GoPro Indy Win for Briscoe at Sonomo

Will Power took pole position for the third straight time in the 85-lap GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma this weekend, but it was team mate Ryan Briscoe who took the checkered flag, with Penske Racing claiming first and second place in this popular annual auto racing event. Briscoe crossed the finish line 0.4408 of a second ahead of Power in an exciting battle for first place. Calling his win a ‘confidence builder’, Briscoe was quoted as saying that he has always done well at Sonoma, having earned his first-ever pole position at the track in 2005, and it was great to finally get a win. As the seventh different winner in the thirteen race IZOD IndyCar Series this season, clearly the competition is stiff and the final two races are going to provide plenty of action.

Power had been in the lead for most of the GoPro Indy Grand Prix, but was caught behind slow traffic following his pit stop which cost him precious time. The hold up was as a result of a crash involving Josef Newgarden and Sebastien Bourdais where Bourdais lost control of his car, reportedly due to cold tires, and slammed Newgarden into a barrier. Both drivers escaped serious injury, with Newgarden injuring his left index finger. Briscoe took his pit stop on the following lap, giving him an advantage over Power and from there on out kept first place, noting that he had a ‘great battle with Will at the end’.

Other incidents in Sunday’s race included Alex Tagliani connecting with Ryan Hunter-Reay, spinning him out of the race with only ten laps to go. Hunter-Reay finished the race in 18th place. Driving for Penske Racing, Helio Castroneves finished sixth and picked up a penalty for making contact with Scott Dixon on the opening lap of the race.

The top ten in the IZOD IndyCar Series GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma were, in order: Ryan Briscoe, Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Rubens Barrichello, Graham Rahal, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud, JR Hildebrand, Alex Tagliani and Tony Kanaan. The final two races of the season are the Grand Prix of Baltimore on September 2, and the MATV 500 at Fontana on September 15.