CART: Mercedes finishes in points at Surfer's Paradise crash filled race
16 October 2000
Adrian Fernandez won a wild Honda Indy 300 at the 2.795-mile, 14-turn
Surfers Paradise street circuit in Queensland, Australia. The excitement
started on the first lap in the first corner, when Gil de Ferran, pole sitter
Juan Montoya and Dario Franchitti crashed out of the race after de Ferran
made contact with Montoya.
But the five Mercedes-Benz drivers were able to stay clear of the melee,
and the reward was a seventh-place finish for Herdez/Bettenhausen Motorsports
driver Michel Jourdain Jr., and all the Mercedes-powered Champ Cars finishing
in the points.
"It was crazy the whole race," said Jourdain, who generally stayed out of
trouble during an event that saw five caution periods, four of which were due
to dramatic accidents. "We finished good, but most importantly, we finished."
Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing/Mercedes-Benz driver Tony Kanaan started the
race seventh and finished eighth despite the fact he was in a fuel
conservation mode for a majority of the contest.
"It turned out to be a battle of fuel consumption, and we really had to
work hard to save fuel almost all race long," said Kanaan. "It was
especially frustrating for us today because we had a great race car."
Two spots behind Kanaan was Nextel/PacWest Racing/Mercedes-Benz pilot
Mauricio Gugelmin. His car suffered from a shift problem early in the race
that put him at a disadvantage, and that in turn resulted in a braking
problem for the veteran driver because he had trouble making downshifts.
"On my first pit stop they had to reset the gearbox calibration," said
Gugelmin, who finished 10th. "I was locking up the brakes in the rear and
the front every time in the chicane. I just didn't have a good car."
Mark Blundell battled numerous mechanical problems with his
Motorola/PacWest Racing/Mercedes-Benz, but he was still able to finish 11th.
In 12th place was Luiz Garcia Jr. in the Hollywood/Arciero Project
Racing/Mercedes-Benz.
Race Results, Honda Indy 300
Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Oct. 15, 2000
Pos. Driver Engine Laps
1 Adrian Fernandez Ford 59
2 Kenny Brack Ford 59
3 Jimmy Vasser Toyota 59
4 Cristiano da Matta Toyota 59
5 Patrick Carpentier Ford 59
6 Helio Castroneves Honda 59
7 Michel Jourdain Jr. Mercedes-Benz 59
8 Tony Kanaan Mercedes-Benz 59
9 Oriol Servia Toyota 59
10 Mauricio Gugelmin Mercedes-Benz 59
11 Mark Blundell Mercedes-Benz 59
12 Luiz Garcia Jr. Mercedes-Benz 58
Driver's Championship Manufacturer's Championship
Gil de Ferran 153 Ford 314
Adrian Fernandez 148 Toyota 298
Paul Tracy 134 Honda 271
Mercedes-Benz 72