IndyCar

More engine woes for Bourdais, Coyne and Honda on Thursday

1 Mins read
Sebastien Bourdais showed good speed but suffered an engine failure on Thursday - Credit: Chris Jones / IndyCar

Sebastien Bourdais saw his Thursday practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway cut short after the Frenchman suffered more engine issues on his #18 Dale Coyne Racing machine.

Bourdais retired from the recent Grand Prix of Indianapolis after just three laps thanks to a Honda engine failure, and with a relatively new engine on his car for practice around the 2.5-mile oval, he ground to a halt with smoke exiting the back of his Dallara.

The Frenchman says the loss of track time will hurt more if the forecasted rain falls on Fast Friday, but he feels they have a good package for race day, and knows it is possible to win from the back at Indianapolis.

“We had another engine issue, not quite sure what happened exactly, our engine was almost new,” said Bourdais. “We have a powerful and competitive package, but you have to see the chequered flag.

“It’s unfortunate to miss out on valuable practice time because that’s when you start doing the trims and everything. We were still doing some race set-up stuff and we were going to come back soon to the garage and trim out the car to see what it felt like.

“Obviously, that’s not going to happen, so if weather tomorrow is not very pleasant then it’s going to set us back.

“However, at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if we don’t qualify very well, as long as the race car is competitive that’s all that matters. You can win from the back here.”

13769 posts

About author
Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
Articles
Related posts
IndyCarOpen WheelOpinion

OPINION: Exhibition races have a place in IndyCar. The Thermal Club wasn't the right choice.

2 Mins read
IndyCar is racing this weekend, but not for points. That’s a sentence that hasn’t been written since 2008.
IndyCarOpen Wheel

Dale Coyne Racing adds Harvey, Braun and Siegel in split 2024 schedule

2 Mins read
After months of speculation, DCR announced its 2024 driver lineup on Tuesday, just three days before cars are on track for the first race of the IndyCar season.
IndyCarOpen Wheel

Marco Andretti returns to the #98 for 2024 Indy 500

1 Mins read
IndyCar veteran Marco Andretti will attempt to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 this year the same way he has for the past three: as a one-off affair with Andretti Global’s (formerly Andretti Autosport) #98 car.