In 2017, Sebastien Bourdais went to Toronto for his first appearance at a Verizon IndyCar Series race after a horrific injury at Indianapolis kept him out of the car. After missing one year of the Honda Indy Toronto, he looks to the race as a turning point in his season.
“You kind of have to look at it and just kind of hit the reset button,” Bourdais told the TSN Racing Pod.
Bourdais spent the 2017 aiding the team and replacement driver Esteban Gutierrez from the pit box. While being back at the track aided Bourdais in his absence, missing a year an event presents a challenge regardless of your experience level.
“It’s always difficult to get someone else’s experiences and views,” he explained. “Especially on street tracks because it’s so much about the feel and the confidence, and how much you’re going to challenge yourself in the car and feel the track itself.”
“You kind of come here hoping that things will hold true and we’ll be competitive as we usually tend to be here.”
Aside from resetting his own Toronto experience, the Dale Coyne Racing driver is similarly focused on bringing the #18 Honda back to victory lane. Having opened the season with a victory in St. Petersburg before a string of bad luck races, Bourdais is trying to ensure that his performance matches his pace for the rest of the season.
“We’ve had really, really solid pace since the beginning of the season and won [St. Petersburg],” he said. “Ever since, we could have scored more podiums and top fives, we just end up with 13th or 10th, 11th, this or that. It’s a bit frustrating, annoying, disappointing.”
“At least there is potential, rather than just having a lack of pace and not knowing where to go from there.”
The four-time Champ Car series champion boasts a record of two wins and five podiums on the streets of Toronto.
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