PORTLAND, Ore. -- Sebastien Bourdais says there's the potential for a few stalls at the starting line of the Portland Grand Prix. His teammate, Graham Rahal, says things will go just fine from the standing start.

Rose Festival photo

Cars race down the track during one of last year's races.

The annual Pacific Northwest stop for Champ Car will be the first in the history of the series to use the standing start. And, as with all firsts, the drivers are curious to see how it works.

Standing starts, with cars starting the race at a standstill, are typically a Formula One fixture, while Champ Car has used a rolling start. The race Sunday on the road course at Portland International Raceway will start from a dead stop on the front of the straightaway.

Bourdais, the series points leader, has been critical of the move after many cars stalled during testing as they dropped their clutches.

Bourdais says it's a fine line between the perfect start and a total disaster.