Blundell and Mercedes-Benz End '97 CART Season in Victory Lane; PacWest Driver's Third Win Brings Mercedes' Total to Nine
28 September 1997
Blundell and Mercedes-Benz End '97 CART Season in Victory Lane; PacWest Driver's Third Win Brings Mercedes' Total to NineFONTANA, Calif., Sept. 28 -- Mercedes-Benz, the 1997 PPG CART World Series Manufacturer's Champion, ended the racing season with more wins than all of its competitors combined, as Mark Blundell drove his Motorola Reynard/Mercedes to victory in the Marlboro 500 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Blundell's third win for the PacWest Racing team brought Mercedes' season total to nine, including wins on every type of circuit the PPG Cup series visits: street courses, road courses, short ovals and superspeedways. "A fantastic day," said the 31-year-old British driver. "We had a few problems with the tires, and we struggled with them a bit in the middle of the race, but we kept getting better and better. Even with the tire problems, the car was very consistent. The engine was just great, and my team kept me informed all day about where we were in the field. When Greg (Moore) had his problem, he was out of the groove, and I was able to sweep past Jimmy (Vasser), and then we were able to lead the rest of the way. This feels so great to win the first race here (at California Speedway), and it also means our team won races on all of the different circuits, from superspeedways to road courses to street courses. This one is just fantastic." Blundell was one of three drivers with Mercedes power to lead the 250-lap race -- and have a shot at victory -- in the grueling 500-mile test that included a variety of emotions from triumph to heartbreak for the six Mercedes-powered entries. Blundell recovered from mid-race tire problems that dropped his as low as tenth place, one lap behind, at lap 116. Fighting back to the front, Blundell finally swept into the lead on lap 240 and held on for the final 10 laps to win the inaugural CART race at the new two-mile California Speedway oval. The victory propelled him to sixth place in the final PPG Cup driver's standings. "Today's victory puts the finishing touch on an outstanding season," said Hal Whiteford, vice president, operations, Mercedes-Benz of North America. "Clearly, winning nine races shows the strength of the Mercedes-Benz engine. Winning the championship shows the strength of our partnerships." Blundell's teammate Mauricio Gugelmin led the first 66 laps of the race, having qualified the Hollywood car on the pole yesterday with an all-time record-setting lap of 240.942 mph. Gugelmin powered into the lead again on lap 215, and stretched his lead to more than three seconds before a blistered tire caused him to pit with only 19 laps remaining. Despite Gugelmin's repeated troubles with tires, he was able to fight back for a fourth-place finish in the race and a fourth-place ranking in the year-end PPG Cup standings. After Gugelmin's tire trouble, another Mercedes-powered car rocketed into the lead. Greg Moore, who turned the fastest lap of the race at 236.388 mph, moved the Player's Forsythe entry into the lead at lap 232. With a dominant lead, Moore was felled by a mechanical problem only ten laps from the end. Moore, who became the youngest driver to win an Indy car event earlier this year at Milwaukee, Wis., finished the season ranked seventh in points, giving Mercedes four of the top seven drivers in 1997. Robby Gordon, who was driving for Carl Hogan's team on a one-race basis, made the most of his opportunity by bringing the Hogan Reynard/Mercedes-Benz home to an eighth-place finish. Gordon, who recorded the fourth best lap of the race, had not contested a CART event in more than a year. Marlboro Team Penske driver's Al Unser Jr. and Paul Tracy finished 22nd and 26th, respectively. Unser's race was running according to plan, allowing him to move up through the field, until he pitted on lap 44 with a cracked exhaust header, which started a small fire. Tracy spun and struck the wall on lap 12. Patrick Carpentier, despite not running this weekend due to a crash in practice, took the Rookie of the Year title for the Team Alumax and Bettenhausen Motorsports. SOURCE Mercedes-Benz North America