LONG POND, Pa. – Four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais has seen a lot of things over the course of his driving career, but what he saw Sunday at Pocono Raceway made him reluctant to return to the seat of his No. 18 SealMaster Honda.
Bourdais, the lead driver for Dale Coyne Racing, made it through the multi-car accident on lap seven of the ABC Supply 500 that shredded five cars and sent Canadian rookie Robert Wickens to the hospital, as well as took out a large portion of protective fencing in the second turn.
Cleanup from the crash and subsequent fence repairs forced a one hour and 56 minute red flag, at the end of which Bourdais initially refused to get back in his car and continue.
At the urging of team owner Dale Coyne, Bourdais eventually climbed in and resumed along with the rest of the field, later expanding on why he hesitated during NBC Sports’ post-race television coverage.
“I’m old but I’m not wiser,” noted Bourdais. “Everybody’s in the seat and you gotta go. I wasn’t happy with it at all. The construction guys said thumbs-up; I’m glad nobody tried it because I’m not sure that would have been satisfactory. It’s just tough moments.
“When we saw the extent of the damage I had a pretty good idea that it wasn’t gonna get fixed properly, and it wasn’t. The cables were loose, and it was just like … it was pretty lousy. So I wasn’t happy with it at all.”
Bourdais also recalled what he saw of the crash during the lengthy red-flag period.
“Just a cloud of debris, and big chunks, like big pieces. Saw Robert in the fence and that’s the worst sight, really … other than being in it,” said Bourdais. “I was really worried for him, seems like he’s conscious and awake – he’s hurt – but I hope not too bad. He’s alive.”
The Frenchman ultimately finished fourth in the race, but his thoughts – as everyone else’s were – remained with Wickens and his family.
“I am just happy that Robbie’s injuries are not life-threatening and the other guys are OK. That is the main thing,” said Bourdais. “As for the race, it was a good day for the SealMaster Honda No. 18 team. It was a solid finish, fourth place. There were obviously some weird circumstances.
“It’s tough to get your head back in the game after something like that, but we pulled through as we usually do,” he added. “It was a solid effort by the whole team. I am really proud of the guys. It was a good day for us.”
Alexander Rossi led 180 of 200 laps en route to victory on Sunday, his third win of the year.
