Bourdais leads opening Champ Car practice

Three-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais has been on a hot streak since joining the series in 2003. Notching wins at almost every track Champ Car has run on, but Road America has been elusive for the Frenchman. It is only track he has more than one start on, during the current Champ Car schedule that he not been able to win on. The Newman/Haas/Lanigan driver took the first step towards establishing that goal by leading the first practice session for the Champ Car Generac Grand Prix at Road America with a top lap time of 1:43.444 (140.876 mph).

Will Power was second in the session with a lap of 1:44.101 (139.987 mph). At a track Alex Tagliani favors, since he scored his first and only Champ Car World Series win at Road America, the Canadian was third on the timesheet in his RSPORTS car. Justin Wilson and Robert Doornbos in his Team Minardi Team USA colors rounded out the top five.

The session was slowed by two red flag periods. The first came when CDW driver Justin Wilson spun in Turn 14 and made contact with the tire barrier. The second ended the session prematurely as Will Power got his Aussie Vineyards racing machine stuck in the gravel trap after spinning in Turn 8.

In his first practice session since he was cleared to compete this weekend, Ryan Dalziel posted the sixteenth best lap time. Dalziel sat out the last event in San Jose after breaking his collar bone in a bicycle accident.