'Push to pass' button gives Tracy boost at Long Beach

Except for the beginning and laps around his pit stops, the Canadian-born driver led the 81-lap event.
LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Risk-taking is part of Paul Tracy's racing repertoire.
Early in his career, those risks often produced unpleasant results. All that has changed for the defending Champ Car World Series champion.
"My strategy is always to be more on the aggressive side and take a chance," Tracy said Sunday after making a dangerous second-lap pass pay off for a victory in the season-opening Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Made move early
With Newman/Haas Racing teammates Bruno Junqueira and Sebastien Bourdais ahead of him at the start, Tracy, last year's Long Beach winner, wasted little time in making his move.
After the first lap was run under caution because of a ragged start, the green flag came out for lap two on the tight 1.968-mile downtown street circuit.
Tracy's Forsythe Racing Lola gained momentum at the starting line with the help of Champ Car's new "push to pass" button, which produces an extra 50 horsepower of boost from the turbocharged Ford Cosworth engines for up to a total of 60 seconds during the race.
Tracy darted to the inside of Junqueira, fishtailing precariously for a scary moment before he completed the pass heading into the first turn, a sharp left-hander.
"Bruno braked a little bit sooner than I expected and I jumped out and got a little bit sideways," Tracy said. "I was sliding, but I caught it and slowed enough to get through the corner."
Tracy, who has won four Long Beach races, including three of the last five, was so dominant he never had to use the button again. He finished with 48 seconds of boost remaining and was nearly half the final straightaway ahead of Junqueira at the checkered flag.
Secret weapon
"We were plenty quick to stay out front and get around lapped cars," Tracy said. "But I think the 'push to pass' button is going to produce some great racing this season."
Except for the laps around his pit stops, the Canadian-born driver led the rest of the way in the 81-lap event.
Bourdais, last year's top rookie, finished third, followed by Patrick Carpentier, Mario Dominguez and former Formula One driver and Champ Car rookie Justin Wilson.
Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alex Tagliani also finished on the lead lap.
Junqueira, who has finished second in the points the last two seasons -- behind Cristiano da Matta in 2002 and Tracy last year -- was not pleased with giving up the lead to Tracy at the start or with another new rule that requires two green-flag pit stops by each driver.