TNT Sports
Wilson top in Toronto
By
Published 10/07/2005 at 22:34 GMT+1
Britain's Justin Wilson emerged unscathed from a dramatic race at Toronto on Sunday to claim his and his RuSport team's first ChampCar victory. The former F1 driver capitalised on a coming together between race leaders Paul Tracy and Sebastien Bourdais to win under yellows ahead of Oriol Servia.
Eurosport
Image credit: TNT Sports
Wilson had got a solid start from third on the grid and spent the first part of the race keeping pole sitter Sebastien Bourdais and feisty Canadian Paul Tracy honest, but a collision between the two title rivals while exiting the first pit stop dropped the Frenchman to tenth while Tracy continued to lead.
A slow stop for Wilson enabled Oriol Servia to get ahead into second and reel in Tracy who had in fact damaged his front wing in the earlier incident and was desperate to make it back to the pits.
Sadly, on the very lap on which he wanted to pit, a accident involving Cristiano da Matta and debutant Ricardo Sperafico brought out the yellows, and thus closing the pit lane. Tracy was forced to complete an extra lap that saw him run out of fuel and out of his home race.
A few more cautions saw Alex Tagliani jump into second behind Servia with Wilson third, but the Brit's superior pace saw him past Tagliani within to laps and gave chase on Servia before easing by with 11 laps to go.
Wilson's team-mate A.J. Allmendinger then took Tagliani for third and RuSport were on course for a 1-3 result before the American crashed into the tyre walls, sending his car backing on track and collecting Mexican Mario Dominguez in what was a hefty shunt.
The yellows came and stayed out until the end of the race with Wilson celebrating his first victory in the States. Servia took second with Tagliani third. Jimmy Vasser claimed fourth with a recovering Sebastien Bourdais fifth.
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