CART: Blundell Leads Mercedes Contingent at Long Beach
17 April 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
New Mercedes-Benz Engine Powers Four Drivers into the Points
Paul Tracy won Sunday's Grand Prix of Long Beach, round three of the CART FedEx Championship Series, for the second time in his 10-year CART career. In a race that featured six drivers leading laps, Tracy won the 82-lap contest on the 1.968-mile temporary street circuit by 3.191 seconds over Helio Castro-Neves.
As was the case in the season-opener at Homestead, Fla., the Mercedes-Benz IC108F engine ran reliably and provided excellent fuel economy for each team, allowing four Mercedes drivers to earn championship points on Sunday, including two top-10 finishes.
Blundell Fights from 20th to Eighth
Mark Blundell and the PacWest Racing Motorola team had an up-and-down weekend in Long Beach. Blundell was second quickest in Friday's practice session, but could not repeat that performance during qualifying and started the race in 20th position. Blundell used an early pit strategy, getting a quick splash of fuel and new tires during the first caution flag on Lap 11. The British driver raced consistently in the top 10 thereafter and recorded the third-fastest lap of the contest. He was pinched back while racing side-by-side with Michael Andretti on Lap 61 and finished eighth.
Mauricio Gugelmin, driving the PacWest Nextel Mercedes, was spun by Oriol Servia at the Turn 11 hairpin on the Lap 15 restart. The incident put Gugelmin one lap down, but the Brazilian pilot continued and scored a 10th-place finish.
Bettenhausen Herdez Mercedes driver Michel Jourdain Jr. made contact with the right rear of Dario Franchitti's race car at Turn Three on Lap 24, but Jourdain Jr. continued with minor damage to the left front wing of his car. On Lap 76, Jourdain Jr. spun exiting Turn 11, again continuing. The Mexican pilot earned 11th place and his first championship points of the season.
Luiz Garcia Jr. slid off into the run-off at Turn Nine on Lap 38, losing several laps before the safety crews got him restarted and back on course. Garcia Jr. finished 12th to earn one championship point, the first for the newly formed Arciero Project Racing Group Hollywood team.
Tony Kanaan, who recorded a top-10 finish at Homestead despite two consecutive pit-lane penalties, was forced to make an early exit from the race after making contact with Kenny Brack's car on Lap 54. Kanaan, who started 15th, was running seventh at the time and working his way toward the front. Brack attempted to make a pass heading into Turn One at the end of the front straightaway. Brack got alongside Kanaan, who was leaving him room to pass. Brack misjudged, turned a sharp left and made contact with Kanaan's right front. Both cars retired from the race, and Kanaan was credited with 16th place.
The FedEx Championship Series heads to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Rio 200 on April 30.
Text provided by Susan Schroeder
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