Racing, racing, racing!
IndyCar, Champ Car, CART, IRL, USAC? Open-wheel American racing always caught the eye, but it has not been that clear over time which series was being referred to. Over three decades, the organisation CART took over the main stage with ist nail-biting events that etched themselves in the history books. Compared to FORMULA 1, CART consisted of heavier cars, less costs and different racing formats, with the flying starts being their identity. Blasting past on the ovals, circuits and between urban walls, household names left their mark. Penske Racing, the creation of Roger Penske, clinched a record-worthy ten teams' championships. Yet, fierce competition stood out and every event was an open contest.
Some title showdowns
1985 saw a family battle take place right until the final mile, as Al Unser beat his son Al Unser Jr. to win his second title by one point. Identically to his maiden crown, he scored a single win during the Season, but his Consistency over all rivals made the difference. An even closer challenge concluded in 1999, however with tragic consequences. During the ascence of South American and European drivers, future GRAND PRIX winner Juan Pablo Montoya contested his rookie CART year with Chip Ganassi Racing. After triumphing in seven occasions, poor results followed and he lost the points lead. Opponent Dario Franchitti though struggled during the final event, while Montoya was in good shape. On lap 9, Greg Moore spun and his vehicle was thorwn into the wall, that Moore hit with his head. He passed away due to his severe injuries. The race continued and drivers were informed immediately after they returned to their pit stalls. Montoya, thanks to his fourth place, equalled Franchitti's final points tally, and won out thanks to having won more events. No celebrations took place, with participants commemorating the loss of the Canadian. Just three rounds earlier, Uruguayan Gonzalo Rodríguez suffered a fatal accident during practice at the Laguna Seca Raceway. Two fatalities occured in previous years: Jim Hickman in 1982 and Jeff Krosnoff in 1996, both came from the United States.
Statistics and records
Whilst unpredictable finshes have been the motif of the series, rare dominances highlighted CART too. In 1981, Rick Mears beat his nearest rival by 129 points, albeit with a dissimialr scoring system as 1998, where Alex Zanardi won by a margin of 116 points and matched the record of consecutive wins, namely four. Sébastien Bourdais clinched four consecutive championships in the final seasons of the series, more titles in a row than anyone else had won. The Frenchman also achieved the highest win percentage with 42.5%. Finally, FORMULA 1 stars have driven to success in CART like Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nigel Mansell and Alex Zanardi. Also, as with Montoya, CART opened them the path to the pinnacle of Motorsport. Out of all, though, only Jacques Villeneuve won the FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP after beating Michael Schumacher during 1997. As CART (or CHAMP CAR, as it was called by then) merged with INDYCAR, a new era for open-wheel racing started, which keeps the action and thrill at events like Road America, Milwaukee and the INDY 500...