JULY 3, 2007

Minardi is a winner!

Minardi Team USA scored its first victory in the Champ Car World Series at the weekend at Mont Tremblant in Canada, with Robert Doornbos, a Champ Car rookie, beating the pack and equalling Sebastien Bourdais in the championship standings.

The 25-year-old Dutchman, who raced in F1 before heading off to America, took advantage of poor weather. Doornbos finished ahead of Bourdais on the track, with the Frenchman complaining loudly that Doornbos had block him unfairly when he was trying to overtake, claiming that Doornbos chnaged lines three times. Bourdais refused to shake Doornbos's hand on the podium, saying that he has a right to say what he thinks even if the race officials failed to notice the move, or chose not to penalise it.

It was a complicated race with pole position winner Tristan Gommendy unable to take the start and fellow front row man Will Power stalling.

Power fought through the field to finish third ahead of his Team Australia team-mate Simon Pagenaud, who was leading in the closing laps before the other three drivers caught and passed him.

Justin Wilson was fifth with Neel Jani sixth and Graham Rahal, who led in the middle of the race, until the car cut out during a pit stop, seventh.