Preview of Sunday's Houston Grand Prix

This season will also see America’s top open-wheel racing series become the first U.S. sports organization to telecast an event in China.

Now the Chinese fans can follow every lap of Pay By Touch action at the Grand Prix of Houston and the other races leading up to the inaugural Champ Car Grand Prix of China as the series has reached an agreement for Champ Car World Series races to be carried nationwide throughout China.

As a result, the Grand Prix of Houston and the city (and Pay By Touch) will be exposed to more than 800 million viewers throughout the world’s most populous country.

On to the preview:

Grand Prix of Houston

TV: ESPN 2:00 pm CST - Sunday

Grand Marshall: Roger Clemens
Website: Houston Grand Prix


Grand Prix Roars Into
Speedway at Reliant Park!

The Grand Prix of Houston begins today at JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park, with on-track action all day including American Le Mans and Champ Car qualifying.

Tonight at 8:30 p.m., rock legend Paul Rodgers performs on the Budweiser stage for a concert that is free to all ticket holders. Great tickets are still available!

The City of Houston and the Grand Prix of Houston will be exposed to millions of racing fans around the world next weekend, thanks to four national television broadcasts and a number of international broadcast agreements.

The Champ Car Grand Prix of Houston on Sunday, April 22 will be televised live on ESPN at 2:00 p.m. (CST). The race will be the first broadcast as part of a new multi-year television partnership between the Champ Car World Series and ABC/ESPN. Rick Benjamin and Jon Beekhuis will be in the booth, with Cameron Steeles, Bill Stephens, and Michelle Beisner calling the action from the pits.

Pay By Touch driver, Tristan Gommendy, led the Long Beach Race for 13 laps last week, giving Pay By Touch significant TV time, but unfortunately, with no yellow flags, had to stop "for a splash of gas which relegated him to 11th."

He is in 6th place in points and his 13 laps in first place was his first experience leading a Grand Prix event. From www.autoracing1.com:

Robert Doornbos (#14 is amongst the rookies that will have to learn a new track once again, but as he has proved in his first two races in the Champ Car World Series, he is adapting quickly to what is put in front of him. If it wouldn’t have been for a lengthy pit stop in Long Beach, the Dutchman was on his way to what could have been another top-five finish and despite a somewhat disappointing finish at Long Beach, Doornbos heads to Houston as the class of the rookie field.

Dueling with Doornbos for the Rookie title is PKV Racing driver Tristan Gommendy (#22 Pay by Touch Cosworth/DP01/Bridgestone) who led his first laps of the season in Long Beach ahead of fellow countryman Bourdais. Gommendy paced the field for 13 laps but came up short on his pit strategy and had to pit which relegated him to 11th. However, Gommendy is in sixth place on the points chart. This is the last race until June 10th in Portland at the Portland International Speedway.