CART: Arciero Blair Racing finished 18th in Germany

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

September 16, 2001

LAUSITZ, Germany (September 15, 2001) -- Arciero-Blair Racing with driver Max Wilson competed in round 16 of 21 events in the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) race today at the recently constructed EuroSpeedway at the Lausitzring Complex, located approximately 135 kilometers from Berlin. Wilson, the FedEx Championship Series driver who was born in Hamburg finished 18th. The event, previously titled the German 500, has been renamed in honor of the victims of Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and western Pennsylvania. The race marks the first European event sanctioned by CART in the organization's 23-year history.

Rain cancelled practice and regular qualifying. Driver points determined the grid (starting line up). Wilson, driving the Ford-powered Lola, started 24th for the race. Racing on the new oval the Arciero-Blair Racing Driving 101 entry struggled throughout the 154-lap event with handling. The team has also acquired the services of race engineering veteran Brian Berthold to assist Arciero Blair Racing in the European races. Berthold was previously with championship winning manufacturers Nissan, Audi and Jaguar as well as serving as a consultant for CART and Indy Light teams. However, this new team is still its development stages and gaining valuable oval experience and is still behind not having completed pre season testing.

Saturday's race will not be shown live at 7:30 a.m. ET out of respect to the victims of Tuesday's tragedy. The race will be shown at 1 p.m. ET Monday on a tape-delay basis. Each team entry carried a red, white and blue ribbon emblem in memory of the victims of this week’s attack on America.

Championship Auto Racing Teams, on behalf of its entire community, will make a donation to a designated World Trade Center Relief Fund that is equivalent to the race purse for today's American Memorial event at EuroSpeedway in Lausitz, Germany. The standard purse for a CART event is $500,000 and will be the amount of the donation. The Championship Drivers Association, which consists of the CART drivers, also has exhibited its support of the WTC Relief Fund with a donation of $50,000.

The FedEx Championship Series continues in next week on September 22 in Corby, England for the Rockingham 500 at the new Rockingham Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval. This event will air on ESPN Television Network at 7:30 a.m. ET, live. Check local listings for both races. They will also air on the CART Radio Network and on CART's official website, at www.cart.com.

Driving 101 is the first and only driving experience in the world to offer a fleet of 20 full-sized Champ Cars. Clients range from corporations that use the innovative driving school to reward employees to celebrities and race fans. It has also been used as a popular birthday or special occasion gift by many of the over 6,000 students who have attended one of Driving 101’s classes. Its four different locations are Chicago Motor Speedway, a 1.029-mile oval, California Speedway, a 2.029 oval, Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile oval. Many different programs are available; all programs include safety, classroom and trackside instruction followed by an actual driving experience where you can "Feel the Speed," on a professional racetracks. Program information can be found or www.BlairRacing.com.

Text provided by Robbin Herring

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.