Motorsports

Fortune favors Bourdais

EDMONTON - Sebastien Bourdais earned an unlikely victory Sunday in the inaugural Grand Prix of Edmonton, and all it took was a mistake-free race on a day when nearly everyone else was messing up.

The reigning Champ Car series champion, who started 10th after crashing in qualifying Friday on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn street circuit, earned his first victory since the opener in April at Long Beach.

The French native and Tampa resident took advantage of mistakes by A.J. Allmendinger and his RuSport teammate, Justin Wilson.

"It was a pretty unexpected win today. I would have been happy with a top five," Bourdais said.

Oriol Servia gave Newman/Haas Racing a 1-2 sweep, finishing 0.596 seconds behind his teammate.

Allmendinger, last year's top rookie, earned his first career pole and was close to his first victory until he hit a wall while leading with eight laps left. Allmendinger, who led a race-high 40 laps, damaged his transmission and wound up 14th.

"I just threw it away," he said. "I can't say any more than that right now."

Wilson was trying to conserve fuel late as he ran second behind his teammate. But on a Lap 79 restart, Wilson suddenly spun. He fell to eighth before getting back in line and wound up fourth, just behind Paul Tracy.

Bourdais extended his season points lead over Tracy from 15 to 21.

WOMAN WINS AGAIN: Katherine Legge won the minor-league Toyota Atlantic race in Edmonton. Legge, an Englishwoman who won her Toyota Atlantic debut in April in Long Beach, Calif., passed pole-sitter Charles Zwolsman for the lead on the 19th of 32 laps.

Legge is the only woman to win twice in an international open-wheel series and is the only female driver to win in Toyota Atlantic. Danica Patrick's best Atlantic series finish in two seasons was second before she moved up to the Indy Racing League this year.

NHRA: Tony Schumacher won the Top Fuel class, beating Morgan Lucas with a quarter-mile run of 4.617 at a top speed of 331.45 mph at the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo. Robert Hight beat Phil Burkhart in the Funny Car final, Warren Johnson took Pro Stock when Dave Connolly jumped the start and Ryan Schnitz topped Antron Brown in Pro Stock Motorcycle.

[Last modified July 18, 2005, 01:38:10]