Sebastien Bourdais used pit strategy and good old fashioned skilled driving to take the checkered flag for the first race in the Indy Duel in Detroit, Michigan. Sebastien Bourdais began the day in the 13th starting position when the green flag was waved for the first of 70 laps at Belle Isle Park.
The KSVH Racing team initiated a plan half way through the race that allowed him to get away without running full throttle during the green flag laps, while the front competitors had been conserving fuel. The outcome was that Sebastien Bourdais and Conor Daly, who finished second, didn’t need to take in as much fuel on their final stop, saving them time in the pits. The advantage was good enough to capture the first of the two contests in Detroit.
“We just ran like stink most of the race and worked hard,” said Sebastian Bourdais, who showed he was back in 2015 by winning at Detroit and Milwaukee, his first multi-win season since 2007. “If we put the car up front on Sunday in qualifying, it’s going to be tough to beat.
“Thankfully, it’s not my first rodeo, not the first win. But this one is special. We know we have got more to do. I believe we can put on a good performance again tomorrow and start from higher up. We’ve had such a rough winter,” said Sebastien Bourdais. “It has been such an uphill battle since the beginning of the season. To be able to come out on top today, it means a lot for the whole organization. We’ve been able to put on some stellar performances … we are looking forward to building the program.”
Team Penske controlled the field of competitors for the first half of the race, with three of its four drivers driving in the top three starting spots. In fact, at the halfway point, Team Penske were riding one, two, three and four. But it was not to be as Simon Pagenaud, who led a race high 35 circuits finished in 13th. Will Power experienced a loose wheel in the later stages and came in 13th. Juan Pablo Montoya kept his speed and position but his choice of pitting strategy kept him in third and Helio Castroneves finished in fifth.
Conor Daly and his Jonathon Byrd Hospitality hot-rod finished in an impressive second. The slick teammate of race winner Sebastien Bourdais also followed a similar pit strategy that focused on saving fuel and track position. The decision to go along with his racing partner’s teams strategy paid of in spades giving them a 1-2 finish on the day. Daly was proud of the efforts and was excited to capture a second place prize.
“It’s just sweet,” said Conor Daly, a rookie. “We’ve been through a lot this year, especially coming off Indianapolis, where we finished 29th. That was such a punch in the gut. We had a great car there too but crashed. We always have to fight from the back.”
The Chip Gnassi owned race cars of Scott Dixon and Max Chilton also suffered some serious setbacks that cost them dearly. Dixon and his Target sponsored machine led a lap during the event but suffered electrical problems that caused his day to end, claiming the 19th spot. Chilton didn’t even get going for the Indy Duel in Detroit because he wrecked his car into the wall on the ninth lap of the contest and finished 21st.
The Indianapolis 500 pole position winner James Hinchcliffe, who complained about the track being too bumpy in sections after qualifying Friday, ran up front with the Penske drivers in the beginning stages of the event. Hinchcliffe made a critical error when he drove to hard into a turn and hit the wall. He was able to recover in the garage and return to the race but finished five laps down in 18th place.
The 2016 Chevrolet Indy Duel in Detroit #1 took one hour and 40 minutes to complete. There were a total of 22 cars that averaged 97.857 miles per hour around the 2.350 mile street course. There were a total of eight lead changes and only two cations for eight laps. Sebastien Bourdais reeled in 51 points for his winning effort on Saturday.
Final Results for the Indy Duel Race 1 in Detroit:
1. Sebastien Bourdais
2. Conor Daly
3. Juan Pablo Montoya
4. Graham Rahal
5. Helio Castroneves
6. Carlos Munoz
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay
8. Charlie Kimball
9. Tony Kanaan
10. Alexander Rossi
11. Takuma Sato
12. Gabby Chaves
13. Simon Pagenaud
14. Josef Newgarden
15. Mikhail Aleshin
16. Marco Andretti
17. Spencer Pigot
18. James Hinchcliffe
19. Scott Dixon
20. Will Power
21. Max Chilton
22. Jack Hawksworth
