CART: Blundell Powers Through Field at Road America
17 August 1998
Race: Texaco/Havoline 200, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.Motorola Pilot Seventh and Sole Survivor as Bad Luck Strikes Mercedes Teams
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Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes pilot Greg Moore was an early favorite, leading until gearbox trouble during his first pit stop forced him to retire. Dario Franchitti won, scoring his first Champ Car victory and the first for a Scotsman since Jim Clark in 1965.
Marlboro Team Penskes Andre Ribeiro, driving with a broken left fibula suffered earlier in the weekend, experienced the only engine-related failure of the seven Mercedes-powered drivers who left the race early. Ribeiros teammate Al Unser Jr. and Players/Forsythe Racing driver Patrick Carpentier were both collected in a multi-car, first-lap incident.
Rookies JJ Lehto and Helio Castro-Neves were each felled by faulty exhaust headers, and brake problems finished off Mauricio Gugelmin. Mercedes Quotes
Mark Blundell, No. 18 Motorola Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: Seventh
"On the parade lap, smoke started wafting up out of the
cockpit and
getting into my eyes. We have yet to get to the bottom of that. So I came
in, and we changed the steering wheel and started from the back of the
pack. After that, we basically just chopped our way through the field. We
had a strong race, the guys gave us good stops and, except for a couple of
little problems, produced a solid top-seven finish for the team."
JJ Lehto, No. 9, Hogan Racing Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 18th
"I just started to lose power. Then something big happened at
the
back. I dont know if it was an electrical fire or what."
Mauricio Gugelmin, No. 17 Hollywood Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 19th
"I wound up with no brakes. Every corner the pedal would go
down to
the bulkhead. Twice coming into Canada Corner I ran wide pumping up the
brakes, then it started to happen in every corner. We stopped to bleed
them, but it didnt help. I wouldve been in the fence somewhere if we
stayed out there."
Greg Moore, No. 99, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 21st
"Our plan was for two stops. We knew wed run out on that
first
tank, but everything was going according to plan. I came in, and we had a
good stop. Then I tried to leave the pits, and the race was done. I
selected first gear and something in the driveline broke. Im not worried
about the championship. I just want to win some more races. Its real
disappointing."
Andre Ribeiro, No. 3 Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: 25th
"Unfortunately, on lap eight I suddenly developed a misfire,
and my
Marlboro Penske/Mercedes just stalled on the entry to the carousel. They
still dont know why this happened, but Im confident they will find the
cause and work to find a solution. Im going to take the next couple of
weeks off to rest my leg, and we should be set to go in Vancouver."
Helio Castro-Neves, No. 16 Alumax Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone: 26th
"We had an exhaust problem. The header pipe broke. We were
13th
fastest in this mornings practice. On the first lap, I smelled a little
smoke. On the second lap, the cockpit filled with smoke. By the third
lap
I was losing power. Then it was over. Its a shame; a lot of the guys who
were behind me finished in the top 10."
Al Unser Jr., No. 2 Marlboro Penske/Mercedes/Goodyear: 27th
"I dont know what happened. I got drilled from behind really,
really hard. Someone used me for brakes. Whoever hit me didnt care.
They werent paying attention. People in front of me were using their
heads, but whoever was behind me just wasnt thinking. Its a shame. We
had a really good car. It just isnt right."
Patrick Carpentier, No. 33, Players/Indeck Reynard/Mercedes/Firestone:
28th
"I couldnt see Unser. Somebody spun him, and there was a big
cloud
of dust. Its really too bad. We had a great car this morning and thought
we had a good chance for the race--same for Unser. Were all aggressive
and competitive, and everybodys trying for a position."
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