CART: Lehto Scores Top Five in Australia
19 October 1998
Race: Gold Coast Indy, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, AustraliaDate/Session: Oct. 18, 1998 Race Report
Lehto Scores Top-Five Finish In Gold Coast Indy Australia
Mercedes-Benz Powers Five of Top 12
JJ Lehto posted the first top-five finish of his Champ Car career at the Gold Coast Indy in Surfers Paradise, Australia. Capitalizing on the fuel efficiency of the Mercedes-Benz IC108E engine, the CART rookie combined a strong, clean drive with good pit stop strategy to lead the Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Team on the 2.795-mile street circuit.
Lehtos Hogan Racing Reynard/Mercedes was the first of three Mercedes-powered cars among the top 10 and the first of five among the top 12. Alex Zanardi won the race, which was shortened from 65 to 62 laps as seven yellow flag caution periods threatened to extend the event beyond the CART-mandated two-hour time limit.
Players/Forsythe Racing driver Greg Moore overcame adversity to finish eighth. Early in the race, the brake pedal on his Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes broke off, lodging itself underneath the accelerator. Moore pitted under caution on lap 22 to allow his crew to remove the piece, then clawed his way back through the field, despite the handicap of the broken pedal.
Moores teammate Patrick Carpentier also enjoyed a top 10 finish. Choosing not to pit when most of the rest of the field did during the first caution period, Carpentier moved up from 16th on the starting grid to run sixth. After several close battles, one of them with his teammate Moore, Carpentier finished ninth.
PacWest Racing also employed the Mercedes V8s fuel efficiency, combating handling problems with good pit stop strategy. Motorola driver Mark Blundell, who started 17th, finished 11th, and Mauricio Gugelmin, who started the Hollywood car 21st, finished 12th. A similar plan helped Marlboro Team Penskes Andre Ribeiro move up from 22nd on the starting grid to 13th at the finish.
After running among the top 10, surviving a close call with Jimmy Vasser and nearly being black flagged by CART when his car began inexplicably smoking, Team Alumax rookie Helio Castro-Neves crashed out of the race on lap 54. He was ranked 21st at the end.
Al Unser Jr. and his Marlboro Team Penske crew persevered through two incidents, with Unser returning to the race after lengthy pit stops to repair suspension damage. He finished 22nd.
Mercedes Quotes
JJ Lehto, No. 9, Hogan Racing Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: Fifth
"Im very happy. We stayed out of trouble, and we were quite
competitive. We werent losing to anybody today. I was really happy with
the car in the morning and during the race. It was really hard to pass
anybody on the track, but we had very good pit stops and made no mistakes.
We were a bit tight on fuel at the end, but we made our decision to run
lean and gamble. Its a good boost for the team. Every time weve had a
good race going this season, wed have bad luck. But this time, everything
went okay."
Greg Moore, No. 99, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: Eighth
"The pad on the brake pedal broke off and got stuck behind the
accelerator. I was just worried it would come loose and get behind the
brake. Once we made that extra pit stop to pull the pad out, we were just
playing catch-up. We were running really lean to conserve fuel, but we
were
quick through the corners, and I was catching guys under braking. We just
didnt have enough today."
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone:
Ninth
"I had some good battles today, including with Greg (Moore).
The
team made no mistakes, and the engine was great. I actually enjoyed the
engine on a leaner calibration. For me, it was easier and faster to drive.
We had a good runno mistakes. At the end we were hoping for no more yellow
flags. Twice I was about to pass, and the yellow came out."
Mark Blundell, No. 18 Motorola Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 11th
"We finished in the points, which is good. The guys did good
pit
stops, and we had good strategy, running lean all day. We were looking
good
until that last yellow flag. Thats just one of those things; its racing.
At least we got a couple of points in the bag."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17 Hollywood Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 12th
"We had a car that was pushing a lot today. We finally got the
rear
end working, but the front was pushing so much that I was really slow from
mid-corner out. And it was affecting my exit speed out of the corners. The
team decided to conserve fuel right from the start, and the strategy was
right on. The team worked really well. We just didnt have the car to do
it. It was a long day."
Andre Ribeiro, No. 3 Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: 13th
"Mechanically, the car ran well. We struggled all day with a
lack
of grip but had good strategy, and it felt good to run in front. Our plan
worked perfectly, but unfortunately, our strategy was lost with the timed
race and late yellows."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 16 Alumax Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 21st
"I was just trying to finish the race and, hopefully, get some
points. Unfortunately, I clipped the wall and broke the left wishbone.
When
I went to the brakes for the next corner, the car pulled right and into
the
wall. It was a terrible weekend for Bettenhausen Motorsports. We just have
to keep going and be positive for the next race."
Al Unser Jr., No. 2 Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: 22nd
"When we settled down after the start, the Marlboro
Penske/Mercedes
went loose, so we had to stop early, which cost us track position. Richie
(Hearn) and I got together going into the hairpin (lap 19), so we had to
come in and replace the top front left A-arm, which cost us three laps.
Then, on the lap 45 re-start, I got hit from behind, and the track bar
broke, so it was back to the pits for another lengthy stop. The crew hung
in their and did a great job of keeping me going today."
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