Rockingham 500

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Rockingham 500
Rockingham Motor Speedway.svg
CART FedEx Championship Series
Venue Rockingham Motor Speedway
Location Corby, Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom
Corporate sponsor Sure For Men (2002)
First race2001
Last race2002
Previous namesSure For Men Rockingham 500 (2002)
Most wins (driver) Gil de Ferran (1)
Dario Franchitti (1)
Most wins (team) Team Penske (1)
Team Green (1)
Most wins (manufacturer) Reynard (1)
Lola (1)
Circuit information
SurfaceTarmac
Length2.380 km (1.479 mi)
Turns4
Lap record25.217 (Jimmy Vasser, Lola-Ford, 2002)

The Rockingham 500 was an annual Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held in 2001 and 2002 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway oval track in Corby, Northamptonshire, England. The race was the first major motor race in the United Kingdom to be held on an oval track with Champ Cars. It was created in the hope of competing with the Formula One British Grand Prix, but CART had difficulty publicising the event.

Contents

The first race, in 2001, was marred by drainage issues and won by Team Penske's Gil de Ferran. It was last held the following year, when the track was hampered by a poor trading environment and inclement weather. For 2003, the race was relocated to Brands Hatch and renamed the London Champ Car Trophy. The race helped Rockingham Motor Speedway establish itself on the global motorsport scene, and it introduced a new type of racing to Britain.

History

During the construction of the Rockingham Motor Speedway in October 1999, former property developer Peter Davies revealed publicly a plan to hold a CART motor race there. [1] In July 2000, it was announced that Rockingham would hold a race for the 2001 season. The event would be Europe's second, following the German 500 at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Germany. [2] The event would take place on a four-turn 1.479-mile (2.380 km) oval track that has banking of up to 7.9 degrees. [3] The organisers signed a five-year contract with CART to hold the event. [4] Champ Cars would race in Europe for the first time since 1978, and on a British oval track for the first time. Several observers questioned CART's chances of staging a race in England, noting that previous similar schemes were unsuccessful. [5] It was started in the hope of competing with the British Grand Prix. [6]

CART encountered difficulties in promoting the race early on. They were unable to adequately educate British motor racing fans about the series. The owners of Rockingham attempted to display an advertisement at the 2001 British Grand Prix, but the owner of Formula One's commercial rights, Bernie Ecclestone, cancelled the plan shortly before it was to take place. In response, a major marketing strategy was implemented. [7] The Michaelides & Bednash agency oversaw the advertising, which began in the printed press in August and included two television commercials and an official poster. [8] The event was hampered by drainage issues on the new track, which forced the cancellation of the practise sessions. The starting order was determined by the drivers' points standings. [9] Its length was reduced from 210 to 140 laps, and Team Penske driver Gil de Ferran won after overtaking pole position starter Kenny Bräck on the final lap. [10] Most drivers praised the circuit but did not criticise the problems affecting it. [11] Despite two days of practice and qualifying rounds being cancelled because of the drainage issues, 38,000 spectators watched the race. [12] The track later had an extra layer added along with a sealant to allow it to drain water. [13]

During the 2002 race preparations, it was announced that a provisional date for 2003 had been set at 4 May. The circuit's chief executive, David Grace, said it provided an opportunity to hold the event at the start of summer, giving motor racing fans "the ideal start" to the season. He noted that moving the dates did not increase the risk of bad weather because the track's meteorological data showed that the months of May and September were the driest of the year. [14] The 2002 event had better weather but fewer attendees. Dario Franchitti of Team Green won the race. [15] Dale Coyne Racing formed a "all-England" team called Team St. George with British American Racing Formula One test driver and ASCAR Days of Thunder series competitor Darren Manning in an attempt to promote the race. [16] Some journalists speculated that the race might not be held because of the cancellation of the German 500 due to financial difficulties. [17] Rockingham renegotiated its sanctioning fee from $4.2 million to $2.8 million, claiming that the German 500's had harmed the event's reputation. [18]

Rockingham Motor Speedway CEO Ashley Power began talks with CART officials in November 2002, hoping to end the race's five-year contract early due to a poor trading environment and inclement weather. He also stated that the track would lose money, contradicting a prediction made by the track's former chairman Peter Middleton in January. [19] This was due in part to the track financing Team St. George, though Rockingham sold sponsorship to recoup some of its losses. [4] On November 25, it was announced that Rockingham Motor Speedway would not hold its scheduled 2003 race, but CART and track personnel stated their intention to look into holding similar events in the future. [20] It was revealed that the track lacked the resources and time to create a marketing programme and find a new title sponsor. The postponement until 2004 would allow them to meet those targets. [21] The race established Rockingham in world motor sport and provided a new attraction for British motor racing enthusiasts. [22] For 2003, it was moved to the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and renamed the London Champ Car Trophy. [23]

Race winners

YearDateDriverTeamChassisEngineRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed
(mph)		ReportRef
LapsMiles (km)
2001 22 SeptemberFlag of Brazil.svg  Gil de Ferran  (BRA) Team Penske Reynard Honda 140*207.06 (333.23)1:20:59153.408 Report [24]
2002 14 SeptemberFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Dario Franchitti  (GBR) Team Green Lola Honda 211312.069 (502.226)1:58:44157.682 Report [25]

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References

  1. ↑ "Rockingham aims to host CART race". Autosport . Haymarket Publications. 5 October 1999. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "F1 Faces Competition from CART in Europe". Atlas F1. Haymarket Publications. 13 July 2000. Archived from the original on 15 February 2001. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "Rockingham". racingcircuits.info. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 Stuart, Jay (2 December 2002). "England's Rockingham parts with CART". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Oval racing comes to the UK!". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 13 July 2000. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "Rockingham could drop CART race". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 18 November 2002. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  7. ↑ Cipolloni, Mark (8 August 2001). "Rockingham ready for CART. Is CART ready for Rockingham?". AutoRacing1. Archived from the original on 18 August 2001. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  8. ↑ White, Jeremy (10 August 2001). "M&B unveils ads for Rockingham" . Campaign . p. 6. Retrieved 22 September 2016– via General OneFile.
  9. 1 2 Fogarty, Mark (23 September 2001). "De Ferran breaks CART drought in soggy England". USA Today . Gannett Company. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Gil de Ferran captures CART's Rockingham 500". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal . Associated Press. 23 September 2001. Archived from the original on 6 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  11. ↑ Benson, Andrew (22 September 2001). "Circuit escapes censure". BBC Sport . Archived from the original on 29 December 2002. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  12. ↑ "De Ferran Becomes Record-Tying 11th Different Winner With Pulse-Pounding First Victory of the Season at Rockingham 500". Champ Car. 22 September 2001. Archived from the original on 5 January 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  13. ↑ "Rockingham boss promises improvements". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 12 September 2002. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  14. ↑ "One month to go to the 2002 Rockingham 500". crash.net. 12 August 2002. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  15. ↑ Wade, Stephen (15 September 2002). "Franchitti blazes to Rockingham 500 title". Napa Valley Register . Associated Press. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  16. ↑ "Manning named Team St. George Rockingham driver". motorsport.com. 6 September 2002. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  17. ↑ "Rockingham gets green light". BBC Sport. 17 July 2002. Archived from the original on 17 December 2003. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  18. ↑ E. Whitaker, Sigur (2015). The Indy Car Wars: The 30-Year Fight for Control of American Open-Wheel Racing. McFarland & Company. p. 104. ISBN   978-0-7864-9832-1.
  19. ↑ "Hands' Rockingham circuit races into problems". The Daily Telegraph . 17 November 2002. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rockingham Removed From 2003 Schedule". Championship Auto Racing Teams. 25 November 2002. Archived from the original on 12 December 2002. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  21. ↑ "Rockingham gives up 2003 CART race". Hurriyet Daily News . Reuters. 28 November 2002. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  22. ↑ "No CART at Rockingham in 2003". crash.net. 25 November 2002. Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  23. ↑ Allsop, Derick (5 May 2003). "American spectacle fails to win over British fans". The Independent . Archived from the original on 8 September 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  24. ↑ "2001 Rockingham 500K". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  25. ↑ "2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500K". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.

Coordinates: 52°30′54″N0°39′27″W / 52.5150°N 0.6575°W / 52.5150; -0.6575

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