French driver Sebastien Bourdais was a dominant victor in Round 11 of the Champ Car World Series at Montreal, Canada this morning to continue his surge towards a third consecutive championship crown.

The race was postponed to Monday morning (Canadian time) due to the horrendous weather that confronted the drivers when the race started on Sunday afternoon.

In great news for Australian fans, Queenslander Will Power (Team Australia) finished fifth in the race to maintain his lead in the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year as well as consolidate sixth in the overall standings.

While Bourdais’ win handed him another big point’s haul, it was the bad luck of his nearest competitors in the championship A.J. Allmendinger (Forsythe Championship Racing) and Justin Wilson (RuSPORT), that made this round so significant for the championship.

Both Allmendinger and Wilson failed to finish the race gifting Bourdais a 62-point lead in the championship, which could see it once again decided on the streets of Surfers Paradise with the Lexmark Indy 300 from October 19 to 22.

“I guess it was a hell of a day for the championship,” said Bourdais. “Last year we lost it as a team, and this year we won it as a team.

“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 it better to win fair and square.”

Power’s fifth placing was another strong result for the Toowoomba-raised driver, providing further proof of his potential in the category in his rookie season. It was his fifth consecutive top-seven finish in the series.

Power’s Team Australia teammate Alex Tagliani fought to a seventh placing from 12th on the grid in difficult conditions.

“In the first pit stop we lost a couple of positions, because I didn’t get good enough fuel mileage,” said Power. “Then after the second stint the most exciting spot of the race was the last 20 laps of the race.

“There was a lot of passing. I went to pass Pastorelli and I thought then I was clear of everyone. Then I cut the chicane and had to let him go and Dan Clarke went by and I lost two positions. I got back up there and finished fifth and it’s good for the championship.”

Katherine Legge, the first ever full-time female driver in the Champ Car World Series, will be flying to Australia tonight to embark on a whirlwind promotional tour for the Lexmark Indy 300.

Legge finished 13th in Montreal and is currently third in the Roshfrans Rookie of the year Standings.

The next round of the Champ Car World Series is scheduled for Road America on September 24. Queensland will host Round 13 of the Champ Car World Series with the Lexmark Indy 300 to be held from October 19 to 22.

Round 11 – Montreal - Race Results

1 – Sebastien Bourdais (Newman Haas Racing) 67 laps Active

2 - Paul Tracy (Forsythe Championship Racing) 67 laps Active

3 - Nelson Philippe (CTE Racing – HVM) 67 laps Active

4 - Dan Clarke (CTE Racing – HVM) 67 laps Active

5 - Will Power (Team Australia) 67 laps Active

6 – Nicky Pastorelli (Rocketsports Racing) 67 laps Active

7 – Alex Tagliani (Team Australia) 67 laps Active

8 – Charles Zwolsman (Mi-Jack Conquest Racing) 67 laps Active

9 – Jan Heylen (Dale Coyne Racing) 67 laps Active

10 - Mario Dominguez (Dale Coyne Racing) 67 laps Active

11 – Antonio Pizzonia (Rocketsports Racing) 67 laps Active

12 - Bruno Junqueira (Newman Haas Racing) 66 laps Active

13 - Katherine Legge (PKV Racing) 61 laps Active

14 – Justin Wilson (RuSPORT) 48 laps Contact

15 – Andrew Ranger (Mi-Jack Conquest Racing) 36 laps Contact

16 – Oriol Servia (PKV Racing) 30 laps Contact

17 – A.J. Allmendinger (Forsythe Championship Racing) 14 laps Mechanical


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