2007 Generac Grand Prix

The 2007 Champ Car Generac Grand Prix at Road America was the tenth round of the 2007 Champ Car World Series Season. It was held on August 12 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

2007 Generac Grand Prix of Road America
Race details
Race 10 of 14 in the 2007 Champ Car season
Road America Track Layout
DateAugust 12, 2007
Official nameChamp Car Generac Grand Prix at Road America
LocationRoad America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States
CoursePermanent Road Course
4.048 mi / 6.515 km
Distance53 laps
214.544 mi / 345.276 km
WeatherSunny, 86 F / 30 C
Pole position
DriverSébastien Bourdais (N/H/L Racing)
Time1:41.535
Fastest lap
DriverSebastien Bourdais (Newman Haas Lanigan Racing)
Time1:44.346 (on lap 53 of 53)
Podium
FirstSebastien Bourdais (Newman Haas Lanigan Racing)
SecondDan Clarke (Minardi Team USA)
ThirdGraham Rahal (R) (Newman Haas Lanigan Racing)

Qualifying results
PosNatNameTeamQual 1Qual 2Best
1 Sébastien Bourdais N/H/L Racing 1:42.385 1:41.535 1:41.535
2 Will Power Team Australia 1:43.116 1:43.595 1:43.116
3 Robert Doornbos Minardi Team USA 1:43.619 1:43.134 1:43.134
4 Graham Rahal N/H/L Racing 1:43.732 1:43.162 1:43.162
5 Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing 1:44.326 1:43.201 1:43.201
6 Alex Tagliani RSPORTS 1:43.689 1:43.374 1:43.374
7 Neel Jani PKV Racing 1:43.417 1:44.296 1:43.417
8 Dan Clarke Minardi Team USA 1:43.439 1:43.853 1:43.439
9 Jan Heylen Conquest Racing 1:44.295 1:43.523 1:43.523
10 Justin Wilson RSPORTS 1:43.525 1:44.050 1:43.525
11 Tristan Gommendy PKV Racing 1:44.032 1:43.565 1:43.565
12 Simon Pagenaud Team Australia 1:43.637 1:43.581 1:43.581
13 Ryan Dalziel Pacific Coast Motorsports 1:43.611 1:43.795 1:43.611
14 Oriol Servià Forsythe Racing 1:43.710 no time 1:43.710
15 Alex Figge Pacific Coast Motorsports 1:45.432 1:44.027 1:44.027
16 Paul Tracy Forsythe Racing 1:44.716 1:47.132 1:44.716
17 Katherine Legge Dale Coyne Racing 1:46.901 1:47.271 1:46.901

Sébastien Bourdais, fresh off signing his name to a 2008 contract with Formula 1's Scuderia Toro Rosso, dominated both qualifying sessions, finishing Saturday with a best lap a second and a half clear of his closest competitor. Will Power was best of the rest to secure the other front row starting spot next to Bourdais on Sunday.

Race
PosNatNameTeamLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
1 Sébastien Bourdais N/H/L Racing 53 1:40:58.596 1 34
2 Dan Clarke Minardi Team USA 53 +9.8 secs 8 27
3 Graham Rahal N/H/L Racing 53 +12.2 secs 4 25
4 Oriol Servià Forsythe Racing 53 +20.9 secs 14 24
5 Alex Tagliani RSPORTS 53 +50.7 secs 6 21
6 Jan Heylen Conquest Racing 53 +1:00.1 9 19
7 Tristan Gommendy PKV Racing 53 +1:02.3 11 17
8 Justin Wilson RSPORTS 53 +1:03.0 10 15
9 Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne Racing 53 +1:04.5 5 13
10 Neel Jani PKV Racing 53 +1:13.0 7 11
11 Simon Pagenaud Team Australia 53 +1:28.9 12 10
12 Paul Tracy Forsythe Racing 53 +1:35.1 16 9
13 Alex Figge Pacific Coast Motorsports 52 + 1 Lap 15 8
14 Robert Doornbos Minardi Team USA 49 + 4 Laps 3 7
15 Katherine Legge Dale Coyne Racing 36 Mechanical 17 6
16 Will Power Team Australia 25 Mechanical 2 5
17 Ryan Dalziel Pacific Coast Motorsports 15 Collision 13 4

After dominating qualifying, Sébastien Bourdais led away from the starting grid. Will Power, the other front row starter, dropped back with bad handling while Robert Doornbos was able to provide Bourdais a certain amount of pressure after starting third on the grid, staying within two seconds of the Frenchman.

Unfortunately for Doornbos the set of tires he switched to after his first pit stop did not prove to his liking and he began losing large chunks of time as Bourdais continued in the lead.

Meanwhile, Doornbos' teammate Dan Clarke was putting on a show. Slow away from the grid thanks to a bad clutch, Clarke took advantage of the yellow flag on the opening lap by pitting and setting off an alternate strategy. When the rest of the field pitted on lap 14, Clarke found himself in the lead and made the most of the open track in front of him and came out in second place in front of Doornbos and Graham Rahal after he emerged from his pit stop on lap 16.

With Doornbos struggling on his tires, Rahal got around Doornbos in turn 3 on lap 24. Doornbos' race then went completely wrong on the next lap as Clarke cut in front of him on the approach to turn 5. Doornbos' front wing was knocked off and his suspension was damaged. He was forced to limp back to the pits, his race ruined, though he was able to return to the fight albeit four laps down. Clarke was apologetic after the race, but Doornbos accused the Englishman of brake checking him.

Clarke got around Rahal after his second pit stop, gaining further benefit from his alternate pit stop strategy while Bourdais continued to easily lead the field. The race would finish up in that order. Surprisingly, the win was the first for Bourdais in four attempts at the scenic Wisconsin circuit. With Will Power ending up in 16th place with a broken gearbox, Doornbos' accident-marred 14th-place finish and Justin Wilson, best amongst the rest of the point challengers managing only an eighth place, Bourdais took a stranglehold on the season championship.

This race marked the final race on US soil for the Champ Car Series as a separate entity from the IndyCar Series, before the merger of the two in early 2008.

Caution flags
LapsCause
1-3Tracy (3)/Pagenaud (15)/Dalziel (28) Collision

Notes
LapsLeader
1-14Sébastien Bourdais
15-16Dan Clarke
17-53Sébastien Bourdais
  
DriverLaps led
Sébastien Bourdais51
Dan Clarke2

Championship standings after the race
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