2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante

2002 Mexico City
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)

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.

Qualifying results

Pos Nat Name Team Qual 1 Qual 2 Best
1 Brazil Bruno Junqueira Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1:25.941 1:26.126 1:25.941
2 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi Newman/Haas Racing 1:26.027 1:27.670 1:26.027
3 United Kingdom Dario Franchitti Team KOOL Green 1:26.147 1:26.891 1:26.147
4 Brazil Tony Kanaan Mo Nunn Racing 1:26.719 1:26.394 1:26.394
5 United States Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal 1:26.703 1:26.703
6 Sweden Kenny Bräck Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1:27.147 1:26.786 1:26.786
7 Canada Patrick Carpentier Team Player's 1:26.904 1:27.322 1:26.904
8 Canada Paul Tracy Team KOOL Green 1:26.971 1:27.573 1:26.971
9 Mexico Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition 1:27.344 1:26.975 1:26.975
10 United States Michael Andretti Team Motorola 1:27.355 1:27.053 1:27.053
11 Japan Tora Takagi Walker Racing 1:27.144 1:27.150 1:27.144
12 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing 1:27.174 1:27.405 1:27.174
13 Japan Shinji Nakano Fernández Racing 1:27.245 1:27.919 1:27.245
14 Canada Alex Tagliani Team Player's 1:27.483 1:27.437 1:27.437
15 New Zealand Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1:27.525 1:27.447 1:27.447
16 Spain Oriol Servià Patrick Racing 1:29.659 1:27.727 1:27.727
17 Mexico Michel Jourdain, Jr. Team Rahal 1:27.923 1:27.807 1:27.807
18 Germany André Lotterer Dale Coyne Racing 1:28.058 1:27.898 1:27.898
19 Mexico Luis Díaz Fernández Racing 1:27.992 1:27.969 1:27.969

Race

Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 12 Sweden Kenny Bräck Target Chip Ganassi Racing 73 1:56:48.475 6 20
2 1 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing 73 +3.987 secs 12 16
3 4 Brazil Bruno Junqueira Target Chip Ganassi Racing 73 +5.073 secs 1 16
4 32 Canada Patrick Carpentier Team Player's 73 +10.842 secs 7 12
5 27 United Kingdom Dario Franchitti Team KOOL Green 73 +12.548 secs 3 10
6 5 Japan Tora Takagi Walker Racing 73 +16.762 secs 11 8
7 44 New Zealand Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 73 +23.622 secs 15 6
8 10 Brazil Tony Kanaan Mo Nunn Racing 73 +25.846 secs 4 6
9 20 Spain Oriol Servià Patrick Racing 73 +28.034 secs 16 4
10 33 Canada Alex Tagliani Team Player's 73 +29.949 secs 14 3
11 8 United States Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal 73 +30.628 secs 5 2
12 19 Germany André Lotterer Dale Coyne Racing 73 +31.426 secs 18 1
13 9 Mexico Michel Jourdain, Jr. Team Rahal 73 +32.055 secs 17 0
14 52 Japan Shinji Nakano Fernández Racing 73 +50.219 secs 13 0
15 11 Brazil Christian Fittipaldi Newman/Haas Racing 67 Engine 2 0
16 26 Canada Paul Tracy Team KOOL Green 61 Suspension 8 0
17 39 United States Michael Andretti Team Motorola 50 Contact 10 0
18 55 Mexico Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition 16 Suspension 9 0
19 51 Mexico Luis Díaz Fernández Racing 1 Engine 19 0

Caution flags

Laps Cause
1-2 Tracy (26) & Vasser (8) contact
51-55 Andretti (39) contact

Notes

Laps Leader
1-40 Tony Kanaan
41-52 Dario Franchitti
53-61 Michel Jourdain, Jr.
62-73 Kenny Bräck
 
Driver Laps led
Tony Kanaan 40
Kenny Bräck 12
Dario Franchitti 12
Michel Jourdain, Jr. 9

External links

Previous race:
2002 The 500
CART Indycar World Series
2002 season
Next race:
2003 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Next season
Previous race:
1981 Copa México 150
2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante Next race:
2003 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante
  1. ESPN.com - Robin Miller, November 16th, 2002: CART Needs New Stars
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