Record Toronto Crowd Witnesses Blundell's Win

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Record Toronto Crowd Witnesses Blundell's Win
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
164,406 watch dominant run by PacWest driver
Mark Blundell's dominant drive to the Molson Indy title this past Sunday was a shining performance in front of a record crowd of 69,210 on the temporary street circuit at Exhibition Place.
The three-day total attendance of 164,406 set a record for the 12-year history of the Molson Indy, surpassing last year's three-day total of 163,019.
Blundell (Motorola PacWest Mercedes) led 93 of 95 laps while finishing 0.659 seconds ahead of runnerup Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda). It was the second career victory for Blundell and his second in three races, following his June 22 win at Portland.
In contrast to that victory, which came by the closest margin in Indy car history (0.027 seconds), Blundell dominated from the outset Sunday while bringing the PacWest Racing Group its second win in five years in the PPG CART World Series. It was the most dominating win by a driver in the 1997 season.
"I would say this is one of my best races," Blundell said. "When you lead a race from start to finish - when you have that kind of pressure on you, obviously you feel like it's one of your best.
Buoyed by the pair of recent victories, Blundell has scored 45 of his 56 PPG Cup points in the last three races, including a ninth-place finish at Cleveland last weekend.
"The last few races have shown us we have the competitiveness as a team to win," he said. "Now that we're winning, we want to win more."
Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda), last week's winner at Cleveland, finished second Sunday, his sixth top-four finish of the season. In the process, he moved from fifth to second in the PPG Cup points race. Paul Tracy, who finished 10th, leads with 109 points and Zanardi has 106.
"Mark drove a good race," said Zanardi, who closed to 0.448 seconds of Blundell after Lap 91 but could get no closer. "Once you get behind him, it is very difficult. If the car in front of you is running more-or-less at the same speed, you lose some downforce and it is very difficult to get by. But I drove hard and I can't complain about moving up to second in the points."
Andre Ribeiro (LCI/Marlboro Reynard Honda) earned a season-best third-place finish, eclipsing his previous best of sixth at Australia. It was his first podium appearance since winning the Marlboro 500 at Michigan Speedway last season. Ribeiro switched from a Lola to a Reynard chassis prior to last Sunday's Cleveland race and has earned his best qualifying position (eighth last week) and best finish in the two races since.
"This feels just great," Ribeiro said. "It has been a long time and it feels great to be back on the podium. Yes, the Reynard chassis has made a big difference, but the biggest factor is the team. To be able to be this competitive again and finish on the podium is a fantastic feeling. "Michigan is waiting for us," added Ribeiro, looking ahead to next Sunday's U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota at Michigan Speedway (ABC TV, Sunday, July 27, at 2:30 p.m.).
Blundell, who started second, moved into the lead when polesitter Dario Franchitti (Hogan Motor Leasing Inc. Reynard Mercedes) and third-place starter Bobby Rahal (Miller Lite Reynard Ford) made light contact heading into the first turn of the opening lap. Franchitti, winner of his first PPG CART World Series career pole position Saturday, spun and came to a stop in the middle of the track, dropping to 24th place in the process. Christian Fittipaldi (Kmart/Budweiser Swift Ford) stopped to avoid contact with Franchitti and subsequently stalled, dropping him from 13th to 28th.
Blundell, meanwhile, sailed along in the lead until pitting on Lap 34. His stop lasted just over 12 seconds, which helped him regain the lead from Raul Boesel (Brahma Reynard Ford) two laps later. He never reliquished it over the final 60 laps on the 1.721-mile temporary street circuit.
Michael Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford) finished fourth, his sixth top-four finish of the season. Andretti, winner of four of his previous five starts at Toronto, moved from fourth to third in the PPG Cup race with 103 points. Scott Pruett (Brahma Reynard Ford) finished fifth, his best result since taking third at Rio de Janeiro six starts ago.
The PPG Cup race tightened following Sunday's finish with the top-five drivers separated by 15 points. Following Tracy, Zanardi and Andretti in the standings are Greg Moore (Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes) with 95 points and Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Reynard Honda) with 94. Moore finished 23rd Sunday while de Ferran was 25th.
Source: CART News Service


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		Record Toronto Crowd Witnesses Blundell's Win ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. 164,406 watch dominant run by PacWest driver Mark Blundell's dominant drive to the Molson Indy title this past Sunday was a shining performance in front of a record crowd of 69,210 on the temporary street circuit at Exhibition Place. The three-day total attendance of 164,406 set a record for the 12-year history of the Molson Indy, surpassing last year's three-day total of 163,019. Blundell (Motorola PacWest Mercedes) led 93 of 95 laps while finishing 0.659 seconds ahead of runnerup Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda). It was the second career victory for Blundell and his second in three races, following his June 22 win at Portland. In contrast to that victory, which came by the closest margin in Indy car history (0.027 seconds), Blundell dominated from the outset Sunday while bringing the PacWest Racing Group its second win in five years in the PPG CART World Series. It was the most dominating win by a driver in the 1997 season. "I would say this is one of my best races," Blundell said. "When you lead a race from start to finish - when you have that kind of pressure on you, obviously you feel like it's one of your best. Buoyed by the pair of recent victories, Blundell has scored 45 of his 56 PPG Cup points in the last three races, including a ninth-place finish at Cleveland last weekend. "The last few races have shown us we have the competitiveness as a team to win," he said. "Now that we're winning, we want to win more." Alex Zanardi (Target Reynard Honda), last week's winner at Cleveland, finished second Sunday, his sixth top-four finish of the season. In the process, he moved from fifth to second in the PPG Cup points race. Paul Tracy, who finished 10th, leads with 109 points and Zanardi has 106. "Mark drove a good race," said Zanardi, who closed to 0.448 seconds of Blundell after Lap 91 but could get no closer. "Once you get behind him, it is very difficult. If the car in front of you is running more-or-less at the same speed, you lose some downforce and it is very difficult to get by. But I drove hard and I can't complain about moving up to second in the points." Andre Ribeiro (LCI/Marlboro Reynard Honda) earned a season-best third-place finish, eclipsing his previous best of sixth at Australia. It was his first podium appearance since winning the Marlboro 500 at Michigan Speedway last season. Ribeiro switched from a Lola to a Reynard chassis prior to last Sunday's Cleveland race and has earned his best qualifying position (eighth last week) and best finish in the two races since. "This feels just great," Ribeiro said. "It has been a long time and it feels great to be back on the podium. Yes, the Reynard chassis has made a big difference, but the biggest factor is the team. To be able to be this competitive again and finish on the podium is a fantastic feeling. "Michigan is waiting for us," added Ribeiro, looking ahead to next Sunday's U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota at Michigan Speedway (ABC TV, Sunday, July 27, at 2:30 p.m.). Blundell, who started second, moved into the lead when polesitter Dario Franchitti (Hogan Motor Leasing Inc. Reynard Mercedes) and third-place starter Bobby Rahal (Miller Lite Reynard Ford) made light contact heading into the first turn of the opening lap. Franchitti, winner of his first PPG CART World Series career pole position Saturday, spun and came to a stop in the middle of the track, dropping to 24th place in the process. Christian Fittipaldi (Kmart/Budweiser Swift Ford) stopped to avoid contact with Franchitti and subsequently stalled, dropping him from 13th to 28th. Blundell, meanwhile, sailed along in the lead until pitting on Lap 34. His stop lasted just over 12 seconds, which helped him regain the lead from Raul Boesel (Brahma Reynard Ford) two laps later. He never reliquished it over the final 60 laps on the 1.721-mile temporary street circuit. Michael Andretti (Kmart/Texaco/Havoline Swift Ford) finished fourth, his sixth top-four finish of the season. Andretti, winner of four of his previous five starts at Toronto, moved from fourth to third in the PPG Cup race with 103 points. Scott Pruett (Brahma Reynard Ford) finished fifth, his best result since taking third at Rio de Janeiro six starts ago. The PPG Cup race tightened following Sunday's finish with the top-five drivers separated by 15 points. Following Tracy, Zanardi and Andretti in the standings are Greg Moore (Player's/Indeck Reynard Mercedes) with 95 points and Gil de Ferran (Valvoline/Cummins Special Reynard Honda) with 94. Moore finished 23rd Sunday while de Ferran was 25th. Source: CART News Service