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A New Era Of Champ Car Dawns |
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Friday, 06 April 2007 |
A new era of Champ Car World Series competition will be ushered in during this weekend’s historic first round on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada USA.
Queensland’s Gold Coast will await the return of the successful open wheel championship during the Lexmark Indy 300 on October 18-21.
The introduction of the new DP01 Champ Cars, five new racing venues and an expansive stock of rookie drivers will ensure a competition like no other in 2007.
No less than seven drivers will be vying for the prestigious Roshfrans
Rookie of the Year title won in 2006 by Australia’s own Will Power
(Team Australia).
That statistic alone is bound to create intense competition both for
the first-timers title and the overall Vanderbilt Cup spoils this
season.
Over the past three months, Champ Car teams have put the new DP01 Champ
Cars through a number of rigorous tests to prepare the chassis for its
landmark debut this weekend.
During the preseason, the DP01 took part in seven days of testing in
both dry and wet conditions, and completed over 6000 laps combined, for
a total of more than 13,000 miles, and not one of them encountered any
major problems.
The Vegas Grand Prix will mark the return of Champ Car to Sin City as
the series makes its first appearance in Nevada since leaving Las Vegas
Motor Speedway in 2005, but the new Vegas Grand Prix will add
challenges as the cars and drivers will be seeing a new street course
in a car that they have had limited practice time in.
On paper a new event and a new chassis would appear to put the field on
even footing, with no driver or team having the advantage of past data
to pull from when setting up their cars.
However a new course may be just what three-time and defending Champ
Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald’s
Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) needs to get his historic title hunt off on
the right foot.
Five times in the last four seasons, Champ Car has held inaugural
events and in each of those five events Bourdais has been the first car
to take the checkered flag at the end of the day.
The streak started at Brands Hatch in 2003 and continued to Las Vegas
Motor Speedway in 2004, Edmonton and San Jose in 2005 then last year in
Houston, so a sixth straight victory on a new course is just what
Bourdais needs to take advantage of, in order to make history winning
four consecutive Champ Car titles.
Team Australia’s Will Power served his Champ Car apprenticeship with
distinction last season, finishing sixth in the championship during his
first full season in Champ Car.
2007 is the Aussie Vineyards squad’s third season in the Champ Car
World Series and its best chance yet for race wins and championship
success.
Toowoomba-born Power came on strong over the second half of the 2006
season, picking up his first pole position at the Lexmark Indy 300 as
well as grabbing his maiden podium finish at the season finale in
Mexico City.
That form has continued in pre-season testing, with Power setting the
fastest time in official testing at the MSR Houston circuit in February
and then scoring the second fastest behind defending series champion
Bourdais in Spring Training at Laguna Seca in March.
Team Australia’s 2006 Champ Car Atlantic Champion Simon Pagenaud (#15
Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) will also be stepping up to
Champ Car for the first time this weekend in Vegas.
During his stint in Atlantics the young Frenchman recorded consistent
performances which included a series high, nine top-five finishes and
one victory in Edmonton.
After learning the nuances of the DP01 at Sebring, the young Frenchman
was in the top-six in times at both testing sessions in Houston and
Laguna Seca.
Adding further to the Australasian feel of this year’s Champ Car World
Series, New Zealand driver Matt Halliday is expected to turn out for
Conquest Racing after impressing and setting lap times inside the top
10 during Spring Training.
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