2007 Vegas Grand Prix

Last updated
Flag of the United States.svg 2007 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Race details
Race 1 of 14 in the 2007 Champ Car season
Las Vegas Grand Prix.png
DateApril 8, 2007
Official nameXI Vegas Grand Prix
Location Vegas Grand Prix
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
CourseTemporary street circuit
2.440 mi / 3.927 km
Distance68 laps
165.920 mi / 267.036 km
WeatherSunny with temperatures reaching up to 91 °F (33 °C); wind speeds approaching 17.1 miles per hour (27.5 km/h) [1]
Pole position
Driver Will Power  (Team Australia)
Time1:17.629
Fastest lap
Driver Will Power  (Team Australia)
Time1:19.934 (on lap 44 of 68)
Podium
First Will Power  (Team Australia)
Second Robert Doornbos  (Minardi Team USA)
Third Paul Tracy  (Forsythe Racing)

The 2007 Vegas Grand Prix was the first round of the 2007 Champ Car World Series Season, held on April 8 on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Contents

Qualifying results

PosNatNameTeamQual 1Qual 2Best
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Power Team Australia 1:21.0071:17.6291:17.629
2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Tracy Forsythe Racing 1:19.7841:19.6251:19.625*
3 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos Minardi Team USA 1:20.9911:18.5151:18.515
4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani RSPORTS 1:20.4371:18.8501:18.850
5 Flag of France.svg Simon Pagenaud Team Australia 1:19.9981:18.9611:18.961
6 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing -1:19.1021:19.102
7 Flag of Mexico.svg Mario Dominguez Forsythe Racing 1:22.3841:19.1561:19.156
8 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Justin Wilson RSPORTS 1:20.3101:19.2691:19.269
9 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neel Jani PKV Racing 1:21.6181:19.3601:19.360
10 Flag of the United States.svg Graham Rahal N/H/L Racing 1:23.3071:19.7101:19.710
11 Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy PKV Racing 1:21.5651:19.7841:19.784
12 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dan Clarke Minardi Team USA 1:22.1231:19.8141:19.814
13 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge Dale Coyne Racing 1:22.4201:20.1041:20.104
14 Flag of New Zealand.svg Matt Halliday Conquest Racing 13:20.4441:20.1221:20.122
15 Flag of Scotland.svg Ryan Dalziel Pacific Coast Motorsports 1:22.2021:20.1281:20.128
16 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais N/H/L Racing 1:20.197-1:20.197
17 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Figge Pacific Coast Motorsports 1:22.7881:20.3131:20.313

Grid

RowInsideOutside
15 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Power 3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Tracy
214 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos 8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani
315 Flag of France.svg Simon Pagenaud 19 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Junqueira
47 Flag of Mexico.svg Mario Dominguez 9 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Justin Wilson
521 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neel Jani 2 Flag of the United States.svg Graham Rahal
622 Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy 4 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dan Clarke
711 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge 42 Flag of New Zealand.svg Matt Halliday
828 Flag of Scotland.svg Ryan Dalziel 1 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais
929 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Figge

Race

The race was a fresh start for the Champ Car World Series. With a new car (Panoz DP01), new rules, including timed races and staggered starts, new teams like Pacific Coast Motorsports, a different season opener on a new track, and an eventual return to ABC/ESPN later in the year, all were the big stories of the day. The race would be one of survival of the fittest as many drivers were taken out by either crashes or mechanical failures. Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing would not have a good day as 3-time champion Sébastien Bourdais was hampered by numerous tire problems and rookie Graham Rahal was taken out on the first lap. Will Power had the dominant car all day long, only being challenged consistently by Paul Tracy, who many saw as the man to unseat Bourdais as the face of Champ Car. In the end, the race would all come down to fuel mileage. Tracy's car struggled with taking a full load of fuel preventing him from snapping his winless streak. Will Power outlasted the field to take his first career victory, which was also the first Champ Car victory by an Australian, in a dominant fashion.

PosNoDriverTeamLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
15 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Will Power Team Australia 681:45:13.637134
214 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robert Doornbos Minardi Team USA 68+16.789327
33 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Tracy Forsythe Racing 68+27.356227
48 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani RSPORTS 68+48.981424
522 Flag of France.svg Tristan Gommendy PKV Racing 68+1:10.3961121
611 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Katherine Legge Dale Coyne Racing 68+1:21.2611320
719 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing 66+ 1 Lap618
829 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Figge Pacific Coast Motorsports 63+ 5 Laps1715
97 Flag of Mexico.svg Mario Dominguez Forsythe Racing 57+ 11 Laps713
1021 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neel Jani PKV Racing 56Mechanical911
1128 Flag of Scotland.svg Ryan Dalziel Pacific Coast Motorsports 52+ 16 Laps1510
1215 Flag of France.svg Simon Pagenaud Team Australia 47Engine59
131 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais N/H/L Racing 30Accident168
149 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Justin Wilson RSPORTS 20Input shaft87
154 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Dan Clarke Minardi Team USA 13Accident126
1642 Flag of New Zealand.svg Matt Halliday Conquest Racing 3Accident145
172 Flag of the United States.svg Graham Rahal N/H/L Racing 1Accident104

Caution flags

LapsCause
1Yellow Start
2-5 Rahal/Halliday crash
6-7 Figge stalled
14-17 Clarke crash

Notes

LapsLeader
1 Will Power
2-10 Paul Tracy
11-27 Will Power
28-38 Alex Tagliani
39-45 Will Power
46-48 Bruno Junqueira
49-55 Paul Tracy
56-68 Will Power
 
DriverLaps led
Will Power 38
Paul Tracy 16
Alex Tagliani 11
Bruno Junqueira 3

Attendance

Attendance at the inaugural 2007 event was estimated to be 40,000 fans on race day. This surpassed the number of seats available on the course's temporary grandstands facilitating an expansion for the 2008 season. [2] [3]

Future of the Race

This was the third race for Champ Car in Las Vegas, but the only one held on a downtown street course. Two oval Grands Prix had taken place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: the 2004 Bridgestone 400 and the 2005 Hurricane Relief 400. The planned 2008 race was removed from the calendar due to Champ Car's merge with the Indy Racing League (IRL).

IRL returned to Las Vegas in 2011, however the return was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, rather than to a downtown street course.

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References

  1. "2007 Vegas Grand Prix". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
  2. ESPN - Vegas gamble pays off for Champ Car World Series - Open-Wheel
  3. ReviewJournal.com - News - GRAND PRIX'S TWIN SPIN
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Champ Car World Series
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2007 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

Previous race:
2005 Hurricane Relief 400
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Champ Car in Las Vegas Next race:
2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship
(Las Vegas Motor Speedway; IndyCar Series event)