2003 German 500

Last updated
Flag of Germany.svg 2003 German 500
Race details
Race 5 of 18 in the 2003 CART season
EuroSpeedway Lausitz tri-oval diagram.svg
DateMay 11, 2003
Official nameGerman 500
Location EuroSpeedway Lausitz
Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany
Course2 Mile Banked Oval
2.023 mi / 3.256 km
Distance154 laps
311.542 mi / 501.424 km
WeatherMostly Cloudy
Pole position
Driver Sébastien Bourdais  (Newman/Haas Racing)
Time37.000
Fastest lap
Driver Michel Jourdain Jr.  (Team Rahal)
Time36.721 (on lap 133 of 154)
Podium
First Sébastien Bourdais  (Newman/Haas Racing)
Second Mario Domínguez  (Herdez Competition)
Third Michel Jourdain Jr.  (Team Rahal)

The 2003 German 500 was the fifth round of the 2003 CART season, held on May 11, 2003 on the oval track at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany. The race also featured the return of Alex Zanardi to a Champ Car racing cockpit, about a year and a half after he lost both his legs in a nearly fatal crash at the 2001 CART race at the track.

Contents

Qualifying results

PosNatNameTeamTime
1 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas Racing 37.000
2 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Junqueira Newman/Haas Racing37.211
3 Flag of Mexico.svg Michel Jourdain Jr. Team Rahal 37.274
4 Flag of Brazil.svg Mario Haberfeld Mi-Jack Conquest Racing 37.392
5 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Darren Manning Walker Racing 37.532
6 Flag of Mexico.svg Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition 37.690
7 Flag of Spain.svg Oriol Servià Patrick Racing 37.702
8 Flag of Mexico.svg Rodolfo Lavín Walker Racing37.717
9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani Rocketsports Racing 37.732
10 Flag of France.svg Patrick Lemarié PK Racing 37.806
11 Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Vasser American Spirit Team Johansson 37.911
12 Flag of Brazil.svg Roberto Moreno Herdez Competition38.057
13 Flag of Malaysia.svg Alex Yoong Dale Coyne Racing 38.152
14 Flag of Portugal.svg Tiago Monteiro Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing 38.196
15 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hunter-Reay American Spirit Team Johansson38.220
16 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Tracy Team Player's 38.244
17 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Patrick Carpentier Team Player's38.286
18 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joël Camathias Dale Coyne Racing38.558
19 Flag of Mexico.svg Adrian Fernández Fernández Racing 38.666

Alex Zanardi's 13 Laps

With 13 laps remaining in the 2001 American Memorial CART race at EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Alex Zanardi spun on the warm up lane after a pit stop. His car spun directly into the path of the car driven by Alex Tagliani. The t-bone accident immediately amputated Zanardi's legs above his knees. Quick work by the medical team saved his life and by 2002 he was walking on artificial legs of his own design.

For this event a 2002 Reynard Champ Car was modified to include hand controls by Mi-Jack Conquest Racing with assistance from Walker Racing, painted in the same color scheme as the car Zanardi drove in the 2001 season. Prior to the start of the race, Zanardi took to the track and completed the 13 laps to symbolically finish the 2001 race. His fastest lap was clocked at 37.487 seconds which would have put him 5th on the grid for the 2003 race.

Zanardi would go on to return to competitive auto racing in 2004, driving a BMW in the European Touring Car Championship (which would be redubbed the World Touring Car Championship in 2005). On August 28, 2005 he won his first race since the accident at the Oschersleben circuit in Germany.

Race

The end of the race featured a thrilling battle between Bourdais and Dominguez. Dominguez' team appealed to CART officials multiple times claiming Bourdais deserved penalties for blocking but officials sided with Bourdais. In the closest finish of the season, Bourdais edged out Dominguez at the line.

In an effort to reduce freight costs, CART mandated teams run the same aero package for both the Brands Hatch and German rounds. While most teams ran a package more suited to EuroSpeedway, Team Player's committed to running a full road course aerodynamics package for both races. Some were concerned their parts, only designed to hit 190 mph for a brief moment, would not survive the full race with sustained speeds over 210 mph for the entire race. While their parts ultimately held for the full distance, the team saw their strategy completely backfire. After Tracy lost a gearbox at Brands Hatch, the two cars were unable to draft effectively and fought poor handling. Tracy's engine also suffered misfires lowering his speed. After entering Europe with over a full race lead in the championship, Tracy would leave Europe tied with Junqueira for the championship lead with Dominguez, Bourdais, and Jourdain all within one race striking distance of the leaders.

PosNoDriverTeamLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
12 Flag of France.svg Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas Racing 1541:49:22.498122
255 Flag of Mexico.svg Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition 154+0.084 secs616
39 Flag of Mexico.svg Michel Jourdain Jr. Team Rahal 154+0.245 secs314
41 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Junqueira Newman/Haas Racing154+12.042 secs212
520 Flag of Spain.svg Oriol Servià Patrick Racing 154+12.055 secs710
615 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Darren Manning Walker Racing 154+24.602 secs58
732 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Patrick Carpentier Team Player's 153+ 1 Lap176
812 Flag of the United States.svg Jimmy Vasser American Spirit Team Johansson 153+ 1 Lap115
95 Flag of Mexico.svg Rodolfo Lavín Walker Racing153+ 1 Lap84
104 Flag of Brazil.svg Roberto Moreno Herdez Competition153+ 1 Lap123
1131 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hunter-Reay American Spirit Team Johansson152+ 2 Laps152
123 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Paul Tracy Team Player's152+ 2 Laps161
137 Flag of Portugal.svg Tiago Monteiro Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing 152+ 2 Laps140
1434 Flag of Brazil.svg Mario Haberfeld Mi-Jack Conquest Racing 152+ 2 Laps40
1551 Flag of Mexico.svg Adrian Fernández Fernández Racing 152+ 2 Laps190
1619 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Joël Camathias Dale Coyne Racing 152+ 2 Laps180
1711 Flag of Malaysia.svg Alex Yoong Dale Coyne Racing81Mechanical130
1833 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Alex Tagliani Rocketsports Racing 28Mechanical90
1927 Flag of France.svg Patrick Lemarié PK Racing 25Contact100

Caution flags

LapsCause
23-27Debris
83-88Debris

Notes

LapsLeader
1-3 Bruno Junqueira
4-18 Sébastien Bourdais
19-34Bruno Junqueira
35-81 Mario Domínguez
82-98Sébastien Bourdais
99-101Bruno Junqueira
102Sébastien Bourdais
103Bruno Junqueira
104-108Sébastien Bourdais
109-111 Patrick Carpentier
112-114 Jimmy Vasser
115-137Sébastien Bourdais
138-141Patrick Carpentier
142-154Sébastien Bourdais
 
DriverLaps led
Sébastien Bourdais 74
Mario Domínguez 47
Bruno Junqueira 23
Patrick Carpentier 7
Jimmy Vasser 3

The race aired via same-day tape delay on CBS in the United States. Zanardi's laps were shown in their entirety at the start of the broadcast.

Previous race:
2003 London Champ Car Trophy
CART Indycar World Series
2003 season
Next race:
2003 Milwaukee Mile Centennial 250
Previous race:
2001 American Memorial
2003 German 500Next race:
Not Held

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Zanardi</span> Italian racecar driver and handcyclist

Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian professional racing driver and paracyclist. He won the CART championship in 1997 and 1998, and took 15 wins in the series. He also raced in Formula One from 1991 to 1994 and again in 1999; his best result was a sixth-place finish in the 1993 Brazilian GP. He returned to CART in 2001, but a major crash in the 2001 American Memorial resulted in the amputation of his legs. He returned to racing less than two years after the accident; competing in the European Touring Car Championship in 2003–2004 and then in the World Touring Car Championship between 2005 and 2009, scoring four wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Tracy</span> Canadian racing driver

Paul Anthony Tracy is a Canadian-American former professional auto racing driver who competed in CART, the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. He is known by the nicknames "PT" and "the Thrill from West Hill". He was a color commentator on NBC's IndyCar coverage from 2014 to 2021. Since 2021, he competes full time in the Superstar Racing Experience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sébastien Bourdais</span> French racing driver

Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French professional racing driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lausitzring</span> Race track located near Klettwitz, Germany

The Lausitzring is a race track located near Klettwitz in the state of Brandenburg in northeast Germany, near the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic. It was originally named Lausitzring as it is located in the region the Germans call Lausitz (Lusatia), but was renamed EuroSpeedway Lausitz for better international communication from 2000 to 2010. The EuroSpeedway has been in use for motor racing since 2000. Among other series, DTM takes place there annually. It also used to host the Superbike World Championship.

Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) is an American professional open-wheel racing team that currently competes in the IndyCar Series. The team was founded in 1984 and is owned by former driver Dale Coyne. From 1995 to 2000, the team was known as Payton-Coyne Racing, reflecting a partnership with Chicago Bears great Walter Payton. After the 1988 season, Coyne stepped out of the cockpit and turned his talents to the tutelage of several up-and-coming drivers. Once known for competing on budgets far smaller than most of their competitors, the team earned its maiden victory after 25 years at Watkins Glen International in July 2009 with Justin Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Prix of Portland</span> IndyCar Series race held in Portland, Oregon, United States

The Grand Prix of Portland is an Indy Car Series race held at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The race was held every year from 1984 through 2007 first as a CART series race, then as part of Champ Car World Series. After a ten-year absence, the race returned to the IndyCar Series for the 2018 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firestone Firehawk 600</span>

The Firestone Firehawk 600 was a CART series auto race scheduled for April 29, 2001 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was scheduled for 248 laps around the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) oval at TMS. However, it was postponed and ultimately cancelled due to concerns about driver safety. It was the only race in CART history that was canceled outright for safety reasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Canary Foundation Grand Prix of San Jose</span> Motor car race

The 2006 Canary Foundation Grand Prix of San Jose was the ninth round of the 2006 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on July 30, 2006 on the streets of San Jose, California. Sébastien Bourdais dominated the weekend, taking the pole, fastest lap and race win. Finishing second was 2002 CART champion Cristiano da Matta in what turned out to be his final Champ Car event. On August 3 da Matta was severely injured while testing at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin when he collided with a deer on the track. While da Matta recovered to return to racing in 2008, competing in the Rolex Sports Car Series, he has not competed in open wheel racing since. The race is also notable for a shoving match between Canadians Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani in the pits after Tracy crashed into Tagliani while trying to return to the race course from an escape road, ending both their races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Prix of Road America</span> Sport event

The Grand Prix of Road America, also known as the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America for sponsorship reasons, is an IndyCar Series race held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. For twenty-five years, the event was part of the CART series, with the first race being held in 1982. The event was put on hiatus in 2008 after the unification of Champ Car into the Indy Racing League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 CART season</span> Sports season

The 2001 FedEx Championship Series season, the twenty-third in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 20 of the 22 originally scheduled races, beginning in Monterrey, Mexico on March 11 and concluding in Fontana, California on November 4. What would have been the third race in the season, the Firestone Firehawk 600 in Fort Worth, Texas was canceled after qualifying due to safety concerns. The FedEx Championship Series Drivers' Champion was Gil de Ferran, while the Rookie of the Year was Scott Dixon.

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

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">2003 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg</span> Motor car race

The 2003 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg was the first round of the 2003 CART World Series season, held on February 23, 2003 at Albert Whitted Airport and the surrounding streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 London Champ Car Trophy</span> Fourth race of the 2003 CART season

The 2003 London Champ Car Trophy was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 5 May 2003 at the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England in front of a crowd of just under 40,000 spectators. It was the fourth round of the 2003 CART season, the first American open wheel car race at the track since 1978, and the first of two European races of the season. Sébastien Bourdais of the Newman/Haas Racing team won the 165-lap race after he started from the second position. His teammate Bruno Junqueira finished second and Mario Domínguez of Herdez Competition took third.

<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, 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 race'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">2015 IndyCar Series</span> 20th season of the IndyCar Series

The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series was the 20th season of the IndyCar Series and the 104th season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 99th Indianapolis 500, which was held on May 24. Will Power returned as the reigning champion, while Ryan Hunter-Reay was the defending Indy 500 champion. Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturers' champion. Indianapolis 500 and the season finale counted for double points.

<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 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">German 500</span>

The German 500 was an automobile race sanctioned by CART held at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany in 2001 and 2003.