2001 Honda Indy 300

Last updated

Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2001 Surfer's Paradise
Race details
Race 20 of 21 in the 2001 CART season
Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.svg
Map of the track
Date28 October, 2001
Official name Honda Indy 300
Location Surfers Paradise Street Circuit
Queensland, Australia
CourseTemporary Street Circuit
2.795 mi / 4.498 km
Distance65 laps
181.675 mi / 292.370 km
WeatherSunny
Pole position
Driver Roberto Moreno  (Patrick Racing)
Time1:30.204
Fastest lap
Driver Jimmy Vasser  (Patrick Racing)
Time1:34.113 (on lap 57 of 65)
Podium
First Cristiano da Matta  (Newman-Haas Racing)
Second Michael Andretti  (Team Motorola)
Third Alex Tagliani  (Forsythe Racing)

The 2001 Honda Indy 300 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 28 October 2001, at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, before 110,187 people. It was the 20th and penultimate round of the 2001 CART season, the 11th iteration of the Honda Indy 300 and the last race of 2001 to be held outside the United States. Cristiano da Matta of the Newman-Haas Racing team won the 65-lap race from third. Michael Andretti finished second for Team Motorola and Forsythe Racing's Alex Tagliani took third.

Contents

Roberto Moreno won the second pole position of his career by recording the fastest lap in qualifying but de Ferran passed him on lap one. De Ferran pulled away from the rest of the field and retained the lead until the first round of pit stops. Moreno retook first by staying on the track for a lap longer than de Ferran. He lost the lead when he retired with a gear selection problem on lap 54. Da Matta assumed the lead and remained there for the remainder of the race to achieve his second victory of the season and the third of his career. Andretti drew closer to da Matta, but he was instructed to manage his fuel usage and took second place. There were two cautions and eight lead changes among five drivers during the race.

The result won Ferran his second consecutive CART Drivers' Championship as Kenny Bräck could not match his points total this late in the season. Hélio Castroneves maintained third despite not scoring any points but was now tied with Andretti as Da Matta overtook Dario Franchitti for fifth. Honda had already won the Manufacturers' Championship at the preceding Honda Grand Prix of Monterey as Toyota passed Ford Cosworth for second. Reynard still led the Constructors' Championship but Lola lowered the advantage by two points with one race left in the season.

Background

The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit (pictured in 2006), where the race was held. Lexmark Indy track 2006.jpg
The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit (pictured in 2006), where the race was held.

The Honda Indy 300 was confirmed as part of CART's 2001 schedule for the series in August 2000. [1] It was the 11th consecutive year the race was held as part of the series, [2] [3] and the seventh (and last) round of 2001 to be held outside the United States. [4] The 2001 Honda Indy 300 was the 20th and penultimate race scheduled for 2001 by CART. It was held on 28 October 2001, at the 2.795 mi (4.498 km) 12-turn Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Queensland. [4] [5] The Australian press anticipated that 300,000 people would visit the track during the weekend. [2] After organisers of the race voiced concerns over the possibility that it would be cancelled if the Government of the United States barred air travel to Australia had the invasion of Afghanistan deteriorated, CART executives stated that the round would proceed as scheduled but with increased security. [6] The chairman of the race Geoff Jones stated, "CART's outlook has been business as usual, they won't be bowing to terrorism." [6]

Entering the race from Laguna Seca two weeks earlier, Team Penske driver Gil de Ferran led the Drivers' Championship with 179 points, 26 ahead of Kenny Brack of Team Rahal in second. With 141 points, Hélio Castroneves in the second Penske car was third, with Team Motorola's Michael Andretti placed fourth with 125 points and Dario Franchitti of Team Green fifth with 105 points. [7] There were 44 points available for the final two rounds of the season, which meant de Ferran could win his second successive championship if he was 23 or more points ahead of Bräck leaving Australia. [8] [9] Honda had already won the Manufacturers' Championship at the Honda Grand Prix of Monterey as it had an unassailable lead of 316 points. [7] [10] Ford Cosworth and Toyota were equal on points with 266 apiece in second place. [7] With 345 points, Reynard led the Constructors' Championship with an unchallenged advantage of 51 points over Lola. [7]

De Ferran began his charge to the Drivers' Championship lead at the Grand Prix of Chicago in July. He achieved consecutive wins at the Rockingham 500 and the Grand Prix of Houston in the second half of the season to claim the points lead. [5] Although he had not completed a single lap of the Surfers Paradise circuit in 1999 and 2000, de Ferran said he was aware that the race would be of a significant performance to the title battle noting, "The situation is looking relatively good for Marlboro Team Penske, but it's not decided by any means. Heading into Australia last year, we were also in a good position but didn't get through the first corner. Hopefully, we'll be more successful this year." [11] Bräck commented he had not conceded the championship despite having won all four of his races on oval tracks in 2001.

This thing is not over 'til it's over. Sure I'd like to be leading, but I have been in enough championship races to know that we can still pull it off. Actually, we were further behind Gil last year going into Surfers Paradise than we are this year (32 points versus 26 points). So nothing is out of the question. But I would like to score a win and go to California with a strong shot at the championship." [11]

There was one change of driver going into the round. 1997 Atlantic Champion Alex Barron replaced Max Wilson in the No. 25 Arciero-Blair Racing car for the final two races of the season. [12] Team owner Larry Blair made the change based on Barron's performance in the final two rounds of the 2000 season at Surfers Paradise and Fontana and because his experience and input were required to help the team advance. [12] [13] Barron said in a press release that he was looking forward to competing for Arciero-Blair Racing. "Last year, I was in contention to win both events – then we had a mechanical problem. 2001 has been a long year not racing a Champ Car. But I have kept myself in shape by working out, testing the 2002 Atlantic chassis and testing for Firestone at the new tracks in Germany and England. It will be good to be back in CART competition and to race for this new team." [13]

As part of Australian TV going Digital in January 2001, the Local Feed was produced and broadcast in native widescreen (16:9) on Channel 10 Digital. Local Analogue viewers received a letterbox version of the feed, while international viewers got a standard 4:3 feed.

Practice and qualifying

There were three practice sessions preceding Sunday's race. The first practice session on Friday lasted 105 minutes, the second practice running for 90 minutes was held in the afternoon, and the final session took place on Saturday morning lasting 75 minutes. [14] A rain shower on Thursday night made the track slightly wet. [15] Most drivers began on dry slick tyres with a few using wet-weather tyres as they optimised the set-up of their cars. Light drizzle returned to the area 41 minutes into practice, which later turned to a deluge and flooded the track. [16] [17] Jimmy Vasser set the fastest lap of the session with a time of 1 minute, 36.911 seconds, almost one tenth of a second faster than Castroneves in second. Adrián Fernández, Roberto Moreno, Christian Fittipaldi, Cristiano da Matta, Patrick Carpentier, Bryan Herta, Memo Gidley and Michel Jourdain Jr. filled positions three to ten. [18] Carpentier braked too late for the third corner and slid onto a run-off area but avoided striking the wall and reversed onto the track. The first red flag was waved for two minutes as Scott Dixon lost traction at the rear of his vehicle and went broadside into the turn one chicane. Dixon made minor contact with the barrier and stalled his car, requiring assistance from course officials. Carpentier spun for a second time at turn seven and briefly went airborne after driving over a kerb, breaking a front suspension wishbone. Da Matta ran deep at the turn fourteen hairpin and stalled, stopping the session for four minutes as course officials restarted his car. [16] [17]

The rain eased during the interval between the end of the first practice session and the start of the second session and it appeared that efforts to dry the track would commence. However, heavy rain returned to the area 15 minutes before second practice commenced and yellow flags were necessitated when it began, leading CART and track officials to try to stem the amount of running water on the track by sweeping it to the gutters and using a jet dryer to push it off the groove. [19] The track was made drive-able as a consequence of the officials' work. The green flag was waved by series starter Jim Swintal 50 minutes after the session began to signal the start of practice at racing speeds. [18] Five drivers elected to venture onto the track while the rest of the field stayed in the pit lane to be conservative. [17] [18] [20] Casey Mears was fastest with a 1-minute, 57.751 seconds lap on his fourth try, more than 20 seconds slower than Vasser's first practice session lap. Tony Kanaan checked the functionality of his gearbox and was second-quickest, and Fittipaldi completed the lap-setting drivers. [19] [20]

The rain continued until 02:00 Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10:00) and the track was entirely dry with sunny skies before the start of the third practice session. Shinji Nakano and Kanaan went onto the run-off areas at turns eight and nine before the first red flag came for the latter when he slid entering turn two and collided heavily with the left-hand tyre barrier with his car's left-front corner and broke the suspension. A second red flag was necessitated when Tora Takagi slid through the left-hand turn four and glanced the right-hand barrier with his vehicle's right-front corner. Carpentier triggered the third stoppage after stalling in the centre of the circuit between turns four and five and his car was extricated by course officials. The final red flag was needed with 15 minutes left when Herta ran out of fuel and stalled leaving the fourth turn. Paul Tracy spun onto the turn three run-off area but avoid stalling his engine and continued without vehicle damage. [21] De Ferran led the third practice session with a late lap time of 1 minute, 33.511 seconds, followed by Moreno, Franchitti, Castroneves, da Matta, Alex Tagliani, Max Papis, Oriol Servià, Vasser and Nakano. [22]

Roberto Moreno (pictured in 1997) took the second pole position of his career in his 100th start in CART. Roberto Bud suite 97.tif
Roberto Moreno (pictured in 1997) took the second pole position of his career in his 100th start in CART.

Saturday afternoon's 75-minute qualifying session saw cars were divided into two groups of thirteen: group one had drivers ranked 13th through 26th in the points standings and those in 1st to 12th with the fastest non-top-12 drivers from the previous road course race in group two. Both groups were allowed half an hour of on-track time with a 15-minute interval between the two groups recording their fastest lap times to determine the event's starting order. [14] [23] Vasser was the first driver to record a benchmark lap when the first of five red flags was necessitated for Takagi who slid straight across the turn eight left-hander and into the right-hand tyre wall, damaging his car's right-front corner. The second came five minutes after the session restarted when Maurício Gugelmin lost traction in his car on the run into the eighth corner and made broad contact with a retaining wall with his car's right-hand side. [24] Gugelmin was transported to hospital for a fractured bone in his right wrist. [25] Barron went airborne when he rode the kerbs at the turn seven chicane and over-corrected en route to hitting the right-hand barrier. His car trailed fire with a broken oil line and the third red flag was consequently waved. The fourth stoppage was caused by Vasser who lost control of his car on the turn five kerbing and slid broadside into the left-hand wall, breaking his car's left-rear suspension and gearbox. Papis caused the final stoppage when he slid into the turn eleven tyre wall, removing his car's front-left wheel. [24]

In his 100th CART start, Moreno took his second career pole position with a time of 1 minute, 32.095 seconds which he set on the session's final lap. He was joined on the grid's front row by de Ferran whose best time was 0.311 seconds slower and had the pole until Moreno's lap as de Ferran served an eight-minute penalty. [26] [27] Da Matta used his best tyres early on but it left him third since the maximum amount of tyre grip was lost due to the session's disruptions. [27] Tracy took fourth on his final timed lap while Franchitti over-drove and locked his brakes for fifth. [25] [27] Andretti talked to his chief engineer Eddie Jones about changing his car setup during the interval between third practice and qualifying. He was cautious because he did not want to make an error and had not set a fast enough lap en route to sixth. [28] Tagliani was on a new set of tyres towards qualifying's end when his engine lost around 100 hp (75 kW) due to a wedged butterfly engine valve leaving him seventh. Dixon was the highest-placed rookie in eighth and Carpentier qualified ninth. [29] Vasser took tenth and Castroneves eleventh with Serviá 12th. Bräck qualified 13th after changing his car's front wheel and front-left suspension wishbone due to damage from an accident on his first lap. Behind them the rest of the field lined up as Papis, Fittipaldi, Jourdain, the Fernández Racing duo of Fernández and Nakano, Kanaan, Takagi, Bruno Junqueira, Herta, Gidley, Mears, Gugelmin and Barron. [25] [27]

Qualifying classification

Qualifying results
PosNo.DriverTeamTimeSpeedGap
120Flag of Brazil.svg  Roberto Moreno  (BRA) Patrick Racing 1:32.095109.257
21Flag of Brazil.svg  Gil de Ferran  (BRA) Team Penske 1:32.406108.889+0.311
36Flag of Brazil.svg  Cristiano da Matta  (BRA) Newman/Haas Racing 1:32.552108.717+0.447
426Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Paul Tracy  (CAN) Team Green 1:32.605108.655+0.510
527Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Dario Franchitti  (GBR)Team Green1:32.760108.473+0.665
639Flag of the United States.svg  Michael Andretti  (USA)Team Motorola1:32.971108.227+0.866
733Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Alex Tagliani  (CAN) Forsythe Racing 1:33.137108.034+1.042
818Flag of New Zealand.svg  Scott Dixon  (NZL) PacWest Racing 1:33.209107.951+1.114
932Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Patrick Carpentier  (CAN)Forsythe Racing1:33.360107.776+1.265
1040Flag of the United States.svg  Jimmy Vasser  (USA)Patrick Racing1:33.447107.676+1.352
113Flag of Brazil.svg  Hélio Castroneves  (BRA)Team Penske1:33.476107.643+1.381
1222Flag of Spain.svg  Oriol Servià  (ESP) Sigma Autosport 1:33.738107.342+1.643
138Flag of Sweden.svg  Kenny Bräck  (SWE) Team Rahal 1:33.753107.325+1.658
147Flag of Italy.svg  Max Papis  (ITA)Team Rahal1:33.843107.227+1.748
1511Flag of Brazil.svg  Christian Fittipaldi  (BRA)Newman/Haas Racing1:33.947107.103+1.852
1616Flag of Mexico.svg  Michel Jourdain Jr.  (MEX) Bettenhausen Racing 1:33.998107.045+1.903
1751Flag of Mexico.svg  Adrián Fernández  (MEX) Fernández Racing 1:34.035107.003+1.940
1852Flag of Japan.svg  Shinji Nakano  (JPN)Fernández Racing1:34.143106.880+2.038
1955Flag of Brazil.svg  Tony Kanaan  (BRA) Mo Nunn Racing 1:34.319106.681+2.224
205Flag of Japan.svg  Toranosuke Takagi  (JPN) Walker Racing 1:34.355106.640+2.260
214Flag of Brazil.svg  Bruno Junqueira  (BRA) Chip Ganassi Racing 1:34.476106.503+2.381
2277Flag of the United States.svg  Bryan Herta  (USA)Forsythe Racing1:34.721106.228+2.626
2312Flag of the United States.svg  Memo Gidley  (USA)Chip Ganassi Racing1:34.754106.191+2.659
2466Flag of the United States.svg  Casey Mears  (USA)Mo Nunn Racing1:35.401105.471+3.306
2517Flag of Brazil.svg  Maurício Gugelmin  (BRA)PacWest Racing1:35.567105.287+3.471
2625Flag of the United States.svg  Alex Barron  (USA) Arciero-Blair Racing 1;36.867103:874+4.772
Source: [27]

Warm-up

The cars took to the track in dry, warm and clear weather at 10:00 local time for a half-hour warm-up session. [14] [30] Gugelmin was cleared to partake in the event by CART director of medical affairs Steve Olvey following fitness tests. [30] Although he glanced the turn two left-hand barrier and punctured his front-left tyre five minutes in, Jourdain lapped fastest at 1 minute, 34.934 seconds. The Brazilian pair of Castroneves and Moreno were second and third. [30] Serviá, da Matta, Carpentier, Vasser, Dixon, Bräck and Tracy made up positions four to ten. [31] Carpentier ended the session two minutes early when he slid onto a run-off area at the third turn and stalled his engine. [30]

Race

The weather at the start were dry and sunny, [32] with an ambient temperature from 76 to 78 °F (24 to 26 °C) and the track temperature between 114 and 128 °F (46 and 53 °C). [33] Approximately 110,187 people were in attendance. [34] Starter Jim Swintal waved the green flag at 13:57 local time to signal begin the race. [35] [36] De Ferran accelerated faster than Moreno off the line and was ahead of him into the first corner. [36] On the lap, the first caution was displayed when Mears tried to overtake Gidley on the right but braked too late and locked his tyres to avoid striking the rear of Herta's car. He spun on the outside at the turn one chicane and damaged the right-front corner of his car in an impact with a wall. [32] [36] [37] Mears retired due to the damage to his car. He was transported to Allamanda Private Hospital for a precautionary x-ray and treatment to a swollen right index finger. [38] Racing resumed at the start of the third lap as de Ferran led Moreno. [36] On that lap, da Matta out-braked Tracy to pass on the left for fourth at turn three. De Ferran and Moreno began pulling away from the rest of the field, increasing their lead over da Matta to 3.473 seconds by the start of lap ten. Da Matta in turn drew clear from Tracy and Franchitti as Tagliani could not match the Team Green cars' pace. He was 12 seconds behind by lap 12. [32] [36]

Cristiano da Matta (pictured in 2004) took his second victory of the season and third of his career. Damatta usgp 2004 stage.jpg
Cristiano da Matta (pictured in 2004) took his second victory of the season and third of his career.

In the meantime, 11th-placed Serviá informed his race engineer Phil Howard of a mechanical failure and stopped his car between turns five and six with a gearbox failure on lap eleven. [39] Five laps later, Castroneves tried to pass Carpentier at turn five but locked his tyres and narrowly avoided hitting the rear of his car. He braked hard to pull back in line to protect eleventh from Bräck. Green flag pit stops began on lap 20 when Junqeuira entered the pit lane. [36] Franchitti did the same on the next lap when a fuel pressure problem caused his engine to misfire forcing him to make his first stop three laps early. [36] [40] He glanced the turn eight barrier on lap 22 but continued without sustaining major car damage. De Ferran made his pit stop from first on the lap and gave the lead back to Moreno. He led lap 23 before entering the pit lane and relinquishing the lead to Dixon. [36] The extra lap Moreno spent on the circuit put him ahead of de Ferran. [32] On lap 24, the second caution was shown for an incident at turn four. Franchitti sought to recover lost ground when he glanced the turn four left wall and spun under heavy acceleration leaving the corner. He could not reverse out of the area and his car overheated. Franchitti's car was extricated by course officials to allow him to continue driving. [32] [36] [40]

CART chief steward Chris Kneifel barred entry to the pit lane to all racers until the pace car picked up the race leader. [32] Third-placed Carpentier was caught out by this and was sent to the rear of the pack. Takagi did the same but avoided a penalty because he drove through pit road. [36] Moreno retook first place when Dixon made his pit stop for fuel and tyres on the 25th lap. [32] Two laps later, the pace car was withdrawn and Moreno retained the lead with de Ferran second and da Matta third. Moreno began pulling away from the rest of the field. [36] A frustrated Bräck attempted to pass Castroneves on the right but was forced onto the inside of the first chicane. This manoeuvre did not lose or gain any time for Bräck who overtook Castroneves soon after. [37] Franchitti became the third retirement with an engine failure on lap 36. He pulled off onto the turn three run-off area so he could leave his car. On the 40th lap, Castroneves was in seventh when he spun onto the turn eight outside run-off area after brake locking. CART safety officials moved Castroneves' vehicle behind the wall, so his engine could be restarted. He fell to 22nd and a lap behind Moreno. [36] [40] De Ferran lowered Moreno's lead to 4.6 seconds by lap 46. Moreno slowed greatly on the backstraight leaving turn four after losing the use of second gear after feeling a vibration. [32] [36]

Gil de Ferran (pictured in 2005) won his second consecutive CART Drivers' Championship by finishing fourth. Gil de Ferran waving.jpg
Gil de Ferran (pictured in 2005) won his second consecutive CART Drivers' Championship by finishing fourth.

The second round of green flag pit stops began on the same lap when de Ferran and Tracy entered the pit lane. On lap 47, Moreno lost the lead to da Matta who overtook him on the left of turn five. [36] Andretti and Tagliani made their pit stops from fourth and fifth on lap 48, exiting in sixth and eighth respectively. Da Matta and Moreno entered the pit lane the lap after and returned to the track in fourth and sixth respectively. Vasser led the next two laps until he made his pit stop and Dixon took over the position for one lap. [36] After the pit stops ended on the 52nd lap, da Matta regained the lead by 6.3 seconds over Andretti. [32] [40] On lap 53, Moreno began to slow because his gearbox lost oil pressure and he was instructed to retire for safety reasons on the next lap. [32] [36] Tagliani overtook de Ferran for second leaving turn four on lap 54 as the Penske experienced brake fade. Tracy passed de Ferran for fifth on the 55th lap. [36] Team Penske owner Roger Penske suggested that de Ferran fall behind Bräck; de Ferran was hesitant to do so as he felt he was faster than Bräck despite his braking problems. [35] Two laps later, Junqueira struck the right-hand barrier going into turn three and, onto a nearby run-off area and retired due to car damage. He was unhurt. [36] By this point, Andretti reduced da Matta's lead to 4.6 seconds, but his team radioed Andretti that he needed to conserve fuel to finish. [32] [37]

With two laps to go, Dixon slowed with a gearbox problem exiting turn three and fell from eighth to fifteenth. [36] On the final lap, Tracy's car had a sudden rear bay fire in turn eight and he stopped on the start/finish straight. Tracy exited his vehicle, and CART safety officials quickly extinguished the fire. [36] [40] [41] Unchallenged in the final five laps, da Matta crossed the start/finish line after 65 laps to claim his second victory of the season and the third of his career. [32] Andretti followed 5.786 seconds later in second with Tagliani third. [42] De Ferran finished fourth to win the CART Drivers' Champion for the second successive year as Bräck could not catch his points total with one race remaining. [42] Bräck, Vasser, Jourdain, Fittipaldi, Papis and Gidley rounded out the top ten. Carpentier, Nakano, Barron and Tracy filled positions eleven to fourteen. [43] Although Dixon came 15th and scored no points, he won the Rookie of the Year award. [40] The final finishers were Takagi, Kanaan, Herta, Fernández and Castroneves. [43] There were eight lead changes among five different drivers. Moreno led the most laps of any other driver, with 24. Da Matta led twice for a total of 16 laps. [43]

Post-race

"It's a dream come true. It really means a lot to me. I guess I still think of myself as this 14-year-old kid that was racing in go-karts and trying to break through. So for me to be sitting here as a two-time champion of a series that I have a very high opinion of is really unbelievable because I look at it from the view of that 14-year-old boy.

Gil de Ferran on winning his second consecutive CART Drivers' Championship. [44]

Da Matta earned $100,000 for winning the race. [43] He said, "I think my performance is related to the number of people at the races. There were a lot of people in Mexico as well as here today. I think I'm the kind of guy that likes to show off. It's awesome to win in front of a bunch of people. You can feel the excitement. I'm still looking for my big win of the season in the United States though. I'll go back to Fontana for my last chance to do it this season. The team really needed the win and we hope to carry the momentum to the end of the year." [40] Andretti congratulated de Ferran on his championship victory but had mixed feelings over finishing second, "It was a pretty good day. It was a pretty quiet day, but we got pretty lucky before that first yellow. A lot of guys got caught when they closed the pits, but that helped us a little bit." [36] Third-placed Tagliani spoke of his satisfaction with his performance, "I worked real hard for this one, and my crew did its usual outstanding job. Over the last eight qualifying sessions, I’ve been able to be in the fast group and that has enabled me to start closer to the front. Plus, we’ve had a very competitive car for practically every race. If we start next season the way we’re ending this year, we should be in for a great season." [40]

After finishing the race, de Ferran began celebrating his second consecutive CART Drivers' Championship, earning him $1 million. [35] During the celebration, team owner Roger Penske commended de Ferran's perseverance, "Gil did a super job. He came from behind in the points and was fast and consistent when he needed to be. Gil had a lot of pressure on him. It's nice that the championship didn't go down to the wire." [45] De Ferran stated he was "living in a dream" and saw his CART success as comparable to winning the Formula One World Championship, "Certainly, my career was all geared toward going F1, but I can't complain because any driver wants to drive for an operation such as Penske or (F1 front-runners) Williams, Ferrari and McLaren. In a way, I see the Penske organization in a similar light. Penske has not operated in F1 since 1976, but it's a great racing group." [44] Bräck said he was disappointed to lose the championship and put it down to his lack of road course success. [46] Nevertheless, he praised de Ferran and vowed to return to contention in the 2002 season, "We came up short and that's not good, but there are still have a lot of good things from this season that will carry through for me. We'll have to try to win it next year. [44]

The result of the race won de Ferran the Drivers' Championship with 191 points. Bräck was second with 28 less points; Castroneves maintained third position, but Andretti's second-place finish tied him with Castroneves on points. Da Matta overtook Franchitti for fifth with 120 points. [47] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Toyota passed Ford Cosworth for second as leaders Honda led by 34 points. [47] Reynard still led the Manufacturers' Championship with an unchallenged lead of 49 points over Lola with one race remaining in the season. [47]

Race classification

Race results
PosNo.DriverTeamLapsTime/retiredGridPoints
16Flag of Brazil.svg  Cristiano da Matta  (BRA) Newman/Haas Racing 651:51:47.260320
239Flag of the United States.svg  Michael Andretti  (USA) Team Motorola 65+5.786616
333Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Alex Tagliani  (CAN) Forsythe Racing 65+7.526714
41Flag of Brazil.svg  Gil de Ferran  (BRA) Team Penske 65+20.936212
58Flag of Sweden.svg  Kenny Bräck  (SWE) Team Rahal 65+22.5741310
640Flag of the United States.svg  Jimmy Vasser  (USA) Patrick Racing 65+24.706108
716Flag of Mexico.svg  Michel Jourdain Jr.  (MEX) Bettenhausen Racing 65+39.492166
811Flag of Brazil.svg  Christian Fittipaldi  (BRA)Newman/Haas Racing65+40.467155
97Flag of Italy.svg  Max Papis  (ITA)Team Rahal65+42.565144
1012Flag of the United States.svg  Memo Gidley  (USA) Chip Ganassi Racing 65+42.888233
1132Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Patrick Carpentier  (CAN)Forsythe Racing65+46.65092
1252Flag of Japan.svg  Shinji Nakano  (JPN) Fernández Racing 65+46.871181
1325Flag of the United States.svg  Alex Barron  (USA) Arciero-Blair Racing 65+59.65426
1426Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Paul Tracy  (CAN)Team Green65+1:02.6114
1518Flag of New Zealand.svg  Scott Dixon  (NZL) PacWest Racing 65+1:11.9938
165Flag of Japan.svg  Toranosuke Takagi  (JPN) Walker Racing 65+1:21.84720
1755Flag of Brazil.svg  Tony Kanaan  (BRA) Mo Nunn Racing 65+1:22.0133
1877Flag of the United States.svg  Bryan Herta  (USA)Forsythe Racing65+1:22.37022
1951Flag of Mexico.svg  Adrián Fernández  (MEX)Fernández Racing65+1:40.26317
203Flag of Brazil.svg  Hélio Castroneves  (BRA)Team Penske64+ 1 lap11
214Flag of Brazil.svg  Bruno Junqueira  (BRA)Chip Ganassi Racing56Contact21
2220Flag of Brazil.svg  Roberto Moreno  (BRA) Patrick Racing 54Gearbox12 1 2
2327Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Dario Franchitti  (GBR)Team Green35Engine5
2417Flag of Brazil.svg  Maurício Gugelmin  (BRA)PacWest Racing34Gearbox25
2522Flag of Spain.svg  Oriol Servià  (ESP) Sigma Autosport 10Gearbox12
2666Flag of the United States.svg  Casey Mears  (USA)Mo Nunn Racing0Accident24
Source: [32] [40] [43]

Standings after the race

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The Grand Prix of Portland is a race in the IndyCar Series held at the Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The race was an annual event from 1984 to 2007, initially as a race in the CART series, and later as part of the Champ Car World Series. After a ten-year hiatus, the race made its return to the IndyCar Series in the 2018 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 CART season</span> Sports season

The 2000 FedEx Championship Series season was the twenty-second in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) era of American open-wheel car racing. It consisted of 20 races, beginning in Homestead, Florida on March 26, 2000 and concluding in Fontana, California on October 30, 2000. The FedEx Championship Series Drivers' Champion was Gil de Ferran. The Rookie of the Year was Kenny Bräck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IndyCar Monterey Grand Prix</span> IndyCar race at Laguna Seca

The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey is an IndyCar Series race held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California. The event dates back to 1960, and became an American open wheel race in 1983. The race was part of the CART/Champ Car series from 1983 through 2004. After a fifteen-year hiatus, the event returned in 2019 as part of the IndyCar Series, replacing Sonoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 Molson Indy Toronto</span> 1999 CART race held at Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The 1999 Molson Indy Toronto was the eleventh round of the 1999 CART season and took place on July 18, 1999, at the 2.824-kilometre (1.755 mi) Exhibition Place temporary street circuit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 American Memorial</span> Motor race held in 2001

The 2001 American Memorial was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on September 15, 2001 at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany. It was the 16th round of the 2001 CART season and the first race in the series to be held in Europe. Originally known as the German 500, the event's name was changed by CART in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Kenny Bräck won the race for Team Rahal after starting from second position; his teammate Max Papis finished in second place, and Patrick Carpentier was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Harrah's 500 (CART)</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Michigan 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) race held on July 22, 2001, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, before a crowd of 40,000 spectators. Branded as the 2001 Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons, it was the 11th round of the 2001 CART season, the 32nd running of the event, and the last time the event was held to CART rules as it became an Indy Racing League (IRL) race in 2002. Forsythe Racing's Patrick Carpentier won the 250-lap event by 0.243 seconds over Dario Franchitti of Team Green and Bettenhausen Racing's Michel Jourdain Jr. was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey was a CART motor race held on October 14, 2001 at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California, United States. It was the 19th round of the 2001 CART season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Motorola 220</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Motorola 220 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on August 19, 2001, at the Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It was the 14th race of the 2001 CART season, and the 19th annual edition of the event. Chip Ganassi Racing's Bruno Junqueira who started from tenth position won the 45-lap race. Michael Andretti finished second for Team Green and Fernández Racing driver Adrian Fernández was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500</span> Motor car race

The 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 14 September 2002 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, England in front of an estimated crowd of 38,000 people. It was the 15th round of the 2002 CART season, the second Rockingham 500, and the only race of the year to be held in Europe. Team Green driver Dario Franchitti won the 211-lap race starting from fifth position. Cristiano da Matta finished second for Newman/Haas Racing, and Forsythe Racing's Patrick Carpentier was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Molson Indy Toronto</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Molson Indy Toronto was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on July 15, 2001, at the Exhibition Place circuit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the tenth round of the 2001 CART season, the 16th annual edition of the Molson Indy Toronto, and the first of two events that were held in Canada. The 95-lap race was won by Team Motorola driver Michael Andretti, who started from the 13th position. Alex Tagliani finished second for the Forsythe Racing team, and Fernandez Racing driver Adrián Fernández came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) race that was held on June 17, 2001 on the Raceway on Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan for the final time for CART. It was the seventh race of the 2001 CART season. The race was won for the second consecutive year by Hélio Castroneves for Team Penske. Dario Franchitti finished second, and Roberto Moreno clinched third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Rockingham 500</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Rockingham 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 22 September 2001 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, England before 38,000 people. It was the 17th race of the 2001 CART season, the second event of the year to be held in Europe, and the series' first visit to the United Kingdom. Team Penske driver Gil de Ferran won the 140-lap race starting from second position. Kenny Bräck finished second for Team Rahal, and Newman/Haas Racing driver Cristiano da Matta was third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on June 24, 2001, at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was the 8th round of the 2001 CART season. The race was won from the pole in severe wet conditions by Max Papis for Team Rahal. Roberto Moreno finished second, and Christian Fittipaldi clinched third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix, known informally as the 2001 Nazareth 225, was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on May 6, 2001, at Nazareth Speedway in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, USA. It was the 4th round of the 2001 CART season. Rookie Scott Dixon won the race by just four tenths of a second over Kenny Bräck, while Paul Tracy took third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Marlboro 500</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Marlboro 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on November 4, 2001 at the California Speedway, in Fontana, California. It was the 21st and final round of the 2001 CART season and the fifth annual edition of the Marlboro 500 at California Speedway. The 220-lap race was won by Newman/Haas Racing driver Cristiano da Matta who started from second position. Max Papis finished second for Team Rahal and Forsythe Racing driver Alex Tagliani came in third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Molson Indy Vancouver</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Molson Indy Vancouver was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on September 2, 2001 at Concord Pacific Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was the 15th round of the 2001 CART season. Roberto Moreno won the shortened race by five seconds over Gil de Ferran and Michael Andretti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Miller Lite 225</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Miller Lite 225 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on June 3, 2001, at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. It was the 6th round of the 2001 CART FedEx Championship Series season. Team Rahal's Kenny Bräck scored his second career and second consecutive CART race win ahead of a resurgent Michael Andretti and rookie Scott Dixon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland</span> Motor car race

The 2001 Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on July 1, 2001, at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was the 9th round of the 2001 CART FedEx Championship Series season. Team Green driver Dario Franchitti won the race after narrowly escaping a first-turn pile-up and then by gambling on a fuel-saving strategy that saw his car run out of fuel just after crossing the finish line ahead of a hard-charging Memo Gidley and Bryan Herta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Rio 200</span> Motor car race

The 2000 Rio 200 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) auto race held at the trapezoid-shaped Autódromo de Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on April 30, 2000. It was the third race of the 2000 CART season, the fifth running of the event, and the first round of the year to be held outside of the United States. The 108-lap race was won by Patrick Racing driver Adrián Fernández after he started from sixteenth. Jimmy Vasser of Chip Ganassi Racing finished second with Team Green's Paul Tracy third.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami</span> Motor car race

The 2000 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami presented by Toyota was the first round of the 2000 CART FedEx Championship Series, held March 26, 2000, on the Homestead–Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

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Previous race:
2001 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey
CART Indycar World Series
2001 season
Next race:
2001 Marlboro 500
Previous race:
2000 Honda Indy 300
2001 Honda Indy 300 Next race:
2002 Honda Indy 300

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