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CART: Brazilians Sweep Podium at Portland

26 June 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Gil de Ferran made it two in a row for Team Penske by winning Sunday's Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 at Portland International Raceway and became the first repeat winner of the 2000 CART FedEx Championship Series. For the first time in CART history, Brazilian drivers claimed all three spots on the victory lane podium. De Ferran assumed the lead from teammate Helio Castroneves with fewer than 10 laps remaining in the 112-lap contest when Castroneves pitted for a splash of fuel, then held off Roberto Moreno and Christian Fittipaldi to notch his fifth career Champ Car triumph. The result tightened the driver's championship points standings as pre-race points leaders Paul Tracy and Jimmy Vasser failed to finish Sunday's race. Moreno assumed the lead by one point over race winner de Ferran.

Luiz Garcia Jr. led the five-car Mercedes-Benz contingent with a 14th-place finish for the Hollywood/Arciero Project Racing Group team. Bryan Herta, pinch-hitting for injured Tony Kanaan in the Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Mercedes, started in 20th place and moved up six places on the start when several cars tangled in the Festival Curves at the end of the front straight. But Herta's troubles began with his first scheduled pit stop, when his team could not get the flap on the fuel filler to open -- requiring Herta to pit again on the next lap. The crew freed the device and fueled the car, but the lengthy stop put the pilot two laps down. On his second scheduled pit stop, Herta incurred a pit-lane entry line violation and was forced to take a drive-through penalty which cost him an additional lap. In the final segment of the race, Herta drove consistently quick laps and finished 16th.

Mauricio Gugelmin pulled off course at Turn Two on lap 63 with a mechanical problem, and subsequently retired from the race. The PacWest Nextel Mercedes driver finished 19th. Teammate Mark Blundell parked his Motorola Mercedes shortly after the first round of pit stops with a mechanical problem and finished 20th. Michel Jourdain Jr. experienced an engine misfire at the green flag, and pitted a few laps later to allow the Herdez/Bettenhausen Mercedes crew to repair the problem. Jourdain Jr. returned to the track, but a subsequent misfire resulted in a broken header, ending his day.

Results, Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200
Portland, Ore.
June 25, 2000

Pos. Driver Engine Laps

1 Gil de Ferran Honda 112
2 Roberto Moreno Ford Cosworth 112
3 Christian Fittipaldi Ford Cosworth 112
4 Michael Andretti Ford Cosworth 112
5 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 112
6 Kenny Brack Ford Cosworth 112
7 Helio Castroneves Honda 112
8 Oriol Servia Toyota 112
9 Dario Franchitti Honda 112
10 Patrick Carpentier Ford Cosworth 111
14 Luiz Garcia Jr. Mercedes-Benz 110
16 Bryan Herta Mercedes-Benz 109
19 Mauricio Gugelmin Mercedes-Benz 62
20 Mark Blundell Mercedes-Benz 31
23 Michel Jourdain Jr. Mercedes-Benz 8

Driver's Championship

Roberto Moreno 68
Gil de Ferran 67
Paul Tracy 59
Michael Andretti 56

Manufacturer's Championship

Ford Cosworth 136
Honda 136
Toyota 116
Mercedes 39

Text provided by Susan Schroeder

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