CART: Carpentier 10th for Mercedes at Michigan
26 July 1999
The 1999 U.S. 500 featured a thrilling, dramatic finish, with Tony
Kanaan besting rookie sensation and CART points leader Juan Montoya by
inches as last-lap leader Max Papis ran out of fuel on his final run down
the back straight. It was the first win of Kanaan's career.
Unfortunately, Mercedes-Benz drivers did not figure prominently in
the photo finish. Player's/Forsythe Racing pilot Patrick Carpentier's
top-10 effort was the sole bright spot in an otherwise disappointing day
for the three-pointed star.
By the end of the 250-lap contest, Carpentier's Champ Car was
competitive with the leaders, but a handling problem that developed early
in the race put him two laps down -- a deficit he could never make up
during the event -- and he finally settled for 10th.
Marlboro Team Penske Mercedes driver Al Unser Jr. started 17th on
the grid, but quickly sliced his way forward to race in the top five for
much of the contest. Roger Penske's crafty veteran driver endured
late-race handling problems before withdrawing on the final stages with a
loss of power. Unser was credited with 13th place.
Roberto Moreno's impressive tenure with the PacWest Racing team
ended today with a 19th place finish. Moreno, substituting once again for
the injured Mark Blundell, struggled fruitlessly to handle his car's
oversteer before retiring at the halfway point. In his role as "Super
Sub," Moreno earned points in six of his eight appearances in the PacWest
Motorola Mercedes.
Alex Barron, making his first appearance in the No. 3 Marlboro Team
Penske Mercedes, retired in 18th place at the halfway point when he
over-revved the engine, resulting in damage to the powerplant.
Moreno's teammate, Mauricio Gugelmin was the unfortunate victim of
Gil de Ferran's shunt into the Turn Two wall on lap 60. Mo's car collected
debris in its radiator from de Ferran's wreck, causing his PacWest
Hollywood Mercedes to overheat. Gugelmin was awarded 22nd place.
Defending race winner Greg Moore started 21st, but ran as high as
second position during the first pit-stop sequence. The Canadian's day
ended early when, after stalling his Champ Car on two-consecutive pit
stops, the gearbox broke as he was attempting to exit the Player's/Forsythe
pit. Moore finished 23rd. Meanwhile, Hogan Racing driver Helio
Castro-Neves exited the race with a cut wiring loom in the early stages of
the race.
Mercedes Quotes
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone (10th/248
laps)
"This was not the race I was expecting. I'm very disappointed. I
didn't want to lose laps to the leaders, but we had a push early on and it
took us most of the race to fix it. By the end, we were very competitive,
but we were already two laps down."
Al Unser Jr., No. 2, Marlboro Team Penske Mercedes/Goodyear (13th/206 laps)
"We lost power. We had a really good race car all day today. We
almost spoiled it by changing the rear wing, but we got the lap back.
We'll just keep trying. If I'd have been at the front, I could have run
away."
Alex Barron, No. 3, Marlboro Mercedes Penske Mercedes/Goodyear (18th/120
laps)
"The car was really hooked up today, but we over-revved the engine
early, and the effects of that caught up with us later. It was just
unfortunate that it had to end this way."
Roberto Moreno, No. 18, PacWest Motorola Mercedes/Firestone (19th /113
laps)
"Unfortunately, this was not the way I wanted to finish with the
PacWest team. The car was very loose all day. We tried some things, but
we lost so many laps that it became pointless to continue. It's a real
shame."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17, PacWest Hollywood Mercedes/Firestone (22nd/64
laps)
"I got a report from my spotter that Gil de Ferran was wide in Turn
One. When I got there, all I saw was debris in the air, and I had to pick
my way through. I collected something in the radiator. The temperatures
got too high, and we couldn't continue. The car was well balanced
yesterday, but it was sliding around a bit today. The heat kept the pace
about 10 mph slower than we expected, which meant we had much less
downforce on the car."
Greg Moore, No. 99, Player's/Forsythe Mercedes/Firestone (23rd/63 laps)
"Something happened to the gearbox. I don't know if it had
something to do with the early pit stop when we stalled, or not. I am very
disappointed. We had a hard time during the first pit stop. We had a car
to win this race, but it was not our day."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 9, Hogan Racing Mercedes/Firestone (25th/47 laps)
"It's tough to handle this all the time. We've been working really
hard, and my guys are doing a fantastic job. We had a problem in the
beginning of the race with a loom that had to be replaced, and then when I
went back out and really started running, the car had horrible oversteer.
I don't understand what happened because at the beginning of the race, the
car was great and then it just went away. It's frustrating, but I know
that I've got a great team and a good car behind me. We just need some
luck, and all the pieces will fall into place."
Race Results, U.S. 500
Brooklyn, Michigan
July 25, 1999
Pos. Driver Engine Laps
1 Tony Kanaan Honda 250
2 Juan Montoya Honda 250
3 Paul Tracy Honda 250
4 Michael Andretti Ford Cosworth 250
5 Dario Franchitti Honda 250
6 Adrian Fernandez Ford Cosworth 250
7 Max Papis Ford Cosworth 250
8 Christian Fittipaldi Ford Cosworth 250
9 Jimmy Vasser Honda 249
10 Patrick Carpentier Mercedes-Benz 248
13 Al Unser Jr. Mercedes-Benz 206
18 Alex Barron Mercedes-Benz 120
19 Roberto Moreno Mercedes-Benz 113
22 Mauricio Gugelmin Mercedes-Benz 64
23 Greg Moore Mercedes-Benz 63
25 Helio Castro-Neves Mercedes-Benz 47
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