Australia 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series

Race No. 3

Surfers Paradise, Australia
March 31, 1996

Sunday Quotes from drivers and managers at Surfers Paradise, Australia:
Index of Quotes available
MICHAEL ANDRETTI RAUL BOESEL JUAN MANUEL FANGIO II
ADRIAN FERNANDEZ GIL DE FERRAN CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI
EMERSON FITTIPALDI ROBBY GORDON MAURICIO GUGELMIN
BRYAN HERTA PARKER JOHNSTONE JEFF KROSNOFF
EDDIE LAWSON HIRO MATSUSHITA GREG MOORE
SCOTT PRUETT BOBBY RAHAL ANDRE RIBEIRO
PAUL TRACY AL UNSER JR JIMMY VASSER
ALEX ZANARDI BARRY GREEN Al SPEYER
DERRICK WALKER

Vasser Pict #12 Target
Chip Ganassi Racing
Reynard Honda

JIMMY VASSER

"I owe it all to the team. Honda put the power behind me and I'm very happy to have the best combination today. Firestone did a great job with the tires. It's the best combination and that's what won today. It made my job easy."

(About running over the marker cone early in the race) "I didn't see the cone get stuck in the car. I didn't know I had a partner. I might put it on the car at Long Beach -- it's a new aerodynamic device.

"I'm very proud to be able to give Honda its first road course victory. Having the Honda engine has raised the level of our team up a notch. I don't have to tell anyone, everyone can see Honda has made a commitment to Indy car racing. We're very fortunate to be able to work with them."

"That was the most beautiful race car I have ever had. It ran like clockwork all day, I owe this win to the team. Honda put the power behind me and Firestone did a great job with tires. I'm very happy to have the best combination. It made my job easy."


Moore Pict #99 Forsythe
Player's/Indeck
Reynard Mercedes-Benz

GREG MOORE

"I had never been here before, so what I really wanted was to finish in the top 10, I couldn't be more happy."

Tracy Pict #3 Marlboro
Penske Mercedes

PAUL TRACY

"Today was a huge disappointment for my team. The Marlboro car was running well, we were just pacing ourselves and trying to save the car, we were getting good fuel mileage and everything was going great. Then, all of a sudden Michael pulled a typical move - it was textbook Michael Andretti, 101 - he locks up his brakes, goes into a corner totally out of control, hits me from behind and then keeps on going.

"It's unfortunate, but he's been doing this his whole career - he took out Gugelmin in Miami and now he took me out.

"It's really too bad for the team - the guys worked really hard to get us where we were on the grid and we really needed some points for the championship."


Andretti Pict #6 Kmart/Texaco/Havoline
Lola Ford Cosworth XD

MICHAEL ANDRETTI

"The engine shut off coming down pit lane. We were planning to park it anyway. We had a problem with the throttle position sensor. I had been conserving fuel until the first stop and after that, I was ready to attack. We were running as quick as anyone after the first stop.

(On his incident with #3 TRACY) "I wasn't even going to attempt to pass Tracy but I got into the corner too hot and locked up my front tires. I was hoping he would see me but he didn't give me any room. The pit lane violation killed me because I didn't think I sped. Ultimately it didn't matter I guess since we had engine problems."


Unser Pict #2 Marlboro
Penske Mercedes

AL UNSER, Jr.

"I have to tell you, my guys worked so hard this weekend. Unfortunately, through my own fault, Gil de Ferran and I got into a little incident in the first chicane on the back straightaway. I locked up the brakes but it was too late. It's a shame, because we were running third for a long time and I really think we could have been on the podium at this race. Right now, we're tied for fourth place with Ribeiro in the PPG Cup points and everyone at Marlboro Team Penske is hoping that Lady Luck with shine on us again at Long Beach."

Pruett Pict #20 Firestone
Lola Ford
Patrick Racing

SCOTT PRUETT

"The common denominator today was Firestone. Three different engines, two different chassis, and one great tire. Firestone has done a great job in a very short time."

"We had a great car all weekend long," Pruett said. "The Ford was giving up a little power to the Honda and we were giving up some fuel mileage, so I had to start back-pedaling about 12 laps to 13 laps into the race. So we were disappointed about that. The crew are the ones who really worked hard."


Emmo Pict #9 Marlboro
Hogan Penske Mercedes-Benz

EMERSON FITTIPALDI

"The car started great, then misfired. We changed the electrical box and it still misfired, so we changed the plugs and it missed again. The bad things seem to come in threes. We get it at Long Beach."

C. Fittipaldi Pict #11 Kmart/Budweiser
Lola Ford
Newman/Haas Racing

CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI

"After Tracy and Andretti came together, I ran into Zanardi, who was stopped on the track for some reason. He was blocking the track and I obviously didn't expect him to stop and couldn't avoid him. I'm very happy to finish fifth after the hiccups we had in the race. The highest I could have gotten was third, because we simply didn't have the speed to pass Vasser and Pruett. Their Honda-Firestone combination was too fast. "I'm happy to be third in the championship. Hopefully, we can work on our combination so that we can stay in the hunt."

Lawson Pict #1 Delco Electronics
High Tech Team Galles
Lola Mercedes

EDDIE LAWSON

"We've had a pretty difficult weekend. We had a bad set-up on the car this morning and had to change it before the race. And if that wasn't enough we had to change the gearbox too. The guys really had to thrash! The team had some great pit stops and really helped to move me up through the field. They're 10 times better than me but I'm going to do everything possible to catch up. I'm really glad that I got some points for them, or I should say that the guys got some points for me."

de Ferran Pict #8 Pennzoil Special
Reynard Honda
Hall Racing

GIL de FERRAN

"The car was good, very good, today, so it's a shame about the results. On the first incident (with Adrian Fernandez), I misjudged Adrian's speed and ran into the back of him. He was going slower than I expected, maybe someone in front of him held him up, but it was my mistake. But afterward, the car was still running great, and my crew was calling a fantastic race on the pit stops. We were moving up through the field and I had just passed Greg Moore when Al Unser tried a move on me that was impossible and took both of us out. After that, we still were able to get going again and move up yet again, but the engine starved for fuel two laps from the end -- we don't know why yet -- and that was it."

Herta Pict #28 Shell
Reynard Mercedes-Benz
Team Rahal

BRYAN HERTA

"I came to the pits in good shape. We were near the Top 5 and running quite smoothly. I hit my marks in the pits and my mind started to get adrenaline. I heard the guys say something, and the next thing they yelled to jump out of the car. I don't know exactly what happened. But water was going all over me and I leaped out of the car. I hope my crew guys are okay. I feel really bad about it."

Johnstone Pict #49 Motorola
Reynard Honda
Brix Comptech Racing

PARKER JOHNSTONE

"It's just one of those things. We were down on boost from the start of the race and I was trying to conserve fuel. I was trying to overcompensate and I just got into the chicane too deep. I clipped the curb and slid into the tires."

Zanardi Pict #4 Target
Chip Ganassi Racing
Reynard Honda

JIMMY VASSER

"The car was running pretty good and we started to have a problem with the gearbox. We lost fifth gear first and then the problem got a lot worse. It's the same problem we had in practice. I'm really disappointed because I knew we could have had a good finish."

Ribeiro Pict #31 LCI International
Lola Honda
Tasman Motorsports Group

ANDRE RIBEIRO

"I lost second gear early in the race, before the first pit stop. There was no warning, the transmission was absolutely fine before that. Without second (gear), it's very, very tough here and I went into the runoff area a couple of times and later I lost third gear as well. Then I just concentrated on making it to the finish and earning some points."

Fernandez Pict #32 Tecate Beer/Quaker State
Lola Honda
Tasman Motorsports Group

ADRIAN FERNANDEZ

"I was defending my line without blocking completely when Gil (de Ferran) hit me from behind. There was nothing I could do. It broke the left rear toe link and I was done. Until then, the car was running good and we were waiting to make our first stop."

Gordon Pict #5 Valvoline/Cummins/Craftsman Special
Reynard Ford

ROBBY GORDON

"It's going to be a long flight home. Finishing 16th makes it a lot longer. We really needed to get points and that didn't happen. We were probably looking at a fourth-place finish and it hurts to lose that."

#5 Valvoline/Cummins/Craftsman Special
Walker Racing Team Owner

DERRICK WALKER

"We had a misfire so we called him (Robby) in and tried replacing the ECU (engine control unit). It didn't solve our problem. It appears to have been an engine sensor. For safety reasons, we didn't want to get in the way of the race so, we decided to take it out. I just wasn't doing us any good to stay out there."

Krosnoff Pict #25 Arciero-Wells Racing
Reynard Toyota

JEFF KROSNOFF

(after contact with the wall): "I was having a lot of problems with the brakes going soft. They were very inconsistent. Sometimes, they would grab a ton; sometimes, they would go all the way to the floor. I was aware of it and I was trying to compensate for it, but it just got the better of me. I locked the wheels up going into the second chicane and it put the car sideways. I came off the brakes and I was still sideways when I hit the curb. That launched me into the wall."

Rahal Pict #18 Miller Racing
Reynard Mercedes-Benz
Team Rahal

BOBBY RAHAL

"We were running right where we wanted. I was closing on (Greg) Moore for fourth and I really had a run at him. Then the gearbox started to miss gears when I was shifting down. The gearbox would go from fifth to third and then from fifth to second. I thought we'd be in position to challenge up front.

"It's tough to take this finish because we'd had a good race car and wanted those (PPG) points.

(On the Bryan Herta incident in the pits): "It was very unfortunate because Bryan was running a good race. I'm just glad that no one was burned. We have a couple of guys that are injured. But I think they will be okay. It could have been much worse."


Gugelmin Pict #17 Hollywood
Reynard Ford
photo Mike Levitt

MAURICIO GUGELMIN

"I was right behind Rahal when it seemed he broke a fraction early in Turn Four. He may have had a brake problem, I don't know. But I was surprised by it. I broke so sharply that I swapped ends before I knew what was going on. I was so mad after the spin because I made a mistake. But the team did a great job of calling the pit stops and getting me some positions free of charge. Toward the end, I was just pressuring Boesel and some other cars, hoping someone would make a mistake. It was about all you could do because it was tough to pass out there."

Hiro Pict #19 Panasonic/DUSKIN
Lola Ford Cosworth

HIRO MATSUSHITA

"It was a good race. I had fun again today, as the car ran well, consistent throughout the race, and we scored points. The car was working very good so my confidence grew as the race went on. It's a terrific finish for the team after our setbacks yesterday."

Fangio Pict #36 Eagle Mk-V Toyota

JUAN MANUEL FANGIO II

"The good thing is that we were running our fastest lap near the end of the race. It was three-tenths of a second slower than qualifying, but I'm very happy we were so close to that time at the end.

"The idea was to run around the track and get experience for the next races. We fixed the gearbox and came back out and everything was cool, so I'm happy about that. So, now we have to get ready for Long Beach. It is a learning curve and things are going to get better in the future, I'm sure."


Boesel Pict #1 Brahma Sports Team
Reynard
Ford Cosworth

RAUL BOESEL

"The car ran well all day. My third set of tires was great. I was running consistently in the high 39s. I was going to finish at least in fourth place. Then the engine just died."

Green Pict #1 Brahma Sports Team
Team manager

BARRY GREEN

"We're a bit confused. We had a bit more fuel left in the pit-side tank than we calculated. At the same time, we're confident we filled the car up. It's possible we may have a broken fuel pickup. It's difficult to say right now. We weren't that fast today, but Raul did a good job. We sure could have used those fourth place points."

AL SPEYER

Bridgestone/Firestone Motorsports Manager
"We are going to remember Surfers Paradise for a long, long, time! This is what we came here for - to show the world we were as good on a street course as we have been on oval tracks. One, two and three for Firestone is a tremendous tribute to our engineers and manufacturing employees."

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