Bourdais still worried about standing starts

Sebastien Bourdais is able to joke (sort of) about last year's race in Portland, when he was jumped at the start and finished third on a day that belonged to A.J. Allmendinger. it’s not exactly the best memory we ever had in Champ Car," he said. "It was probably the worst start I've ever seen in this series."

Bourdais had qualified third, but to his disbelief, "by the time we got to the first chicane (series of S-curves), I was in seventh."

The start could be an issue again this year, because for the first time in series history Champ Car will use a Formula-One type standing start for Sunday's race.

It should make for great theater on television, and it will give fans on the front straightaway a thrill, but Bourdais reiterated what he said here last month during a break in testing.

It is a mistake.

Bourdais said this year's start "might be worse" than what happened last year.

"Obviously, it's going to be different with the standing start, so we'll see," he said. "I just hope that everybody gets off the grid and nobody gets run into, because safety-wise it's a big concern as far as I'm concerned. . . . I think there is definite potential for guys to hurt themselves, especially if someone stalls at the front of the grid." Oregonian