After to be penalized after the qualification for the Grand Prix de Houston Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald's Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) was ready for the confrontation with the pilot of the Equipment Australia Will Power (#5 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone), but was its Co-equipero, the novice Graham Rahal (#2 Medi|Zone Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) that filled to its mirrors the day most of. In the end, Bourdais gained the victory number 25 of its race and Rahal gained its first podio in the runner-up place.
Bourdais moved almost at the outset to the front but it had to sacrifice the position to take a short cut within the circuit. The French seemed to be calm since patiently he hoped until return 14 to clear the leadership to him to Justin Wilson (#9 CDW Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and later to construct an advantage for next the 13 returns until a precaution diminished the rate and took to all the pilots pits. During the shutdowns in pits, the McDonald's equipment of Bourdais sent of return in the first position with the pilot of Forsythe Championship Racing's Serbian Oriol (#3 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) in second and the Co-equipero to it of Bourdais Rahal in third party.
The first three places continued equal until a round of green flags of shutdowns in pits began in Serbian return 66 when entered the track of the graves by service. Unfortunately for Serbia its Co-equipero Mario Domínguez (#7 Indeck Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) also was in the track of pits and was delaying the exit of Serbia of its grave. The delay combined with an extra return in the track of the pilot of 18 years, Rahal, positioned the young American to be able to fight by the leadership against its Co-equipero.
Just when Rahal left pits the yellow flags left again when Will Power and Mario Domínguez made contact with enemy in the 6 curve and Katherine Legge at the same time (#11 Dale Coyne Racing Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone), Neel Jani (#21 Red Bull Gulfstream Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Give Clarke (#4 Minardi Team the USA Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) made contact with enemy in curve 2. The incident of curve 2 finished the day for the three pilots and the yellow flag gave the leadership him to Tristan Gommendy (#22 Pay by Touch/Megaspiera Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone).
Gommendy used here in Houston a strategy similar to the one of the weekend last in Long Beach, where the French led to all the pilots during 18 returns before he was only finished to the fuel to the entrance of the track of pits when lacking seven returns to him. While all this succeeded the German Robert Doornbos (#14 Minardi Team the USA Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) moved little by little towards the front of the herd after Gommendy retired. Doornbos was On guard for the second podio of its three exits within the Champ Car.
Serbian Oriol overcame its difficult shutdown in pits to finish in fourth place in his second race replacing to injured Paul Tracy whereas the pilot of the Equipment Australia Simon Pagenaud (#15 Aussie Vineyards Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) obtained first top 5 of his race.
Mario Domínguez (#7 Telmex/Bank Mifel Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) controlled to all problems of the weekend last in Long Beach to finish in sixth in front of the three times runner-up of the Dark brown series Junqueira (#19 Sonny's Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone Bar-B-q) that gained his third top 10 consecutive with Dale Coyne Racing, when being in the seventh site.
The pilot of Pacific Coast Motorsports Ryan Dalziel (#28 Pacific Coast Motorsports Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) obtained the best result of his race with the eighth place and the 10 second top consecutive for the new equipment of the Champ Car.
Closing the group of the first ten they were the Co-equiperos of RSPORTS Alex Tagliani (#8 LXN2 Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Justin Wilson who finished respectively ninth and tenth.
Now that the Champ Car World Series will take a rest after three followed races, a familiar face is of return in the first place of the table of points with 73. Will Power is only 3 points behind with 70 in the second place and the novice Robert Doornbos is in third party with 61. Alex Tagliani and Bruno Junqueira close the group of top 5 in the fight by the Glass Vanderbilt 2007.
The Champ Car World Series will go to the “Great Northwest” for the Champ Car Grand Prix de Portland Presented/displayed by Joe's in the Portland International Raceway.

OPINIONS OF THE FIRST THREE PLACES

Sebastien Bourdais: “Generally it has been a rare weekend. They know? , one feels very well to be here of return in the first place. After a great weekend in Long Beach, first the 1-2 with Graham, has spent long time for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. One feels very well because the boys worked very hard the night of yesterday. As Graham said, has been a very long winter and they have worked much. It is giving results. All the credit is for them. It could not be more contented. It was a difiícil beginning during the race. And later Justin facilitated a little to us the things. Surrounding to Will. So I only had to sacrifice the position. And after that, we were keeping combustible, keeping and keeping. And it had the premonition of which Justin could be battling a little to keep his, so I maintained the pressure. And I believe that during a little while he tried to follow but he could not with the rate. I had a good jump leaving curve 10. After that he was something more direct. But a race with many events. I must say that it was not easy. We have some things that to review to him to the car because in the end it did not finish being the same that at the outset. So very I am pleased which well everything came out. I am in favor very happy of all the McDonald's equipment.”

Graham Rahal: “Generally it was a good weekend for all the equipment. I believe that Sebastien obvious went the man to win from the first session. It was very obvious that we had good cars this weekend. My it was only to learn and to obtain more experience of him. So we had luck of we obtained which it during the race. We knew after the qualifications of yesterday, that to be sixth were a little dissapointing because in the prequalifications we had very fast éramos old woman rims and. So we waited for the same. But we had some problems and basically we could not obtain a good return and the equipment worked very it last during all night. We solved our problems, we left today, and the car felt very well from the start of the race. I could keep much combustible, I maintained the rate with Oriol and those boys. And at the end of the day, it had to go to pits a return before I and that were because I had good inlap (returned on the inside) and good outlap (returned by outside). Unfortunately, it left the yellow. But equal thus we could be in front of him and the equipment did a great work in the shutdowns of pits. I must much be thankful to them.”

Robert Doornbos: “Thanks for the extra point. It did not know that worked. The race was impressive. I believe that I made the jump at the outset greatest. I had a very good exit, already is liking much. I entered on the inside. I believe that I escaped to five or six boys in the curve 1, that was very closed, very exciting. And later we had very good rate. I was very contented with the car. It felt to me comfortable in him, keeping much combustible to comparison from the first two week ends where we battled a little when keeping it, because I am not very customary to that. But I learn express. This time was to us very well. So it was a good strategy. The boys, and obvious my engineer Michael Cannon, and Rob, their companion of strategy, has much experience and gave result today so I am very contented.”

IMPORTANT NOTES

Today Sebastien Bourdais gained the victory number 25 of its race within the Champ Car, moving to a tie with Gordon Johncock in place 11 of books of history of the Champ Car.

Bourdais also became aircraft commander in gaining two events Champ Car in Houston.

Graham Rahal became the youngest pilot in gaining podio within the Champ Car at the age of 18 years, three months and 18 days. Rahal cleared the place to him to Andrew Ranger that gained the honor in 2005 in Monterrey, Mexico.

Source: http://www.champcarworldseries.com/
Photos by Phillip Abbott, the USA LAT Photographic Copyright © 2007 Champ Car World Series, LLC.

To see result of the race