Rahal disappointed with Clarke

The American driver crashed out of the race at the start after trying to avoid Clarke, but he was disappointed to be forced out of the way as Clarke made up four places on the opening lap.

"For the start I was trying to pack up behind Justin Wilson, but Clarke seemed to be flat in sixth," said Rahal.

"He figured he would either hit Neel Jani or shoot across the track, and when he shot across the track he squeezed me onto the dirt and it was impossible to steer."

Despite his difficult first weekend in Champ Car, the 18-year-old believes that he will be able to race at the sharp end for the entire season, especially at tracks where his Newman/Haas/Lanigan team have previous experience.

"Although we had a few challenges during the weekend I know I have a great car, and the sort of pace that you need to be well up in the points," he said.

"We need to put this behind us and move onto Long Beach, where the guys know what they are doing so hopefully we'll qualify higher."