CART: Andretti Scores 7th Toronto Victory and 1st for Team Motorola

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

July 17, 2001

TORONTO, Ontario, Canada ---Team Motorola driver Michael Andretti continued his string of victories at the Molson Indy Toronto Sunday, scoring his seventh victory at the 1.76-mile temporary street circuit and the first for Team Motorola. Aft er qualifying 13th, his first time ever out of the top ten in qualifications at Toronto, Andretti was not overly optimistic about continuing his success in Toronto. "I said yesterday after qualifying that we would need some luck to win Sunday, and Sunday lu ck was on our side" Andretti said from the victory podium.

It was hard to imagine the possibility of a victory when Andretti was involved in a first lap melee that left him stalled mid-course. "I really felt that it was over at the beginning," said Andretti. "I have to hand it to the CART safety crew, they did a great job of getting me restarted and back on course without losing a lap."

Andretti joined the field again and Team Motorola general manager Kim Green decided to take a gamble. "We figured we were running pretty close to dead last," explained Green. " So we decided to bring Michael into the pits and top off his fuel with the ho pe that it would pay off down the way and Sunday our strategy paid off."

Andretti rapidly gained position on the field, moving from 15th to 10th to 6th during the first round of pit stops. "Team Motorola did an awesome job in the pits Sunday and an awesome job on strategy," said Andretti. "We were able to take advantage of run ning in the back and make a bad break work in our favor."

Andretti took the lead on lap 71 and remained there for the balance of the race, leading 25 of the 95 laps run and eventually taking the checkered flag. "Sunday was just awesome,"Andretti said in his post-race interviews. "I love racing in Toronto, it's a great city and as far as I'm concerned we can race here every week." Sunday's victory moved Andretti and Team Motorola into 2nd place in the CART FedEx Championship race.

Text provided by Jana Griffith

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