The 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante was the nineteenth and final round of the 2002 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series season, held on November 17, 2002 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first Champ Car race at the track since the 1981 season. The race preceded a mass exodus of significant drivers and teams who all competed in their final Champ Car event, most of whom knew beforehand that they would not return. Most rued the fact that they were leaving for the rival Indy Racing League, wishing to continue in CART rather than endure a more stable future in the IRL.[1] CART's winningest driver (42 wins), Michael Andretti, along with Kenny Brack, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, and Japan's most successful driver in U.S. open wheel racing Tora Takagi would all bid CART adieu in favor of the IRL. Other entities leaving CART included 1996-1999 champions Chip Ganassi Racing, 1995 champions Team KOOL Green, and Mo Nunn Racing permanently switched to the IRL, and Japanese automotive industry giants Honda and Toyota likewise left CART for the IRL. Season champion Cristiano da Matta was set to leave CART for Formula One with his engine supplier's F1 team, and Christian Fittipaldi attempted a stock car career.
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 19 of 19 in the 2002 CART season | |
 Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track layout | |
| Date | November 17, 2002 |
| Official name | 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante Presented by Banamex/Visa |
| Location | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Mexico City, Mexico |
| Course | Permanent Road Course 2.786 mi / 4.484 km |
| Distance | 73 laps 203.378 mi / 327.332 km |
| Weather | Hazy |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Bruno Junqueira (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Time | 1:25.941 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Shinji Nakano (Fernández Racing) |
| Time | 1:27.248 (on lap 70 of 73) |
| Podium | |
| First | Kenny Bräck (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Second | Cristiano da Matta (Newman/Haas Racing) |
| Third | Bruno Junqueira (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) |
Qualifying results edit
| Pos | Nat | Name | Team | Qual 1 | Qual 2 | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Bruno Junqueira | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 1:25.941 | 1:26.126 | 1:25.941 |
| 2 |
|
Christian Fittipaldi | Newman/Haas Racing | 1:26.027 | 1:27.670 | 1:26.027 |
| 3 | 
|
Dario Franchitti | Team KOOL Green | 1:26.147 | 1:26.891 | 1:26.147 |
| 4 |
|
Tony Kanaan | Mo Nunn Racing | 1:26.719 | 1:26.394 | 1:26.394 |
| 5 | 
|
Jimmy Vasser | Team Rahal | 1:26.703 | — | 1:26.703 |
| 6 | 
|
Kenny Bräck | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 1:27.147 | 1:26.786 | 1:26.786 |
| 7 | 
|
Patrick Carpentier | Team Player's | 1:26.904 | 1:27.322 | 1:26.904 |
| 8 |
|
Paul Tracy | Team KOOL Green | 1:26.971 | 1:27.573 | 1:26.971 |
| 9 | 
|
Mario Domínguez | Herdez Competition | 1:27.344 | 1:26.975 | 1:26.975 |
| 10 |
|
Michael Andretti | Team Motorola | 1:27.355 | 1:27.053 | 1:27.053 |
| 11 | 
|
Tora Takagi | Walker Racing | 1:27.144 | 1:27.150 | 1:27.144 |
| 12 |
|
Cristiano da Matta | Newman/Haas Racing | 1:27.174 | 1:27.405 | 1:27.174 |
| 13 |
|
Shinji Nakano | Fernández Racing | 1:27.245 | 1:27.919 | 1:27.245 |
| 14 |
|
Alex Tagliani | Team Player's | 1:27.483 | 1:27.437 | 1:27.437 |
| 15 | 
|
Scott Dixon | Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 1:27.525 | 1:27.447 | 1:27.447 |
| 16 | 
|
Oriol Servià | Patrick Racing | 1:29.659 | 1:27.727 | 1:27.727 |
| 17 |
|
Michel Jourdain Jr. | Team Rahal | 1:27.923 | 1:27.807 | 1:27.807 |
| 18 | 
|
André Lotterer | Dale Coyne Racing | 1:28.058 | 1:27.898 | 1:27.898 |
| 19 |
|
Luis Díaz | Fernández Racing | 1:27.992 | 1:27.969 | 1:27.969 |
Race edit
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Kenny Bräck
|
Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 73 | 1:56:48.475 | 6 | 20 |
| 2 | 1 | Cristiano da Matta
|
Newman/Haas Racing | 73 | +3.987 secs | 12 | 16 |
| 3 | 4 | Bruno Junqueira
|
Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 73 | +5.073 secs | 1 | 16 |
| 4 | 32 | Patrick Carpentier
|
Team Player's | 73 | +10.842 secs | 7 | 12 |
| 5 | 27 | Dario Franchitti
|
Team KOOL Green | 73 | +12.548 secs | 3 | 10 |
| 6 | 5 | Tora Takagi
|
Walker Racing | 73 | +16.762 secs | 11 | 8 |
| 7 | 44 | Scott Dixon
|
Target Chip Ganassi Racing | 73 | +23.622 secs | 15 | 6 |
| 8 | 10 | Tony Kanaan
|
Mo Nunn Racing | 73 | +25.846 secs | 4 | 6 |
| 9 | 20 | Oriol Servià
|
Patrick Racing | 73 | +28.034 secs | 16 | 4 |
| 10 | 33 | Alex Tagliani
|
Team Player's | 73 | +29.949 secs | 14 | 3 |
| 11 | 8 | Jimmy Vasser
|
Team Rahal | 73 | +30.628 secs | 5 | 2 |
| 12 | 19 | André Lotterer
|
Dale Coyne Racing | 73 | +31.426 secs | 18 | 1 |
| 13 | 9 | Michel Jourdain Jr.
|
Team Rahal | 73 | +32.055 secs | 17 | 0 |
| 14 | 52 | Shinji Nakano
|
Fernández Racing | 73 | +50.219 secs | 13 | 0 |
| 15 | 11 | Christian Fittipaldi
|
Newman/Haas Racing | 67 | Engine | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | 26 | Paul Tracy
|
Team KOOL Green | 61 | Suspension | 8 | 0 |
| 17 | 39 | Michael Andretti
|
Team Motorola | 50 | Contact | 10 | 0 |
| 18 | 55 | Mario Domínguez
|
Herdez Competition | 16 | Suspension | 9 | 0 |
| 19 | 51 | Luis Díaz
|
Fernández Racing | 1 | Engine | 19 | 0 |
Caution flags edit
| Laps | Cause |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Tracy (26) & Vasser (8) contact |
| 51-55 | Andretti (39) contact |
Notes edit
|
|
- New Track Record Bruno Junqueira 1:25.941 (Qualification session #1)
- New Race Record Kenny Bräck 1:56:48.475
- Average Speed 104.468 mph
External links edit