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©2001 SpeedCenter Publishing Gil de Ferran of Marlboro Team Penske joined an illustrious group of champions Sunday with his title-clinching performance at the Honda Indy 300 as he became only the fourth driver in the 23-year-history of the CART FedEx Championship Series to capture consecutive series crowns. De Ferran, a 33-year-old Brazilian in his seventh full season, joins legends Rick Mears (1981-82), Bobby Rahal (1986-87) and Alex Zanardi (1997-98) as the only back-to-back series champions as a result of his fourth-place finish at the Honda Indy 300. Sunday's result clinched the title for de Ferran by virtue of an insurmountable 28-point lead, 191-163, over second-place Kenny Brack of Team Rahal with one race remaining - The Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota at California Speedway next weekend - and a maximum of 22 championship points available. The spoils of the championship include The Vanderbilt Cup and a $1 million bonus, which will be presented Tuesday, Nov. 6 at the CART FedEx Championship Series Awards Banquet in Las Vegas. "I guess it hasn't completely sunk in yet. All I can think is I'm a very fortunate person to driving for a guy like Roger [Penske] and a team like we have," de Ferran said. "To me, I've been living in a dream since I joined the team two years ago. Since I joined the team, my life has been wonderful from a personal and from a professional standpoint. I've been able to drive better and keep reaching new heights. Never in a million years did I ever think I would achieve this much success. For me to be speaking here as a two-time champion is very special. From here, I guess we'll just keep going." In his second season with Marlboro Team Penske, de Ferran also added to the lore of the Penske Racing dynasty as he delivered the ninth CART FedEx Championship Series title and 11th series crown overall - including USAC -to team owner Roger Penske. He also added to the dominance of Honda as he guided the engine manufacturer to its sixth consecutive driver's championship and Reynard chassis to its sixth in a row as well. De Ferran, driving the No. 1 Marlboro Honda Reynard, enters the Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota having posted a pair of wins (England, Houston), six additional podiums and five pole positions this season. He bounced back from a slow start where he was as low as eighth in the championship following Round 8 in Portland with a torrid run in the second half to capture the crown. De Ferran did not move into the championship lead until he unseated teammate Helio Castroneves following Round 15 in Vancouver. Brack took over the championship in Round 16 and 17 before de Ferran parlayed his win at Houston in Round 18 into a title lead he would not relinquish. His run was keyed by nine consecutive points-paying finishes, including six podium performances, that began in Round 12 at Chicago and was extended through the most recent round in Australia. In 128 career starts, de Ferran owns seven career wins, 27 additional podiums and 16 pole positions, which ranks seventh in CART FedEx Championship Series history. "For me, certainly I already achieved more than I could ever have hoped. For me it's a matter of enjoyment," de Ferran said. "I still get out of bed and still want to squeeze the throttle and go fast. I really enjoy my routine of being a race car driver, and I really enjoy being a member of this team. As long as I continue to improve, I'll continue to race. The day I feel I'm not as good as I used to be, it will be time to reconsider. I'm in better shape now than I was in my 20's, and I feel that I'm still getting better. As long as I have this enjoyment and as long as I'm still good, I'll keep going." Thumbnail sketch of FedEx Series champion Gil de Ferran
Age: 33 FedEx SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP FAST FACTS
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