Bruno Junqueira of Brazil was second on the 2.5-mile circuit at Zolder. Graham Rahal, Bourdais' rookie teammate at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, was third despite starting from 13th on the grid.

Bourdais is bidding to become the first driver to win four straight Champ Car series titles. The Frenchman, in his last Champ Car season before joining Formula One, also won this year at Long Beach, Houston, Portland, Edmonton and Elkhart Lake.

The Champ Car circuit will be in the Netherlands next weekend. Races in Australia and Mexico follow before the season-ending event in Phoenix.

Bourdais began cleanly while Dutch rookie Robert Doornbos overtook Will Power, who started next to Bourdais on the front row, on the first turn. Bourdais quickly pulled away from Doornbos and Power before the safety car came out on lap 16 because of loose stones on a curve.

All drivers took the opportunity to pit, and Bourdais, Doornbos and Power held on to their top three places.

Bourdais stretched his lead after the pit stop only to see the field bunched again when Alex Figge skidded into a gravel trap on lap 26, bringing the second caution flag. After the leaders pitted for the second time, 18-year-old Rahal went ahead and Bourdais dropped to seventh.

Bourdais went into the pits for the third time after Minardi Team USA driver Mario Dominguez lost a rear wheel, bringing another warning flag. When racing resumed, Simon Pagenaud had taken the lead from Jan Heylen of Belgium and Tristan Gommendy, but all three had pitted twice. Bourdais was in fifth place.