The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Blundell and Mercedes-Benz Tops in Toronto; Second Win for PacWest is Mercedes' Seventh

20 July 1997

Blundell and Mercedes-Benz Tops in Toronto; Second Win for PacWest is Mercedes' Seventh

    MONTVALE, N.J., July 20 -- Mercedes-Benz extended its lead in
the PPG CART World Series manufacturers championship, as Motorola-sponsored
driver Mark Blundell scored his second -- and Mercedes' seventh -- win of the
season at the Molson Indy Toronto.  The PacWest Racing Group pilot, who
started on the front row alongside fellow Mercedes-Benz driver and pole winner
Dario Franchitti led all but two of the race's 95 laps and set the fastest lap
of the race along the way.
    "This was a great race," said Blundell.  "We came from the front row and
led nearly the whole time.  The Mercedes-Benz engine was great.  The power was
there when I needed it.  I'm going to take a couple of days and enjoy this
one.  Unfortunately, I don't have two weeks like I did after Portland (Ore.),
but I'm going to enjoy it, and then I'm going to focus on Michigan, because
it's coming up quick.  The team chemistry has really been coming together
well.  Now the tough thing is to maintain it."
    Collecting 20 points for Blundell's victory, a bonus point for leading the
most laps and one more for Franchitti's pole, Mercedes-Benz now leads the
manufacturers points battle by 37 over Honda.  Ford and Toyota are 44 and 206
points back, respectively.
    "Congratulations to Mark (Blundell), Bruce McCaw and the PacWest Team on
their second win of the season, and thanks to them for our seventh victory,"
said Hal Whiteford, vice president, operations for Mercedes-Benz of North
America. "We knew when we got together at the end of last season that our
partnership would be a strong one.  We thank them, Dario Franchitti, Carl
Hogan and the Hogan Racing team for helping us to extend our lead in the
manufacturers championship."
    Blundell took over the lead at the start when rookie Franchitti, enjoying
the first pole position of his CART career, and Bobby Rahal came together in
the first corner.  Hogan Racing's Franchitti spun out but got under way again
after dropping back to 27th place.  The Scottish driver would climb all the
way back up to 10th place by lap 34, but his day ended in disappointment when
he crashed five laps later.  For his qualifying efforts and impressive drive
in the race, he was awarded the Mario Andretti Rookie of the Year Award, an
honor voted on by the journalists in attendance.
    Meanwhile, Blundell, who scored his first PPG Cup win in Portland, Ore., a
month ago, opened up a gap between himself and the rest of the field.  Despite
strong pressure from Alex Zanardi late in the race, Blundell, a 31-year-old
former Formula One driver from England, only surrendered his lead once, when
he pitted on lap 35.
    Blundell's PacWest teammate Mauricio Gugelmin moved up from 10th place on
the starting grid, driving a solid race in the Hollywood-sponsored
Reynard/Mercedes-Benz to finish sixth.  The third Mercedes-powered car to
finish in the top 10 was that of Paul Tracy, who, along with Marlboro Team
Penske teammate Al Unser Jr., endured a difficult weekend, as the Penske crew
struggled with handling problems.  Tracy's 10th place finish in front of his
home crowd here in Ontario allowed him to stay on top in the PPG Cup drivers
championship, but his lead over rival Zanardi dwindled to three points, with
Michael Andretti a further three points back in third place.
    Player's Forsythe driver Greg Moore, who came into this race second in the
points, led one of the two laps that Blundell did not and spent much of his
race in the top 10.  But contact with Zanardi on lap 70 as the Italian exited
the pit lane on cold tires ended Moore's day early.  The young Canadian
slipped back to fourth in the PPG Cup points standings.
    Patrick Carpentier, the third Mercedes-powered Canadian, retained his spot
atop the rookie of the year standings.  Although the Team Alumax pilot
struggled with an ill-handling car to finish 16th and failed to earn any
points, he was the highest finishing rookie of the race.  Marlboro Team
Penske's Unser finished 20th.
    The seven-driver Mercedes-Benz Motorsport team will look to extend its
drivers and manufacturers points leads with an eighth victory next week when
the PPG CART World Series travels to Michigan Speedway in Brooklyn Hills,
Mich., for the U.S. 500, July 27.

SOURCE  Mercedes-Benz of North America, Inc.