CART: PacWest Racing Preview, Rockingham
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 20, 2001ROUND 17 - 2001 CART FEDEX CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
CORBY, ENGLAND: SEPEMBER 20 - SEPTEMBER 22
What: Rockingham 500 - Round 17 of the 21-race CART FedEx Championship Series
When: Saturday, September 22. Broadcast: 7:30 a.m. ET on ESPN. Broadcast live on CART Radio Network affiliates. Coverage of practice, qualifying and the race is also live on CART.com. Practice - Thursday, September 20.
Where: Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, England
1.5-mile oval
Mauricio Gugelmin Fast Facts
#17 Nextel PacWest Toyota
* Gugelmin returns to England for the first time since 1992 when he competed for Jordan Yamaha in Formula 1.
* This season, Gugelmin has tallied four top-ten finishes, all of which have come since Round Six of the FedEx Championship Series.
* Gugelmin raced Formula One for five years, 1988-1992, for March-Judd, Leyton House-Judd, and Jordan-Yamaha Formula One teams. Gugelmin's top finishes in Formula One competition included a third place podium finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 1989 with March-Judd and four other top-ten finishes in his five-year F1 career.
* Prior to graduating to Formula 1, "Big Mo" won the British FF1600 championship in his first season of competition in1982 with 11 poles and 13 victories. He then went on to the European FF2000 series and immediately won its championship in 1984.
* Gugelmin, one of CART's most experienced drivers, is in his ninth year of FedEx Championship Series competition, and eighth full season. * Mauricio is currently in his second year as President of the Championship Drivers Association.
Mauricio Gugelmin Quote
"I'm really excited to get back to racing in Europe," said Gugelmin. "Racing in Formula 1 from 1988 to 1992 was a great experience in my life. I know that European fans are really enthusiastic about their racing and I think that CART should be applauded for bringing our formula of open wheel racing to this country. Oval tracks in Europe should be a great success and I know the fans will love our brand of racing. We will go wheel to wheel through the corners, which is something that this country doesn't see a lot of so the excitement level will be very high. CART is taking the right steps to make our series more visible in Europe and this will be a great experience for a lot of our drivers and teams. My advise to the fans of England would be to take your seat and don't get up, because the action on race day will be fast and furious."
Scott Dixon Fast Facts
#18 Nextel Powerware Panasonic PacWest Toyota
* Scott Dixon enters the Rockingham 500 after capturing his tenth points-paying result in the past 13 races with a finish of ninth at the German 500. Dixon is now in fifth place in the Driver's Championship.
* The New Zealand rookie is currently leading the standings for the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year award, holding a 36-point lead over his nearest rival.
* Dixon has completed 1963 of the 2009 laps run this season, the series leader in that category.
* Scott has one victory, five top-fives, and nine top-tens at this point of his rookie campaign. He has also scored championship points in six of his past seven starts, including three top-five finishes.
* This will be Dixon's first competitive visit to Germany. In 2000, Dixon won the Dayton Indy Lights Championship with six wins, seven podiums and one pole for PacWest.
* Dixon is the youngest-ever winner of a Champ Car race, scoring a victory earlier this season in Nazareth at the age of 20 years, nine months.
Scott Dixon Quote
"I think racing in Europe will be one of the highlights of the season," said Dixon. "I have never been to England before so I'm looking forward to the experience. The fans there are so knowledgeable about auto racing that they should really enjoy watching a series like CART put on a show for them in Rockingham. From what I hear, the facility is awesome, so it should be a great event. I think a lot of drivers grow up dreaming of racing in Europe in Formula 1, and I'm no different. The fans will enjoy seeing the fast speeds and the wheel-to-wheel action that CART has become famous for on ovals. Plus, the European races will end up playing a major role in the overall championship so we're not coming over here to take a holiday, we're coming over here to work."
Text provided by Tom Hollett
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