Dragon hits track with Chevy power

Sebastien Bourdais

Dragon Racing has finally made its season debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The No. 6 car driven by Sebastien Bourdais turned its first lap shortly after 8 a.m. this morning. Bourdais turned 21 laps in the first hour, a fastest lap of 205.116 mph.

The team has been mired in a legal dispute with Lotus, but it is transitioning to Chevrolet, the engine that powered today's laps.

Dragon also plans to field Katherine Legge in her Rookie Orientation Program effort. Bourdais drove her car.

As of 9 a.m., IndyCar had not released a statement saying Dragon had been permitted to switch engine manufacturers. Permission is required by series rules.

Bourdais is taking a refresher course since he hasn't competed at IMS since the 2005 Indianapolis 500. That was his only 500. Legge is a true rookie at IMS, and her only oval-track race came in the 2006 Champ Car World Series season. She finished sixth at the race in Milwaukee.

Full practice today runs from noon to 6 p.m. Indy Star