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GPUpdate
Power wins amid Toronto bedlam
Australia’s Will Power has increased his championship lead by winning the first of two races in Canada this season. After starting second to Justin Wilson, the Penske driver was joined on the podium by reigning Champion Dario Franchitti and Ryan Hunter-Reay although 2008 title winner Scott Dixon failed to finish.
With Wilson retaining the lead for Dreyer and Reinbold at the start, a poor getaway by Power saw him drop back to sixth behind team-mate Helio Castroneves, Hunter-Reay, Franchitti and Dixon. There were problems in the midfield, too, as Dan Wheldon misjudged his braking point and tapped the back of E.J. Viso, meaning a new front wing was required for the former.
With a generally clean first 15 tours of the street circuit, drama came on Lap 16 when KV Racing’s Takuma Sato preserved his reputation as a crasher this year by hitting the wall and retiring, bringing out full course yellows in the process; during the neutralisation, all but Vitor Meira and local favourite Paul Tracy pitted, as the two moved into the lead of the race.
Behind, a highly efficient stop for Castroneves allowed him to grab third from Franchitti, Power and Wilson; however, it was short-lived joy for the Brazilian as he clipped Meira’s car at the restart and flew into the tyre wall in the Turn 3 escape road, thankfully escaping unharmed.
The subsequent caution period was followed by a crash for Alex Lloyd at Turn 1 and another accident as Mario Romancini was harpooned by Mario Moraes at the third corner. Finally, Lap 31 brought with it a clean restart as Franchitti duly overtook Tracy for the top spot, with the KV man – who eventually finished 13th – pitting three laps later. However, a fourth full-course caution soon arrived as Moraes caused another incident, this time forcing Romancini into a spin.
A less action-packed round of second stops featured what appeared to be a great tactical move by Franchitti and the Ganassi team, with both Power and Wilson running into back-markers, although the pair immediately pitted a lap later and were able to rejoin fractionally ahead of the Scot.
More Canadian carnage was to follow, though, as – following a spin for Bertrand Baguette - Graham Rahal hit the back of Ryan Briscoe and ended the Australian’s day in the wall at Turn 3. There was then more carnage as Marco Andretti gave Raphael Matos too little space, spinning the Brazilian, who was duly hit by Viso. Tracy also encountered problems, spinning in a failed attempt to catch Simona de Silvestro.
Tragedy for Wilson and Dale Coyne cane at the Lap 72 restart, as the leader ran wide and allowed Power to charge through. However, it was to get worse as the ex Minardi and Jaguar Formula 1 driver then defended from Franchitti, only to spin and drop to 14th before managing to climb back to seventh; the Champion, meantime, was up to second.
The final yellow of the race came out when Tagliani and Tomas Scheckter, who came together in Toronto last year, repeated their antics in 2010. The moment was followed by an all-green sequence of eight laps prior to the chequered flag, with Power leading home Franchitti and Hunter-Reay (who managed a podium place despite late-race contact with Dixon which put the New Zealander out of action at Turn 3) as Andretti Autosport saw its four cars finish in the top eight.
The Canadian double-header continues as the series move to Edmonton for Round 11 of 17 next weekend
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