2001 Rockingham 500
Motor car race / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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52.5150°N 0.6575°W / 52.5150; -0.6575
Race details | |
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Race 17 of 21 in the 2001 CART season | |
Date | 22 September, 2001 |
Official name | Rockingham 500K |
Location | Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northamptonshire, England |
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.479 mi / 2.380 km |
Distance | 140 laps 207.060 mi / 333.230 km |
Weather | Partly Cloudy |
Pole position | |
Driver | Kenny Bräck (Team Rahal) |
Time | No Time Trials |
Fastest lap | |
Driver | Patrick Carpentier (Forsythe Racing) |
Time | 25.251 (on lap 134 of 140) |
Podium | |
First | Gil de Ferran (Team Penske) |
Second | Kenny Bräck (Team Rahal) |
Third | Cristiano da Matta (Newman/Haas Racing) |
The 2001 Rockingham 500 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 22 September 2001 at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire, England before 38,000 people. It was the 17th race of the 2001 CART season, the second (and final) event of the year to be held in Europe, and the series' first visit to the United Kingdom. Team Penske driver Gil de Ferran won the 140-lap race starting from second position. Kenny Bräck finished second for Team Rahal, and Newman/Haas Racing driver Cristiano da Matta was third.
Drainage problems with the circuit caused the first two days of the event to be cancelled. Bräck — the season points leader heading into the race — was awarded the pole position. Due to a compacted schedule. the original distance of the race was reduced from 210 laps to 168 . Bräck lost the lead on the first lap to de Ferran, who held the first position for the next 44 laps. Bräck passed de Ferran to reclaim the lead on the 45th lap and remained the leader until the second round of pit stops. The race distance was further reduced by series race director Chris Kneifel from 168 to 140 laps because of fading daylight. De Ferran held the first position until a slower car delayed him and allowed Bräck to retake the lead on the race's penultimate lap. He held it until de Ferran made a race-winning overtake on the final lap. It was de Ferran's first victory of the season, his second on an oval track, and the sixth of his career. There were three cautions and five lead changes during the race.
The result lowered Bräck's advantage over de Ferran in the Drivers' Championship to six points. Michael Andretti remained in third position though the revised gap to Hélio Castroneves in the battle for the position was two points. Da Matta's third-placed finish moved him from eighth to fifth. Honda's increased its lead over Ford Cosworth in the Manufacturers' Championship, while Toyota maintained third place, with four races left in the season.