1998 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 1 of 19 in the 1998 CART season | |
 | |
| Date | March 15, 1998 |
| Official name | Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami |
| Location | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida, United States |
| Course |
Permanent oval course 1.5 mi / 2.4 km |
| Distance |
150 laps 225 mi / 360 km |
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 77 °F (25 °C); wind speeds up to 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)[1] |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Greg Moore (Forsythe Racing) |
| Time | 24.856 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Greg Moore (Forsythe Racing) |
| Time | 26.405 (on lap of 150) |
| Podium | |
| First | Michael Andretti (Newman/Haas Racing) |
| Second | Greg Moore (Forsythe Racing) |
| Third | Alex Zanardi (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
The 1998 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami was a CART race which happened at the Homestead Motorsports Complex. It happened on March 15, 1998. It was the 1st round of the 1998 CART season.
Starting grid
- Greg Moore 217.541 mph / 24.856 seconds (1st CART career pole)
- André Ribeiro 214.665 mph
- Jimmy Vasser
- Christian Fittipaldi
- Adrian Fernandez
- Alex Zanardi
- Mark Blundell
- Michael Andretti
- Patrick Carpentier
- Maurício Gugelmin
- Gil de Ferran
- Scott Pruett
- Dario Franchitti
- Al Unser, Jr.
- Richie Hearn
- Bryan Herta
- Bobby Rahal
- Tony Kanaan (R)
- Michel Jourdain, Jr.
- Max Papis
- Paul Tracy
- Hélio Castroneves (R)
- Roberto Moreno
- Hiro Matsushita
- Dennis Vitolo (Suffered an awful crash during practice. Suffered a broken finger, but raced.)
- P. J. Jones
- Alex Barron (R)
- Arnd Meier
- JJ Lehto (No speed due to gearbox problems)
Race
Lap 27
Top 6: Greg Moore, Alex Zanardi, Michael Andretti, Christian Fittipaldi, Gil de Ferran and Adrian Fernandez.
Lap 34
First full course caution was out, as rookie Tony Kanaan had hit the wall in turn 4.
Lap 44
Green flag. de Ferran leads.
Lap 57
Top 6: Gil de Ferran, Michael Andretti, Alex Zanardi, Christian Fittipaldi, Patrick Carpentier and Scott Pruett.
Lap 67
New leader: Michael Andretti!
Lap 75
Second full course caution came out, as Paul Tracy "brushed" the wall in the backstretch.
Lap 82
Green flag. de Ferran leads, but, laps later, he lost the lead, due to a pitstop.
Lap 97
Top 6: Michael Andretti, Alex Zanardi, Gil de Ferran, Christian Fittipaldi, Dario Franchitti and Scott Pruett.
Lap 100
Third full course caution, as another 1998 rookie had "brushed" the wall in turn 1: Helio Castroneves.
Lap 107
Green flag. Alex Zanardi leads.
Lap 116
Fourth full course caution came out as Mark Blundell was another victim of the wall. This time in turn 2.
Lap 117
Top 6: Andretti, Zanardi, Moore, Fittipaldi, Pruett and Fernandez.
Lap 122
Green flag. Andretti once again was leading the race.
Lap 130
Fifth full course caution: Hiro Matsushita had hit the wall in turn 2.
Lap 140
Green flag. Andretti leads.
Race results
Final results
Top 12
- Michael Andretti 150 Laps
- Greg Moore
- Alex Zanardi
- Christian Fittipaldi
- Scott Pruett
- Adrian Fernandez
- Gil de Ferran
- Bryan Herta
- Dario Franchitti
- Maurício Gugelmin
- Patrick Carpentier
- Mark Blundell
Drivers who did not completed the race
- Al Unser, Jr. +28 Transmission
- Hiro Matsushita +29 Contact
- Hélio Castroneves (R) +53 Contact
- Dennis Vitolo +60 Withdrawn due to injury
- Max Papis +67 Wheel bearing
- Paul Tracy +71 Suspension
- Michel Jourdain, Jr. +72 Handling
- Tony Kanaan (R) +118 Contact
Point standings
Top 6
- Andretti 21 points
- Moore 17 points
- Zanardi 14 points
- Fittipaldi 12 points
- Pruett 10 points
- Fernandez 8 points
Notes
- (R) denotes contender for Rookie of the Year award
- For this race, the Homestead-Miami Speedway was reconfigured for the third time in three years. In the summer of 1997, an $8.2 million reconfiguration project changed the turns from a rectangle to a traditional, continuous turn oval.
- First pole: Greg Moore
References
- ↑ "1998 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami weather information". Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2013-07-13.