2007 Vegas Grand Prix
# 2007 Vegas Grand Prix

The 2007 Vegas Grand Prix was the first round of the 2007 Champ Car World Series Season, held on April 8 on the streets of Las Vegas, Nevada.

## Qualifying results

| Pos | Name | Team | Qual 1 | Qual 2 | Best |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Will Power | Team Australia | 1:21.007 | 1:17.629 | 1:17.629 |
| 2 | Paul Tracy | Forsythe Racing | 1:19.784 | 1:19.625 | 1:19.625* |
| 3 | Robert Doornbos | Minardi Team USA | 1:20.991 | 1:18.515 | 1:18.515 |
| 4 | Alex Tagliani | RSPORTS | 1:20.437 | 1:18.850 | 1:18.850 |
| 5 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Australia | 1:19.998 | 1:18.961 | 1:18.961 |
| 6 | Bruno Junqueira | Dale Coyne Racing | - | 1:19.102 | 1:19.102 |
| 7 | Mario Dominguez | Forsythe Racing | 1:22.384 | 1:19.156 | 1:19.156 |
| 8 | Justin Wilson | RSPORTS | 1:20.310 | 1:19.269 | 1:19.269 |
| 9 | Neel Jani | PKV Racing | 1:21.618 | 1:19.360 | 1:19.360 |
| 10 | Graham Rahal | N/H/L Racing | 1:23.307 | 1:19.710 | 1:19.710 |
| 11 | Tristan Gommendy | PKV Racing | 1:21.565 | 1:19.784 | 1:19.784 |
| 12 | Dan Clarke | Minardi Team USA | 1:22.123 | 1:19.814 | 1:19.814 |
| 13 | Katherine Legge | Dale Coyne Racing | 1:22.420 | 1:20.104 | 1:20.104 |
| 14 | Matt Halliday | Conquest Racing | 13:20.444 | 1:20.122 | 1:20.122 |
| 15 | Ryan Dalziel | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 1:22.202 | 1:20.128 | 1:20.128 |
| 16 | Sébastien Bourdais | N/H/L Racing | 1:20.197 | - | 1:20.197 |
| 17 | Alex Figge | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 1:22.788 | 1:20.313 | 1:20.313 |

* Tracy awarded 2nd on the starting grid for gaining provisional pole position.

## Grid

| Row | Inside | Inside | Outside | Outside |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Will Power | 3 | Paul Tracy |
| 2 | 14 | Robert Doornbos | 8 | Alex Tagliani |
| 3 | 15 | Simon Pagenaud | 19 | Bruno Junqueira |
| 4 | 7 | Mario Dominguez | 9 | Justin Wilson |
| 5 | 21 | Neel Jani | 2 | Graham Rahal |
| 6 | 22 | Tristan Gommendy | 4 | Dan Clarke |
| 7 | 11 | Katherine Legge | 42 | Matt Halliday |
| 8 | 28 | Ryan Dalziel | 1 | Sébastien Bourdais |
| 9 | 29 | Alex Figge | | |

## Race

The race was a fresh start for the Champ Car World Series. With a new car (Panoz DP01), new rules, including timed races and staggered starts, new teams like Pacific Coast Motorsports, a different season opener on a new track, and an eventual return to ABC/ESPN later in the year, all were the big stories of the day. The race would be one of survival of the fittest as many drivers were taken out by either crashes or mechanical failures. Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing would not have a good day as 3-time champion Sébastien Bourdais was hampered by numerous tire problems and rookie Graham Rahal was taken out on the first lap. Will Power had the dominant car all day long, only being challenged consistently by Paul Tracy, who many saw as the man to unseat Bourdais as the face of Champ Car. In the end, the race would all come down to fuel mileage. Tracy's car struggled with taking a full load of fuel preventing him from snapping his winless streak. Will Power outlasted the field to take his first career victory, which was also the first Champ Car victory by an Australian, in a dominant fashion.

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Will Power | Team Australia | 68 | 1:45:13.637 | 1 | 34 |
| 2 | 14 | Robert Doornbos | Minardi Team USA | 68 | +16.789 | 3 | 27 |
| 3 | 3 | Paul Tracy | Forsythe Racing | 68 | +27.356 | 2 | 27 |
| 4 | 8 | Alex Tagliani | RSPORTS | 68 | +48.981 | 4 | 24 |
| 5 | 22 | Tristan Gommendy | PKV Racing | 68 | +1:10.396 | 11 | 21 |
| 6 | 11 | Katherine Legge | Dale Coyne Racing | 68 | +1:21.261 | 13 | 20 |
| 7 | 19 | Bruno Junqueira | Dale Coyne Racing | 66 | + 1 Lap | 6 | 18 |
| 8 | 29 | Alex Figge | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 63 | + 5 Laps | 17 | 15 |
| 9 | 7 | Mario Dominguez | Forsythe Racing | 57 | + 11 Laps | 7 | 13 |
| 10 | 21 | Neel Jani | PKV Racing | 56 | Mechanical | 9 | 11 |
| 11 | 28 | Ryan Dalziel | Pacific Coast Motorsports | 52 | + 16 Laps | 15 | 10 |
| 12 | 15 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Australia | 47 | Engine | 5 | 9 |
| 13 | 1 | Sébastien Bourdais | N/H/L Racing | 30 | Accident | 16 | 8 |
| 14 | 9 | Justin Wilson | RSPORTS | 20 | Input shaft | 8 | 7 |
| 15 | 4 | Dan Clarke | Minardi Team USA | 13 | Accident | 12 | 6 |
| 16 | 42 | Matt Halliday | Conquest Racing | 3 | Accident | 14 | 5 |
| 17 | 2 | Graham Rahal | N/H/L Racing | 1 | Accident | 10 | 4 |

## Caution flags

| Laps | Cause |
| - | - |
| 1 | Yellow Start |
| 2-5 | Rahal/Halliday crash |
| 6-7 | Figge stalled |
| 14-17 | Clarke crash |
