CART: Unser On Top for Mercedes-Benz
16 September 1998
For the second week in a row, Al Unser Jr. was the highest-finishing driver among the eight-car Mercedes-Benz CART FedEx Championship Series Team. Unser ran with the leaders through all 83 laps of the Grand Prix of Monterey, finishing sixth while Bryan Herta finally scored his first Champ Car win in a close battle with 1998 PPG Cup Champion Alex Zanardi.
Al Unser Jr.
Players/Forsythe Racing driver Greg Moore, still in the hunt for second place in the drivers championship, ran in the lead pack for most of the race, conserving fuel and biding his time for a late-race charge. But his day ended early when the Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes lost fuel pressure on lap 70. His teammate Patrick Carpentier also left the race before the wave of the checkered flag in a multi-car accident on a re-start. Moore was credited with 21st, Carpentier 17th.
Team Alumax rookie Helio Castro-Neves was among the quickest in the field but spun early as a result of a faulty clutch. He continued but was taken out when rookie Alex Barron hit him from behind on lap 70 during a caution period. He ended the day ranked 22nd.
The PacWest Racing duo of Mark Blundell and Mauricio Gugelmin endured another disappointing weekend as Gugelmins Hollywood car overheated 13 laps into the race and Blundells Motorola mount was felled by a failed throttle linkage.
JJ Lehtos race was over almost before it started, his Hogan Racing Reynard/Mercedes suffering suspension damage as he was collected in a first-lap crash.
Mercedes Quotes
Al Unser Jr., No. 2 Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: Sixth
"This was a good day for Marlboro Team Penske. We ran with the
leaders all day, and were really showing the power of the Mercedes, which
has come on strong the last few races. The car is reliable. I can beat it
up, and it keeps on running. Im just really pleased with the whole effort
and the team."
Andre Ribeiro, No. 3 Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: 14th
"My Marlboro Penske/Mercedes was running well. Our pit
strategy was
to come in early to separate us from the rest of the field. Unfortunately,
the track went yellow just as I came in for my first stop. On my second
stop, the air jack got stuck in the car, and it snapped off as I was
leaving the pits. This gave us a black flag penalty which put us back to
17th position. It was a frustrating day for us, but its good to see that
Al had a strong finish, and the car continues to improve."
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone:
17th
"I dont know what it is these days, but weve had a lot of bad
luck. We saved fuel the entire race, so we feel we could have moved up to
the top five towards the end when the rest of the field would have had to
pit. We didnt want that late yellow. We thought today was going to be
our best result of the year."
Greg Moore, No. 99, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 21st
"We were conserving a lot of fuel, so we could make a run at
the
end. Then, on that late yellow, I was running about 35 mph, and the
engine
just shut off. We had no fuel pressure. The race car was good before
that. We were running competitive times. We had a good car today, but we
didnt get to show it."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 16 Alumax Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 22nd
"Everybody slowed down for the yellow, and to keep from
passing
Andre (Ribeiro), I braked and moved to the left. I dont know what
happened. Alex (Barron) hit me hard in the back. He must have seen me. I
guess he just came up too quickly. I was driving without the clutch most
of
the time. Thats what happened when I spun earlier. I went to shift down
and the clutch pedal just went to the floor."
Mark Blundell, No. 18 Motorola Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 25th
"We ran into the problem that has bugged us all season. The
throttle wouldnt give me 100 percent. I was holding people up. We had
this same problem at Toronto and Detroit. Its a shame because the race
car was good. For the safety of myself and others I just had to park
it."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17 Hollywood Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 27th
"We had a problem with the cooling system and overheated the
engine. I dont know what happened, but we suspect a leak either in the
radiator or in a pipe. The track was slippery, but its unfortunate because
it was going to be a good race. To go out so early is really sad."
JJ Lehto, No. 9, Hogan Racing Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 28th
"I was just coming into turn two clean, side by side with
Michael
(Andretti). Then Christian (Fittipaldi) came and rushed in, lost control,
went over the curb and hit me. That knocked me into Michael and damaged
the
right front suspension. You cant win the race in the first corner."
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