Sébastien Bourdais wins Dan Wheldon Memorial Trophy
French driver Sébastien Bourdais won the Dan Wheldon Memorial Trophy at the Gold Coast 600, which is awarded to the best international competitor in the 28 driver strong field.
Bourdais, a former Formula 1 driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso, a current IndyCar driver for Dale Coyne Racing, a sportscar driver for Peugeot in the Intercontintal Le Mans Cup and a former four time Champcar World Series champion was snatched up by Triple Eight Race Engineering for this year’s race after making a strong impression at Dick Johnson Racing in 2010.
At this year’s Gold Coast 600, Bourdais dominated the Friday test sessions for the international drivers, setting a best time almost seven-tenths of a second faster than the next closest driver.
Bourdais also took the honour of being the first international driver to win at the new Gold Coast 600 format on Saturday with co-driver Jamie Whincup. After finishing second today, he has now secured the 2011 Dan Wheldon Memorial Trophy, previously known as the International Drivers’ Trophy which was won by Andy Priaulx last year.
Priaulx’s chances of retaining that title were over before race one started with an electrical problem forcing the second Triple Eight car to miss the start, though in today’s race he moved up from fifth on the grid to second behind Bourdais and pressured the Frenchman up until they handed over their cars to co-drivers Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes.
Bourdais and Whincup’s results at the Gold Coast have turned a 100 point deficit into a 143 point lead as Whincup and Lowndes go it alone for the final three races of the year at Symmons Plains, Sandown & Sydney.
