Champ Car penalizes NHLR drivers

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing drivers Sebastien Bourdais (#1 McDonald's Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) and Graham Rahal (#2 MEDIZONE Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) have each been penalized 22 seconds of Power To Pass from the original allotment of 75 seconds for infractions during this morning’s standing start practice for this afternoon’s Gran Premio Tecate presented by Banamex (ESPN2, Live, 2 p.m. ET).

Bourdais and Rahal each laid down rubber in their grid boxes on the front straightaway during the 15-minute standing start practice session this morning. The rubber on the track creates a traction advantage for the drivers at the start of the race.

The 22-second penalty corresponds with the maximum amount of Power To Pass available to a driver upon a single press of the button, unless the driver deactivates Power To Pass himself. With an extremely long and wide front straightaway at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and a prime passing location in Turn 1, the 22-second Power To Pass penalty is significant.

Bourdais will start the Gran Premio Tecate presented by Banamex—his final start in the Champ Car World Series before moving to Formula 1—from second on the starting grid. Rahal starts seventh.