Team Australia has had a day to forget in the Generac Grand Prix of Road America as both Will Power and Simon Pagenaud experienced problems in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin today. source: teamaustraliamotorsport.com Power had a gearbox problem sideline the #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 after only 25 laps, a costly problem for the Australian as championship rival Sebastien Bourdais was able to win today's race and further extend his series lead as Power failed to score a significant points haul. Power started alongside Bourdais on the front row of the grid but was lost two positions at the start of the race when his car failed to engage first gear off the starting line. The Toowoomba-born driver then pitted earlier than anticipated to change from the option 'red' tyres to the standard 'black' tyres, as the reds were not handling well around the 4.048-mile (6.515 km) circuit. Power's car was back to its best, but as last year's Champ Car Rookie of the Year worked at chasing down a podium finish his car jammed in fourth gear due to a gearbox problem, ending his race and classifying him in 16th position. Simon Pagenaud was caught up in an accident on the first lap of the race entering Turn 5, causing him to make contact with Paul Tracy. The Frenchman pitted on lap four to replace a broken front wing as a result of the contact, and further time was lost when last year's Atlantic champion stalled twice in pit lane. He recovered to finish 11th and now sits eighth in the championship standings, while Power remains third in the series points but now lies 53 points behind Bourdais, who won today's race ahead of Dan Clarke and Graham Rahal. The Champ Car World Series now heads to Europe for Rounds 11 and 12, with the first event at the Zolder circuit in Belgium on August 26 followed by the second race at Assen in Holland one week later. WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY ... Will Power - #5 Aussie Vineyards Team Australia DP01 "I think off the start line it didn't go it into gear properly and I got a neutral and lost a couple of spots," said Power. "From there I really struggled on the red tyres, the car was basically impossible to drive for us, so we pitted early and went out of sequence and then when we put the black tyres on and it made the car completely opposite handling-wise and it made the car really good. "Halfway through the second stint the car kept getting stuck in fourth gear and something broke in the gearbox and jammed up. There was nothing we could do from there. "We go on to Europe now and have to work on getting two really good podiums. The Team Australia guys did a great job and we will keep on soldering on. The season is not over yet."
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