2001 CART season

2001 CART season
FedEx Championship Series
Season
Races 21 20
Start date March 11
End date November 4
Awards
Drivers' champion Gil de Ferran
Constructors' Cup Reynard
Manufacturers' Cup Honda
Nations' Cup Brazil
Rookie of the Year Scott Dixon
Chronology
Previous season Next season
2000 2002

The 2001 CART season, the twenty-third in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 20 races, beginning in Monterrey, Mexico on March 11 and concluding in Fontana, California on November 4. A twenty-first race in Fort Worth, Texas was canceled after qualifying due to safety concerns. The FedEx Championship Series Drivers' Champion was Gil de Ferran. Rookie of the Year was Scott Dixon.

Contents

Drivers and constructors

The following teams and drivers competed in the 2001 CART Championship Series season.

Team Chassis Engine Tyre No Drivers Races
Team Penske Reynard 01i Honda Firestone 1 Gil de Ferran All
3 Hélio Castroneves All
Chip Ganassi Racing Lola B1/00 Toyota Firestone 4 Bruno Junqueira All
12 Nicolas Minassian 1-7
Memo Gidley 8-21
Walker Motorsport Reynard 01i Toyota Firestone 5 Toranosuke Takagi All
Newman-Haas Racing Lola B1/00 Toyota Firestone 6 Cristiano da Matta All
11 Christian Fittipaldi All
Team Rahal Lola B1/00 Ford Cosworth Firestone 7 Max Papis All
8 Kenny Bräck All
Bettenhausen Racing Lola B1/00 Ford Cosworth Firestone 16 Michel Jourdain, Jr. All
PacWest Racing Reynard 01i Toyota Firestone 17 Maurício Gugelmin All
18 Scott Dixon All
Dale Coyne Racing Lola B2K/00 Ford Cosworth Firestone 19 Michael Krumm 1-2
21 Luiz Garcia, Jr. 1-2
Patrick Racing Reynard 01i Toyota Firestone 19 Townsend Bell 16-17
20 Roberto Moreno All
40 Jimmy Vasser All
Sigma Autosport Lola B1/00 Ford Cosworth Firestone 22 Oriol Servià All
Arciero-Blair Racing Lola B2K/00 Phoenix Firestone 25 Max Wilson 1-19
Alex Barron 20-21
Team Green Reynard 01i Honda Firestone 26 Paul Tracy All
27 Dario Franchitti All
Forsythe Racing Reynard 01i Ford Cosworth Firestone 32 Patrick Carpentier All
33 Alex Tagliani All
77 Bryan Herta All
Team Motorola Reynard 01i Honda Firestone 39 Michael Andretti All
Fernández Racing Reynard 01i Honda Firestone 51 Adrián Fernández All
52 Shinji Nakano All
Mo Nunn Racing Reynard 01i Honda Firestone 55 Tony Kanaan All
66 Alex Zanardi 1-16
Casey Mears 18-21

Races

Rnd Race Name Circuit City/Location Date
1 Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Fundidora Park Monterrey, Mexico March 11
2 Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, California April 8
3 Firestone Firehawk 600 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas April 29
4 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix Presented by Toyota Nazareth Speedway Nazareth, Pennsylvania May 6
5 Firestone Firehawk 500 Twin Ring Motegi Motegi, Japan May 19
6 Miller Lite 225 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin June 3
7 Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit The Raceway on Belle Isle Park Detroit, Michigan June 17
8 Freightliner/G.I. Joes 200 Presented by Texaco Portland International Raceway Portland, Oregon June 24
9 Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Firstar Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland, Ohio July 1
10 Molson Indy Toronto Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario July 15
11 Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan July 22
12 Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer Chicago Motor Speedway Cicero, Illinois July 29
13 Miller Lite 200 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Lexington, Ohio August 12
14 Motorola 220 Road America Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin August 19
15 Molson Indy Vancouver Streets of Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia September 2
16 The American Memorial EuroSpeedway Lausitz Klettwitz, Germany September 15
17 Rockingham 500 Rockingham Motor Speedway Corby, United Kingdom September 22
18 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston Streets of Houston Houston, Texas October 7
19 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California October 14
20 Honda Indy 300 Surfers Paradise Street Circuit Surfers Paradise, Australia October 28
21 Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota California Speedway Fontana, California November 4
  Oval/Speedway
  Road Course/Street Circuit

Full Series Results

Race Results

Rnd Race Name Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver Winning team Report
1 Tecate/Telmex Monterrey Grand Prix Kenny Bräck Dario Franchitti Cristiano da Matta Newman-Haas Racing Report
2 Toyota Long Beach Grand Prix Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Report
3 Firestone Firehawk 600 Kenny Bräck Report
4 Lehigh Valley Grand Prix Presented by Toyota Bruno Junqueira Tony Kanaan Scott Dixon PacWest Racing Report
5 Firestone Firehawk 500 Hélio Castroneves Alex Zanardi Kenny Bräck Team Rahal Report
6 Miller Lite 225 Kenny Bräck Dario Franchitti Kenny Bräck Team Rahal Report
7 Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit Hélio Castroneves Michael Andretti Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Report
8 Freightliner/G.I. Joes 200 Presented by Texaco Max Papis Max Papis Max Papis Team Rahal Report
9 Marconi Grand Prix of Cleveland Presented by Firstar Maurício Gugelmin Roberto Moreno Dario Franchitti Team Green Report
10 Molson Indy Toronto Gil de Ferran Hélio Castroneves Michael Andretti Team Motorola Report
11 Harrah's 500 Presented by Toyota Kenny Bräck Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier Forsythe Racing Report
12 Target Grand Prix Presented by Energizer Tony Kanaan Kenny Bräck Kenny Bräck Team Rahal Report
13 Miller Lite 220 Gil de Ferran Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Report
14 Motorola 220 Kenny Bräck Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira Chip Ganassi Racing Report
15 Molson Indy Vancouver Alex Tagliani Hélio Castroneves Roberto Moreno Patrick Racing Report
16 The American Memorial Gil de Ferran Tony Kanaan Kenny Bräck Team Rahal Report
17 Rockingham 500 Kenny Bräck Patrick Carpentier Gil de Ferran Team Penske Report
18 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston Gil de Ferran Jimmy Vasser Gil de Ferran Team Penske Report
19 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey Gil de Ferran Hélio Castroneves Max Papis Team Rahal Report
20 Honda Indy 300 Roberto Moreno Jimmy Vasser Cristiano da Matta Newman-Haas Racing Report
21 Marlboro 500 presented by Toyota Alex Tagliani Max Papis Cristiano da Matta Newman-Haas Racing Report
  Oval/Speedway
  Road Course/Street Circuit

Final driver standings

Pos Driver MTY LBH NAZ MOT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC CHI MDO ROA VAN LAU ROC HOU LAG SUR FON Pts
1 Gil de Ferran 2 3 23 13 7 6 13 4 14* 24 3 2 5 2 8 1* 1* 3* 4 6 199
2 Kenny Bräck 1 5 25 2* 1 1* 9 11 6 20 17 1 20 14 8 1* 2 7 25 5 26 163
3 Michael Andretti 4 28 6 23 2 4 8 15 1 19 24 26 2 3 4 5 21 14 2 7 147
4 Hélio Castroneves 8 1* 11 2* 26 1* 17 12 19 8 7* 1* 7* 18 12 4 5 6 20 22 141
5 Cristiano da Matta 1* 2 10 25 25 7 10 7 15 4 19 10 6 20 26 3 6 20 1 1 140
6 Max Papis 12 17 24 6 8 11 1* 18 8 16* 13 24 16 22 2 11 9 1 9 2* 107
7 Dario Franchitti 9 6 8 17 9 2 6 1 24 2 15 16 19 9 25 9 2 19 23 23 105
8 Scott Dixon 13 19 1 9 3 22 7 20 5 10 4 12 4 13 9 22 18 4 15 17 98
9 Tony Kanaan 7 7 16 3 6 Wth 24 16 10 21 8 5 12 4 7 8 12 8 17 5 93
10 Patrick Carpentier 25 23 25 19 17 8 5 26 21 1 2 3 9 16 3 16 10 26 11 10 91
11 Alex Tagliani 21 18 22 22 12 21 12 9 2 6 6 7 8 23* 21 14 19 15 3 3 80
12 Jimmy Vasser 6 5 4 5 21 18 16 5 26 23 14 23 21 19 15 7 11 5 6 12 77
13 Roberto Moreno 27 11 12 10 15 3 2 8 11 12 20 6 11 1 23 13 22 22 22* 19 76
14 Paul Tracy 3 4 3 18 24 14 21 24 6 7 12 4 26 26 10 6 24 18 14 24 73
15 Christian Fittipaldi 20 24 5 4 18 5 3 11 12 18 25 8 18 11 19 24 8 9 8 13 70
16 Bruno Junqueira 22 9 7 24 4 19 23 23 13 9 17 13 1 12 11 25 23 7 21 4 68
17 Memo Gidley 25 2* 17 14 5 11 20 10 14 18 3 2 10 14 65
18 Adrián Fernández 19 16 19 16 5 12 19 21 3 25 10 22 3 21 24 23 14 10 19 18 45
19 Oriol Servià 14 14 9 14 14 16 9 17 23 11 18 9 10 5 5 10 26 17 25 11 42
20 Michel Jourdain, Jr. 17 13 13 11 13 25 15 25 16 3 23 17 17 6 17 19 25 23 7 16 30
21 Toranosuke Takagi 10 20 14 20 20 20 18 14 222 13 11 21 22 7 6 26 4 13 16 15 29
22 Bryan Herta 16 10 21 21 22 15 14 3 18 5 21 25 24 17 27 15 13 12 18 25 28
23 Alex Zanardi 24 26 20 7 11 24 26 13 4 20 9 19 13 24 203 24
24 Maurício Gugelmin 15 22 12 10 10 20 10 7 15 22 14 23 15 16 20 20 16 24 20 17
25 Max Wilson 28 21 17 23 23 4 19 25 15 25 25 18 21 16 24 12
26 Shinji Nakano 18 12 15 8 16 13 22 22 9 22 16 18 15 14 22 17 15 21 12 21 11
27 Nicolas Minassian 11 8 18 15 19 17 7
28 Casey Mears 17 11 26 8 7
29 Alex Barron 13 9 4
30 Townsend Bell 13 12 1
31 Michael Krumm 23 15 0
32 Luiz Garcia, Jr. 26 27 0
Pos Driver MTY LBH NAZ MOT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC CHI MDO ROA VAN LAU ROC HOU LAG SUR FON Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th-10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
Rookie of the Year
Rookie

Point Scoring System:

Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Points 20 16 14 12 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1

Bonus Points:

Notes

1 Kenny Bräck also awarded 1 point for his pole position in Fort Worth. The race was cancelled after qualifying due to excessively high speeds.
2 Toranosuke Takagi was penalized 2 points for rough driving in Toronto.
3 Alex Zanardi's car was impacted from the side by Alex Tagliani's car at EuroSpeedway Lausitz. Due to the injuries sustained in the collision the medical team
had to amputate both of Zanardi's legs. This was the end of his open-wheel racing career.

Nation's Cup

Pos Country MTY LBH NAZ MOT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC CHI MDO ROA VAN LAU ROC HOU LAG SUR FON Pts
1 Brazil 1 1 5 2 4 1 2 4 7 5 3 1 1 1 7 1 1 3 1 1 341
2 United States 4 5 4 5 2 4 8 2 1 4 5 11 2 3 4 5 3 2 2 7 240
3 Canada 3 4 3 18 12 8 5 9 2 1 2 3 8 16 3 6 10 15 3 3 187
4 Sweden 5 25 2 1 1 9 11 6 20 17 1 20 14 8 1 2 7 25 5 26 163
5 Italy 12 17 20 6 8 11 1 18 4 16 9 19 13 22 2 11 9 1 9 2 118
6 Scotland 9 6 8 17 9 2 6 1 24 2 15 16 19 9 25 9 2 19 23 23 105
7 New Zealand 13 19 1 9 3 22 7 20 5 10 4 12 4 13 9 22 18 4 15 17 98
8 Mexico 17 13 9 11 5 12 15 21 3 3 10 17 3 6 17 19 14 10 7 16 75
9 Japan 10 12 14 8 16 13 18 14 9 13 11 18 15 7 6 17 4 13 12 15 42
10 Spain 14 14 9 14 14 16 9 17 23 11 18 9 10 5 5 10 26 17 25 11 42
11 France 11 8 18 15 19 17 7
12 Germany 23 15 0
Pos Country MTY LBH NAZ MOT MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC CHI MDO ROA VAN LAU ROC HOU LAG SUR FON Pts

Chassis Constructor's Cup

Pos Chassis Pts
1 Reynard 378
2 Lola 335
Pos Chassis Pts

Engine Manufacturer's Cup

Pos Engine Pts
1 Honda 342
2 Toyota 309
3 / Ford-Cosworth 297
4 Phoenix 0
Pos Engine Pts

References

See also

AAA
NASCAR
USAC
CART / CCWS
IRL / INDYCAR
Years marked in italics are not official championship years.
1979 • 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 • 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008