CCWS News - Winning In The Rain
28/08/2006
Sebastien Bourdais helped his Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford title hopes no end with victory in the rain-delayed Montreal race.
The race originally started on Sunday, but was red flagged after six laps due to a torrential downpour that tested even the sturdiest Bridgestone tyres and the best of drivers.
When the restart finally came the following day, things played into Bourdais’ hands. Title rivals A.J. Allmendinger and Justin Wilson both suffered problems, and the Newman/Haas driver was left clear to score his sixth win of the year, putting him 62 points clear with just three races to go.
“I guess it was a hell of a day for the championship,” admitted Bourdais. “We had a mistake-free run, great pit stops. These boys pulled a magnificent pit stop for the last one. It’s all to their credit. It’s about as good as it gets.
After Denver, it was very important for us to bounce back, and now it’s done. I can’t say I’m really pleased at the way things went with A.J. because obviously I would have liked better to win it fair and square.”
Allmendinger, arguably the Champ Car series story of the season, won three races in a row when he switched to Forsythe Racing mid-season. But a failed half-shaft and a win by Bourdais have halted his momentum.
With Justin Wilson suffering a penalty, Bourdais has a clear points lead that he will carry into the final round in Mexico City, even if he doesn’t score in the next two races. Needless to say, Bourdais is in good shape to take home his third consecutive Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series title.