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CART: Montoya, Toyota take Motegi Pole, extends front row streak to six

13 May 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

- Juan Montoya won his second pole position of the season and Toyota's third in the last six races. The pole position gives Montoya his fifth consecutive top-three starting position this season.

- Jimmy Vasser qualified third - giving Toyota two of the top three qualifiers for the second time in three races. Vasser qualified second and Montoya at Long Beach.

- With Montoya taking the pole position today it marks the sixth straight race that a Toyota has qualified on the front row, the longest streak for any CART engine manufacturer. During those six races, Toyota has earned three pole positions and three second-fast qualifier spots in the six events. The streak began with Scott Pruett on the pole last season at Fontana, followed by Montoya second at Homestead, Montoya on the pole at Nazareth, Vasser second at Long Beach, Montoya, second at Rio and today with Montoya's pole.

2000 Manufacturer Front Row Spots

Toyota 5
Ford 3
Honda 2

- It also marks the seventh consecutive race overall straight CART race that a Toyota has qualified in the top three, as Pruett also qualified third in last year's Surfers Paradise penultimate round before Fontana.

- A Target Chip Ganassi Racing entry has qualified on the front row in each of the five races with Toyota power. That's the longest current streak in Champ Car racing. The team has as many front row qualifying positions this season as the the rest of the FedEx Championship Series combined.

2000 Team Front Row Spots Target Chip Ganassi Racing 5 Marlboro Team Penske 2 Player's Forsythe Racing 1 Newman-Haas 1 Team Rahal 1 Toyota Motegi Qualifiers:

#1 Juan Montoya 1st
#12 Jimmy Vasser 3rd
#96 Oriol Servia 13th
#97 Cristiano da Matta 19th
#10 Norberto Fontana DNQ

Text provided by Toyota

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