Australian Will Power has won his second Champ Car event for the season by capturing the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto at the Exhibition Place street circuit in Toronto, Canada today.
Power drove his #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 Champ Car to a superb victory ahead of Swiss driver Neel Jani and Britain’s Justin Wilson. Power’s Team Australia team-mate Simon Pagenaud, who hails from France, was an impressive fourth.
The result lifts Power to second in the Champ Car World Series after seven rounds held in the 16-event championship. Robert Doornbos now leads the series standings by a mere two points over Power, while defending series champion Sebastien Bourdais now lies third, one point behind the Australian.
The win comes exactly 100 days before the home event for Power and Team Australia, the Lexmark Indy 300 on the streets of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, on October 18-21.
In a race of changing weather conditions, Power kept his composure and displayed his supreme wet weather driving skills and car control to cut through the field and pull away to claim his second career victory in Champ Car and vault right back into the thick of the championship battle.
Starting from seventh on the grid, Power used his head to get through a frantic opening lap unscathed and then set about chasing down the lead. Once rain began to fall Power was the class of the field, simply too good for Jani and Wilson on the slippery circuit in the closing stages.
Power, 26, was born and raised in Toowoomba, Queensland and now lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States during the racing season, where the Team Australia operation is based.
This is the second Champ Car win for Team Australia, which was formed in 2005 by veteran Champ Car team owner Derrick Walker and Australian businessman and Aussie Vineyards boss Craig Gore.
Team Australia continues to lead the Canadian Triple Crown standings, ahead of RSports and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing with one round remaining
Pagenaud’s drive was also a stellar one, the Champ Car rookie proving one of the fastest cars on the circuit in the dry conditions in the first half of the race.
The reigning Champ Car Atlantic champion led the race at one stage, a great recovery after contact with Alex Tagliani knocked the front wing from the #15 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 at the first corner.
Round 8 of the Champ Car World Series will be held in two weeks time in Edmonton, Canada on July 20-22.
WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY …
Will Power – #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01
“What a great day, we are officially back in the championship hunt, ” said Power.
“After Friday’s qualifying I wasn’t too sure about the weekend, but I just have to say thanks to Team Australia. They did an awesome job and worked so hard and they all deserve this win.
“I also have to say thanks and congratulations to Craig Gore, if it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be here and he couldn’t be here, so this win is for him as well. ”
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