Bourdais Penalized at Honda Indy 200
The ENEOS-sponsored Dale Coyne Racing team had a disappointing day at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday. While both cars showed strong race pace, unfortunately both finished just outside the top ten.
For Sebastien Bourdais in the #18 Team SealMaster Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan, he fell victim to an early race incident and a mid-race penalty in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, PH. Bourdais qualified fifth and was running fifth prior to his first pit stop on lap 12. Three laps later, he was hit from behind and spun by Colton Herta, losing valuable track position. Bourdais continued to fight and regained much of the lost ground prior to pitting for the second time. Unfortunately, upon entering pit lane he exceeded the speed limit and was assessed a drive-through penalty. Rejoining in 13th place, Bourdais continued to battle. He picked up two positions, earning valuable championship points with an 11th place finish.
Meanwhile, DCR driver Santino Ferrucci had to settle for 12th place aboard his #19 Cly-Del Manufacturing car. The rookie, who started the 90-lap race in 12th, couldn’t avoid a first lap incident at the start of the race and suffered damage to his front wing. While he was able to continue racing with the damage, he fell to 16th by the end of the first lap.
From then on, the driver from Woodbury, CT slowly made his way back through the field. Thanks to his strong pace and other cars pitting early, Ferrucci was sitting in fifth when he made his initial pit stop at the end of Lap 27. Ferrucci exited the pits in 13th and the team elected to pit out of sequence, instructing him to enter pit lane from 12th position for his second stop at the end of Lap 37.
The 21 year-old continued in that position following his stop and, despite making it all the way back up to third before his final trip to pit lane on Lap 65, he would remain in 12th for the majority of the remaining 25 laps.
“The race started well but I got caught up in an incident in front of me. I couldn’t stop in time and drove right into the back of Rahal’s car,” said Ferrucci. “Unfortunately, we lost a lot of spots and we broke the front wing. The car was still drivable despite the damage but driving 90 laps around this track with a broken front wing was a challenge. At the end of the day, I think we raced really well to come back to 12th. The team did a great job and our pit stops were really good. Now I can look forward to my home race in a few weeks.”
NEXT RACE
Round 14 of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season will be the ABC Supply Inc 500 on August 17-18 at the Pocono Raceway tri-oval in Long Pond, PA.
