View from the Topside

For a racer with a whole new agenda in the coming months, Sebastien Bourdais surely left nothing on the table at Road America in Wisconsin this past weekend.
Bourdais put in quite a week at the office: formalizing his plans to chase his dream next season in F-1, then steamrolling the rest of the Champ Car field in his McDonald’s machine in all three points-paying sessions across the weekend.

Bourdais dominated qualifying, showing pace that was more than a second quicker than the balance of the field both Friday and Saturday. And Sunday, with the money on the line and history beckoning, the three-time defending Champ Car champ wasted no time
establishing again his preeminence against the field.

For a while on Sunday it appeared as though Oriol Servia and Dan Clarke might have had something for the Newman-Haas-Lanigan pilot but after the second round of pit stops it became clear that Sebastien’s speed advantage wasn’t going to be negated by an alternate pit stop strategy. And with most of the field having problems coming to grips with the Bridgestone red Potenzas, the chances of someone finding a better setup midrace were slim.

Bourdais’ two championship challengers, Robert Doornbos and Will Power, also endured difficult days. Bobby D surprisingly played second fiddle to his Minardi Team USA mate, Dan Clarke, most of the race, and saw his chances melt away when he and Clarke got together heading downhill toward Turn 5. And for Power and the Aussie Vineyards squad, Road America marked their second DNF in three races, effectively giving the sophomore star’s title hopes a huge setback.

In the end it was some vindication for Bourdais, I think. He’s expressed several times his frustration at having had the fastest car at Road America over the past few seasons, only to be beaten in both 2004 and 2006 by drivers on alternate strategies which proved correct for those events. This time around, as hordes of Champ Car fans looked on, was Seb’s day, a day he’ll long remember as he chases his dreams in Europe.

And a word about the weekend at Road America: Fantastic. From the first look at the crowd Friday, with camping areas and fan midways packed, through terrific support racing and even the soggy American LeMans round Saturday, to Sunday’s main event and the Atlantic finale that preceded it, it’s clear Road America is back I couldn’t be more pleased. Now it’s on to Europe and Australia for Champ Car, with Mexico City and the new finale in Arizona later in the fall. Champ Car has built new momentum this season, and I’m excited about the future as we build toward 2008.

From our fan mailbag:

First, Stanley M from Edmonton: Now that it’s official that Sebastien Bourdais is going to F-1, who do you see taking his seat?

Well, the consensus in the paddock seems to indicate Justin Wilson could be the prime choice. But keep in mind Newman-Haas-Lanigan has long had a history of bringing in drivers who might be unheralded here, but are eminently capable and ready to win races immediately (see Bourdais, Sebastien). With that in mind I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a young driver many of us haven’t heard of come on board the 1 car starting next year. It’s all about winning for N/H/L, and so I think they’ll pick someone who can jump into the car and keep the victories and championships coming.

From Bill D from Edmonton: How do you think Sebastien will fare in F-1, considering the team he’s joining?

I don’t claim to be an F-1 expert, but based on Toro Rosso’s track record thus far I think he will struggle for a time. But don’t underestimate Sebastien’s talents. While the car is probably a bigger part of racing success than ever before, Bourdais made a believer out of me a long time ago. I expect him to lift STR further on the grid and on the results table than ever before.

From Daniel E from Des Moines: Who inspired you to get involved with racing, and are you still as excited about Champ Car as you were at first?

Hawkeye, that’s an easy one. My Dad, who’d been racing for a long time, started taking me to the track at a very young age. I’m yet another fan who’s been in this for a long time. And yes, I’m even more excited about Champ Car now than when I joined the series as its TV host back in 2004. This is a tough task, this building of a world-class motorsports series. And all those involved in ownership, executive leadership, drivers, teams, sponsors, fans and staff, have worked incredibly hard to get Champ Car back to the level we enjoy today. While there’s still clearly work to do, I couldn’t be more upbeat and excited about the series and its future. I hope to be a part of it for a long time to come.

That’s all for now…I’ll see you on ESPN Classic when the series hits Zolder later this month.

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