Race details | |
---|---|
Race 20 of 21 in the 2001 CART season | |
Date | 28 October, 2001 |
Official name | Honda Indy 300 |
Location | Surfers Paradise Street Circuit Queensland, Australia |
Course | Temporary Street Circuit 2.795 mi / 4.498 km |
Distance | 65 laps 181.675 mi / 292.370 km |
Weather | Sunny |
Pole position | |
Driver | Roberto Moreno (Patrick Racing) |
Time | 1:30.204 |
Fastest lap | |
Driver | Jimmy Vasser (Patrick Racing) |
Time | 1:34.113 (on lap 57 of 65) |
Podium | |
First | Cristiano da Matta (Newman-Haas Racing) |
Second | Michael Andretti (Team Motorola) |
Third | Alex Tagliani (Forsythe Racing) |
The 2001 Honda Indy 300 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on 28 October 2001, at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, before 110,187 people. It was the 20th and penultimate round of the 2001 CART season, the 11th iteration of the Honda Indy 300 and the last race of 2001 to be held outside the United States. Cristiano da Matta of the Newman-Haas Racing team won the 65-lap race from third. Michael Andretti finished second for Team Motorola and Forsythe Racing's Alex Tagliani took third.
Roberto Moreno won the second pole position of his career by recording the fastest lap in qualifying but de Ferran passed him on lap one. De Ferran pulled away from the rest of the field and retained the lead until the first round of pit stops. Moreno retook first by staying on the track for a lap longer than de Ferran. He lost the lead when he retired with a gear selection problem on lap 54. Da Matta assumed the lead and remained there for the remainder of the race to achieve his second victory of the season and the third of his career. Andretti drew closer to da Matta, but he was instructed to manage his fuel usage and took second place. There were two cautions and eight lead changes among five drivers during the race.
The result won Ferran his second consecutive CART Drivers' Championship as Kenny Bräck could not match his points total this late in the season. Hélio Castroneves maintained third despite not scoring any points but was now tied with Andretti as Da Matta overtook Dario Franchitti for fifth. Honda had already won the Manufacturers' Championship at the preceding Honda Grand Prix of Monterey as Toyota passed Ford Cosworth for second. Reynard still led the Constructors' Championship but Lola lowered the advantage by two points with one race left in the season.