Print

Mail

wiki links

Wilson maintains focus to clinch first Champ Car win

Tony Kanaan, driver of the No. 11 Andretti Green Racing Team 7-Eleven Dallara Honda, celebrates in the victory circle after winning the IRL IndyCar Series AJ Foyt 225 on Sunday at the Milwaukee Mile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. PHOTO: AFP

Justin Wilson made no mistakes this time, bouncing back from a disappointing finish in last year's Edmonton Grand Prix to pull away at the end Sunday for his first Champ Car victory of the season.

The 27-year-old Englishman, who lost a shot at victory when he crashed on a restart late in last year's race on the 3.17km, 14-turn temporary circuit, caught and passed last year's winner, Sebastien Bourdais, just past the halfway point in the 85-lap race.

Wilson may have had flashbacks to that inaugural Edmonton race at City Center Airport when the fourth caution flag of the race waved for Nelson Philippe's crash into a tire barrier just 16 laps from the end, bunching the field and putting Bourdais right behind his rear wing.

But Wilson never gave the two-time defending series champion a chance to challenge him, pulling away after the green flag came out on lap 73 and moving steadily away before beating Bourdais to the finish line by 5.319 seconds -- nearly the entire final straightaway.

A.J. Allmendinger, who came into Sunday with a three-race winning streak, ran a strong race to finish third. He was followed by Oriol Servia, Paul Tracy and rookie Will Power, the last driver on the lead lap.

"My car was just awesome all day," said Wilson, who now has three career victories, all for the RuSport Racing team.

"It was a great strategy by my engineers. It allowed me to run hard and catch Sebastien. Then he made a mistake and I was able to get past him," he said.

Wilson got past Tracy to take second place by taking a short load of fuel on his first pit stop on lap 37.

He came out of the stop 7.404 seconds behind Bourdais and moved steadily closer to the leader, who was struggling after his first pit stop with a set of tires that unbalanced his car.

Finally, Wilson drove past Bourdais, darting under the leader on lap 54 in the 10th turn, a fast left-hander.

Bourdais got the lead back briefly when Wilson made his second and final pit stop on lap 61, but the Frenchman had to make his final stop on lap 64 after colliding with Alex Tagliani, and Wilson led the rest of the way.

"I thought it was going to be a really good day," said Bourdais, who won the first four races of the season and hasn't won since.

"That second set of tires just didn't work on my car," Bourdais said.

Still, Bourdais goes to San Jose, California, for next week's race leading Wilson by 23 points and Allmendinger, who fell to third, by 28.

Allmendinger, who also crashed late in last year's race, then hit the wall again in qualifying on Friday and spun during time trials on Saturday, was happy with his uneventful third-place finish and gratified to still be in the title hunt.

"We had a tough weekend, but that was a third-place car and that's how you stay in contention for a championship," said the 23-year-old Californian, the only US driver in the Champ Car series.

AJ FOYT 225

Brazil's Tony Kanaan survived a frantic challenge from reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Sam Hornish Jr on Sunday to win the Indy Racing League AJ Foyt 225 at the Milwaukee Mile.

It was the first victory this season and the seventh career win for Kanaan, who pulled away down the stretch to win by 1.827sec.

Hornish finished second and maintained his lead in the drivers' standings, while South African Tomas Schecker gave Vision Racing its first-ever podium place with an impressive charge in the closing laps for third place.

Starlet Danica Patrick equaled her career best for the second straight race, finishing fourth.

She also finished fourth in last year's Indy 500.

Rookie driver Marco Andretti rounded out the top five, giving Andretti Green Racing two cars in the top five.
This story has been viewed 971 times.