Round five of the Champ Car World Series - the Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by LaSalle Bank - takes place at Burke Lakefront Airport this weekend, with the field hoping to finally ground Sebastien Bourdais' winning streak and see their own efforts take off.

After a near perfect standing-start in Portland, there are hopes that the new procedure will help to calm the traditional skirmish at turn one - one of the widest but most infamous on the Champ Car schedule - as, in six of the last seven years, a first lap incident has seen at least one car heading back to the pits.

Ironically, it was turn two that caused problems last season, after everyone steered clear of trouble in turn one, and led to a rare defeat for Bourdais, who was literally knocked out of the race after Paul Tracy's car rolled over the Frenchman's helmet. That allowed AJ Allmendinger free passage to take a second straight win after his maiden success in Portland.

The American is absent this year, having defected to NASCAR, and Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing will be hoping redress the balance after 2006 and steer Bourdais to a fourth consecutive win in 2007.

With a resounding comeback to score NHLR's 100th victory, after falling down to fourth at the start in round four at Portland, Bourdais continues to sit atop the standings for a second consecutive race, with an eleven-point lead over Team Australia's Will Power.

“The McDonald's team won the first two years in Cleveland, but haven't the past two, so I guess we're due there," the Frenchman commented, "We had a great car the first year and then, in the second year, it was kind of a steal because the first row took itself out and we collected the points which was really good. In 2005, we were in the mix and in 2006, but never quite got to the racing, so I would really like to go back and have a competitive car. It would be good to be on top in Cleveland for [Michael] Lanigan and Mi-Jack Promotions. It's another home race for us and it would be great to finish one-two like we did in Houston.”

After a difficult third round, Power regained form in Portland, where he moved up from seventh place on the grid to finish fourth, allowing him to maintain his second spot in the standings ahead rookie Robert Doornbos.

“Cleveland is a very important race for us, as we need to have a very strong result, keep finishing in the points and win another race," the Las Vegas racewinner insisted, "I think Cleveland is the place to do it. I love the track, which is very enjoyable to drive and really suits my driving style. Last year, I made a mistake that cost us a podium and I want to go back and make up for that.”

Dutchman Doornbos continues to make a name for himself with three top-three finishes in four races, but the 25-year old is eager to reach the top step of the podium.