLOURDE'S AGGRESSIVE DRIVING STYLE EARNS HIM FIRST VICTORY OF 2010 SEASON IN THE REXALL GRAND PRIX OF EDMONTON SUNDAY AFTERNOON!!!
EDMONTON, AB, Canada (July 25, 2010) - With an enthusiastic crowd on hand for the 3rd straight race in Canada for the Champ Car World Series, Champ Car drivers did not disappoint the crowd on Sunday. Polesitter Simon Pagenaud led for the first seven laps until Mark Plourde came hard charging towards the front. Mark Plourde made a nice inside pass on Simon Pagenaud heading into turn 5 on lap 8 of the 80 lap contest. The City Centre Airport setup saw several drivers go off course during the race which caused four yellow flags in the 80 lap event. Mark Plourde's rough and tough driving style allowed him to pass cars while being stuck in traffic. By the midway point of the race Mark had nearly put the field a lap down which made for alot of traffic for the leaders to contend with. On lap 32 pit stops started for the lead pack of cars, Mark Plourde along with Simon Pagenaud, Justin Wilson and others pitted for fuel while other drivers tried alternate fuel strategy and stayed out on track. Once pit stops were completed, Plourde retook the race lead on lap 41. From there on it was an easy Sunday drive for the 27 year old. Mark started the day 6th but was able to pass five cars in the first few laps to grab the race lead. For many drivers it was a long and rough race on the tarmac at the City Centre Airport circuit.
With his first victory of 2010, Mark Plourde now takes over the championship points lead with 143 points after nine races into the 2010 Champ Car season. Simon Pagenaud drops to 2nd with 140 points heading into the next race in Portland at PIR raceway.
DRIVER COMMENTS:
"It feels great to finally get that first win of the year out of the way. I think we were better on the Bridgestone red alternate tire rather then the blacks. So i'm very pleased with how we decided to start the race on the reds. I took advantage of the faster tire and was able to get out front early which ended up working our way." Mark concluded
ROCKETSPORTS RACING'S ENRIQUE BERNOLDI AVOIDS TROUBLE FILLED RACE TO CLAIM VICTORY ON THE STREETS OF TORONTO SUNDAY!!!
TORONTO (July 18, 2010) In what turned out to be a very action packed filled race, Rocketsports Racing's Enrique Bernoldi used his old F1 skill set to be able to avoid several on track collisions to take the victory Sunday in the Grand Prix of Toronto on the streets around Exhibition Place. Bernoldi started the day 6th on the grid but with disaster stricking in turn 1 on the opening lap, Enrique moved up into 3rd. On lap 1 Matt Halliday and Greg Mansell made wheel to wheel contact and collected MP Racing driver Sheri Plourde in the accident. That yellow flag quickly changed the fuel strategies. Some drivers decided to pit early while others stayed on the original race fuel strategy by pitting between laps 20- 28 for the first stop and later pitting again between laps 55 - 62 for the final stop. On lap 59 a caution came out for PCM driver Mario Dominguez when he blew his engine coming down the back straight. Bernoldi took the opportinity to come in for his final stop of the day, a short fill on fuel allowed for a 10.4 second pit stop and gained the Rocketsports driver +1 spot moving him up to 2nd. On the restart Bernoldi passed Dale Coyne Racing's Bruno Junqueira for the race lead and never looked back from then on. This was also the first victory for the Rocketsports team on the streets of Toronto.
SHERI PLOURDE BECOMES FIRST EVER FEMALE TO WIN A CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES RACE BY TAKING THE WIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE MOLSON INDY MONT-TREMBLANT!!!
MONT-TREMBLANT, QC CANADA June 27, 2010 - The Molson Indy Sunday wont really showcase the fine driving of young female star Sheri Plourde. On Saturday afternoon in Champ Car's final qualifying session she posted a blistering lap time of 40.21 which placed her on the pole for today's race. She drove a spectacular race and went wheel to wheel with some of the top drivers in the series such as Justin Wilson, Enrique Bernoldi and her husband Mark Plourde. Sheri has been putting up some very competitive racing stats as of recently and it showed on Sunday. Sheri one year ago was on pole here at Mont-Tremblant but was passed with two laps to go and came in 2nd. This is clearly a track she enjoys racing on and was sure of one thing today, she would not make the same mistake two years in a row. On lap 13 Sheri had already built a nice 14 second lead on 2nd place Justin Wilson and for most of the afternoon she held a 10 + second advantage on every driver in the field. 2nd place Justin Wilson with 6 laps left was able to cut the lead down to only 5.0 seconds but was unable to get any closer then that. Sheri led 69 of the 80 total laps in todays race and went on to score not only her first victory but a very impressive one at that!
DRIVER COMMENTS: Sheri Plourde - Winner of the Molson Indy Mont-Tremblant
"wow, all I can say is wow. The team really gave me a great car this weekend and I just had a blast driving it. I love this track, it's so smooth and fun to drive on so it was great". Sheri said
SIMON PAGENAUD STEALS VICTORY FROM SHERI PLOURDE TO WIN THIRD RACE OF 2010 SEASON!!!
LEXINGTON, OHIO (MID-OHIO June 20, 2010) - In what was a stellar race for young Champ Car star Sheri Plourde, things took a wild turn with 4 laps ramaining in the Champ Car 250 Sunday when current Champ Car points leader Simon Pagenaud drove into the dirt in turn 9 and made a spectacular move to pass Sheri for the race lead and went on to win the first Champ Car World Series race here since the series returned this season to the historic race circuit at the Mid-Ohio. Simon was in 3rd for mostly the entire race and kept building speed throughout the race as the tires wore on and fuel loads became lighter. On lap 71 he moved into 2nd and was sandwitched in between the two MP Racing cars. On lap 76 Simon made his move when he over took Sheri Plourde for the race lead by diving his car inside of her and putting two wheels off into the dirt in order to make the pass complete. This marks the third race win in 2010 for Walker Racing and Simon Pagenaud and also allows him to pull away some in the championship standings. Simon now leads with 118 total points on the year.
DRIVER COMMENTS: Simon Pagenaud - Walker Racing
"I'd like to thank everyone who made this possible for me. The team again did a fantastic job all weekend. I didnt believe I would be able to make the pass on the #11 car but everything worked out well for me to get it done". "This really is a sweet victory". Simon concluded
SIMON PAGENAUD MAKES IT TWO VICTORIES IN 2010, BY TAKING THE CHECKERED FLAG SUNDAY TO WIN THE CHAMP CAR 225 IN JEREZ, SPAIN!!!
Simon Pagenaud fights a strong race from 11th to win the Champ Car 225 and extend his points lead
JEREZ, SPAIN (June 13th, 2010) On a hot and dry day in Jerez, Spain the Champ Cars put on a show for nearly 300,000 fans and for Walker Racing driver and 2010 Champ Car points leader Simon Pagenaud, starting 11th was no problem at all. The frenchman was on the move right from the drop of the green flag. He passed four cars on the opening lap and later benefitted from a nice team strategy on fuel. On lap 74 when others needed to pit for fuel, Simon was able to go an extra five laps and built a 14.20 second lead before pitting for his final stop on lap 79.
Pagenaud turned in a spectacular drive Sunday in the 4th annual Champ Car Grand Prix in Spain, he drove his No. 15 Walker Racing Aussie Vineyards Ford-Cosworth/Bridgestone/DP01 Champ car from 11th to win the 100 lap feature event. Pagenaud also won the season opener in Mexico which makes him the first and only two time winner in 2010 so far.
Simon Pagenaud won the event over Mark Plourde who again put in a nice drive for 2nd followed by Robert Doornbos who battled hard to finish 3rd!!!
JUSTIN WILSON WINS FIRST RACE OF 2010 BY DOMINATING THE BELGIUM 500 SUNDAY!!!
Justin Wilson celebrates his victory in the Belgium 500 Sunday!!
Zolder-Heusden, Belgium (June 6, 2010) Today was the first time the Champ Car World Series attempted to run 500 miles on a road/street course. The Belgium 500 sure made for a long day on Sunday. For Dale Coyne Racing's Justin Wilson, it was just another race. Wilson started the day in 4th behind teammate Bruno Junqueira and points leader Simon Pagenaud. On lap 7 Wilson moved into 3rd when it started raining and drivers took to the pits for rain tires. The rain lasted until lap 29 when everyone came back on pit road for their first pit stops of the day. The rain came back later in the race and caused several drivers to have problems including polesitter Oriol Servia. On lap 46 Servia spun his #7 Forsythe Racing machine on track just outside of turn 9 and damaged his front wing assembly when his car struck the tire wall, he headed to pit road for much needed repairs and would finish 11th. Justin Wilson stayed out front and led 153 of the 200 lap race and drove a trouble free race to victory for Dale Coyne Racing.
COMMENTS:
JUSTIN WILSON - Winner of the Belgium 500
"I want to thank the Dale Coyne team for giving me a very good car today. I think we only had a top five car but we stayed out of trouble today and that earned us the win. Unfortunately, in the last stint, we had a problem with the handling as the car was just very loose. I almost lost it a couple of times out there in the rain. Our car was fast for most of the race. We had a consistent car for the majority of the race so everything worked out great. I'm looking forward to the race in Spain next weekend."
ROCKETSPORTS RACING'S ENRIQUE BERNOLDI WINS FIRST EVER CHAMP CAR RACE BY WINNING THE TEQUILA PATRON GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY AT MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA SUNDAY!!!!
MAY 23, 2010 - MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - In what turned out to be a wild and strange race today at the historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca circuit in northern California, The Champ Car World Series again saw a new first time winner take the checkerd flags. The race had seven different lead changes among three different drivers and for former Formula One star Enrique Bernoldi, It was another Sunday drive for the veteran. Nelson Philippe of Minardi Team USA won the pole position for the event and was racing out front until he cut a tire on lap 27 when he ran over something on track and sliced his right rear tire and needed to pit. Later it was the series points leader Simon Pagenaud who was in front until he ran out of fuel and needed to pit on lap 58. Then finally it was Rocketsports driver Enrique Bernoldi who then took over the race lead on lap 60 and never looked back from that point on. This is the first time in Bernoldi's three year Champ Car career that he won a Champ Car event. Rocketsports Racing has made alot of team and personnel changes that has really helped Bernoldi's performance so far this year.
DRIVER COMMENTS: Enrique Bernoldi - Rocketsports Racing
"Today was a great race for me and great for the fans watching back in Brazil. I knew we had a good car when we unloaded here on Friday morning. I just want to thank the whole Rocketsports team and all the guys, They did a fantastic job today."
MINARDI TEAM USA'S NELSON PHILIPPE DRIVES OUTSTANDING RACE TO WIN FIRST RACE IN 2010!!!
May 9th, 2010 Houston, Texas- Nelson Philippe started 6th today as sunny skies made for a hot day in Houston. Oriol Servia started from the pole but had a mechanical problem on lap 2 and needed to pit. Rocketsports driver Enrique Bernoldi took over the lead from that point on. Nelson Philippe pitted on lap 27 and later took advantage of a yellow flag to advance his track position from 4th up to 2nd behind Bernoldi. On lap 76 of the 90 lap race Nelson Philippe passed Bernoldi who needed to pit one last time for fuel. Philippe went on to score the victory ahead of defending champion Mark Plourde. Nelson Philippe becomes the 2nd race winner in 2010.
SIMON PAGENAUD WINS FROM POLE IN GRAND PRIX OF MEXICO!!!
APRIL 25TH, 2010 MONTERREY, MEXICO - On a sunny afternoon in Monterrey, the Champ Cars kicked off their 2010 season with a bang. 19 1,000 horsepower engines roared to life and soon came screaming down the front straight at speeds of 203 Mph. Saturday's pole winner Simon Pagenaud kept the race lead for most of the afternoon only giving it up during his three pit stops. Pagenaud drove a spectacular race from start to finish and also posted the races fastest race lap with a 1:46.42 lap. Simon Pagenaud earned 25 points and currently leads the championship standings.
SIMON PAGENAUD WINS POLE POSITION FOR GRAND PRIX OF MONTERREY, MEXICO
MONTERREY, MEXICO - Walker Racing's Simon Pagenaud didn't need much track time to post the fastest lap during Saturday's final qualifying session. The frenchman took the #15 AussieVineyards Champcar and put in a steller lap of 1:07.96 seconds which was over a full second faster then any other driver and cruised to the pole position for Sunday's 85 lap race.
MONTERREY, MEXICO QUALIFYING
Pos
Car No
Driver
Time
1
15
SimPagenaud
1:46:42.16
2
22
Clark Davidson
+1.5 secs
3
7
Oriol Servia
+9.4 secs
4
14
Robert Doornbos
+11.8 secs
5
4
Dan Clarke
+22.2 secs
6
8
Mark Plourde
+33.3 secs
7
9
Justin Wilson
+47.6 secs
8
3
James Hinchcliffe
+52.1 secs
9
19
Bruno Junqueira
+57.7 secs
10
11
Sheri Plourde
+61.7 secs
Champ Cars complete final pre season test over the weekend at MSR Raceway in Houston, Texas!!!
March 28th & 29th, 2010 - MSR Raceway- After expecting sunny skies and hotter tempatures, the unexpectedly cool and damp conditions in Houston may have helped some teams and drivers while possibly hurting others. With the 2010 Champ Car season just one month away it was very important for all the Champ Car teams and drivers to work hard in this last pre season test and get a real feel for their cars and equipment prior to the season opening event next month in Mexico. The MSR Raceway circuit saw alot of action from every driver expecting to make the grid for this year's season. Sigma Autosport driver Clark Davidson led the first full day of action behind the wheel of the #22 PBT Champ Car. His best lap was a 1:41.26 on lap 114 of his 149 total lap weekend. Forsythe Championship Racing and veteran Champ Car driver Oriol Servia went out on day two and ran a best time of 1:39.20 (192.41 Mph Avg) and took over first overall. Mostly all the teams and drivers were out on track over the weekend looking to just fine tune their cars and get a real good race setup nailed down before the new season kicks off in less then thirty days from now.
NEXT UP: The Champ Car season opening Tecate/Telmex Grand Prix of Monterrey on the very challenging Fundora Park International Circuit.
CHAMP CAR TEAMS HIT THE TRACK AT SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY AS PREPARATIONS CONTINUE FOR THE 2010 SEASON!!!
Sebring, Florida (Jan 29th - 31st, 2010) -The Champ Car Teams and drivers have finished their third and final day of testing at the 1.67 mile Sebring International Raceway road course. Mostly all drivers that will participate in the 2010 Champ Car World Series season took laps around the Sebring track over the weekend. The weekend started off with Rocketsports driver Enrique Bernoldi leading the first full day on Friday by setting a lap at 108.426 seconds. He was followed by Dale Coyne Racing driver Bruno Junqueira. On the last two days young and rising star Sheri Plourde topped the speed charts in her #11 Tide sponsored MP Racing machine running a fast lap of 106.911 seconds. All teams appeared to be very pleased with their second outing in the all new 2010 Champ Car DP01-V2 configuration.
Sebring Champ Car Test (Combined Results)
1 #11 Sheri Plourde- MP Racing 1:06.911
2 #6 John Edwards(R)- Newman/Hass Lanigan Racing 1:07.934
3 #36 Enrique Bernoldi - Rocketsports Racing 1:07.949
4 #8 Mark Plourde - MP Racing 1:08.374
5 #34 Jan Haylen - Sigma Autosport 1:08.431
6 #19 Bruno Junqueira - Dale Coyne Racing 1:08.519
CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES - NEXT UP
February 24-28, 2012: Champ Car Pre Season Testing 
2012 CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES SEASON 
