Sebastien Bourdais is still the only driver to win this Champ Car season.
The 27-year-old Frenchman is 3-for-3 after overcoming a slow early pit stop Sunday to edge Justin Wilson by 3.065 seconds in Mexico’s Grand Prix of Monterrey.
Bourdais and Wilson went at each other all afternoon during a virtually crash-free race despite slippery conditions on the asphalt. The 2.104-mile Parque Fundidora road course curves around a rusty, long-closed steel mill in Mexico’s third-largest city.
“I think we really gave each other a run for our money,” Bourdais said. “Nobody could lay back or anything. It was running flat out the whole time.”
The heat was a factor during Sunday’s 76 laps, with temperatures at 97 degrees at the start. On the track, they climbed to 125 degrees. Wilson headed to the medical tent after the checkered flag, suffering from mild dehydration.
Loveland resident A.J. Allmendinger, Wilson’s RuSport (also based in Loveland) teammate, was third, 14.132 seconds off the lead. Allmendinger was followed by Canadians Paul Tracy, 47.222 seconds behind Bourdais, and Alex Tagliani.
Bourdais, who won Champ Car races last week in Houston and at Long Beach on April 9, started first after posting the top time at Saturday’s qualifying session, becoming the first driver since Randy Mears between 1988 and 1991 to win four straight poles at the same event.He never has started anywhere but up front since first coming to Monterrey in 2003. He last won on this course in 2004.
NHRA: Brandon Bernstein improved to 10-1 in top fuel finals, beating Cory McClenathan with a quarter-mile run of 4.531 seconds at 329.58 mph in the Pontiac Performance Nationals in Kirkersville, Ohio.
In other divisions in the $1.5 million event, Tony Pedregon won the funny car competition, Jim Yates topped the pro stock cars and Angelle Sampey won the pro stock motorcycles. Pedregon beat Whit Bazemore for his second win in a row and 31st overall.
AMA: Riding a Suzuki, Ben Spies won his sixth consecutive AMA superbike race by sweeping both events this weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.
Spies is tied with Miguel Duhamel, who finished third Sunday, for most consecutive superbike wins. Brad Hendry of Englewood was 21st Sunday and 23rd on Saturday. Jamie Hacking won the superstock race, which was red-flagged because of oil after eight laps, and Eric Bostrom took the formula xtreme race. The supersport event was rained out and will not be rescheduled.
Le Mans: Penske Racing’s Porsche RS Spyders finished 1-2 overall in the American Le Mans at Mid-Ohio in Lexington, Ohio, to become the first LMP2 class team to accomplish the feat.
Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard won in the No. 7 Penske Porsche, with Dumas finishing 0.424 seconds ahead of Lucas Luhr in the No. 6 sister car.
