Race No. 16
Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey
Monterey — California
September 5 — September 7, 1997
1997 Pole Winner: Bryan Herta
1997 Race Winner: Jimmy Vasser
1996 SpeedCenter Report
Current Points Standings
Target/Chip Ganassi Victorious!
Vasser the Trophy - Zanardi the Cup!!
By Ray Sprouse and supplemented by the CART News Service
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
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As expected, today's Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey, featuring the Texaco Havoline 300, began with Shell Team Rahal driver Bryan Herta doing all he could to curb the aggressive chase posed by Italian Alex Zanardi. Herta had an excellent start beginning with the wave of the green flag. Zanardi's cautious approach to the start/finish line left him over a car length behind Herta entering turn-one.
Zanardi applied heavy pressure through the opening laps, and, as handling began to wane on Herta's Reynard Ford Goodyear, it became apparent that he was holding up traffic as the top six cars in order bunched up behind. Zanardi dove to the inside to attempt a pass, but Herta was able to cut the apex of the turn and regain the lead. Slight contact between Herta and Zanardi sent the #4 Target car back in the field. Not reckless driving, just the CART version of fender-banging, competitive racing.
Only laps later, Herta's car lost all handling, and he was forced to make his first pit stop. Scott Pruett in the Brahma/Pennzoil Reynard Ford took the lead momentarily, until he, too, was forced to make his first stop for tires and fuel. Pruett was followed closely by Jimmy Vasser, whose fourth-place '96 Laguna Seca finish netted him the 1996 PPG Cup Championship, while teammate Alex Zanardi went on to win that race with the now infamous last-lap pass on Herta in the corkscrew.
This year, as though scripted, Vasser reined victorious in the race while Zanardi claimed the PPG Cup with his third-place finish. Vasser claimed his first victory since winning the Inaugural U.S. 500 in May of last season. He led the final 58 laps and averaged a race-record 109.647 mph in an event run without any full-course caution periods. The feat marks the first time that a PPG CART World Series event has been run full-caution-free since Al Unser Jr.'s victory at Burke Lakefront Airport in the Cleveland Grand Prix on July 10, 1994.
Zanardi has earned 126 of his 195 PPG Cup points in the past seven events, highlighted by victories at Cleveland, Michigan, Mid-Ohio and Road America, respectively.
"If I could have chosen how to finish this race, I personally would have picked this order, "Zanardi said. I'm delighted. I never doubted in my talent or the talent of the whole Target/Chip Ganassi team. That is my family. I felt very confident [going into the season] that I had the capability to win some more races this year, and that Target/Chip Ganassi Racing was going to give me the equipment to do that. I may sound a little bit arrogant, but I believe Chip is pretty lucky to have a couple of drivers like me and Jimmy."
"Guilty as charged," Ganassi followed up. "I've known a lot of you [media members] for many years, and you know how long I've been working at this. Certainly, it takes great people, great drivers and great partners, but what I saw this year on our team was that the types of teams that win championships at this level of motorsports are the people that are willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team, and you saw a lot of that this year. I'm fortunate to have people who are willing to do that. It's that simple."
Sadly and gloriously at once, the 1997 PPG CART World Series concludes with the
Marlboro 500 in the debut CART race at the Penske Motorsports, Inc.'s newly
built facility in Fontana, CA. The event will be aired SD/TD (same day/tape
delayed) on ESPN at 5:00pm on September 28. Between now and then, look for CART
to announce the 1998 PPG (or is that FedX?) CART World Series schedule.
