Few circuits in the world attract the word "legendary" before their name. There are of course tracks like the Nordschleife, Monza, Indianapolis, Spa-Francorchamps, Monaco and Elkhart Lake to name a few and then there is the Milwaukee Mile. The Mile - with its rather flat camber banking - opened originally in 1903, has faced some financial issues during the early part of this century and has even faced permanent closure recently; however in the late 90's, it was still a thriving racetrack holding both CART and NASCAR sanctioned events, as well as a number of other types of racing.The circuit was at this stage fast approaching its centennial celebrations and it was with this positive feeling in the air that the 1999 CART World Series came upon the one-mile oval - with 6 races down and 14 more to go, this would also be the last oval until Round 15 at Chicagoland in August; thereby neatly completing the first third of the season. After this, it would be just streets and road circuits for two solid months.
It is on this oval that Helio Castroneves achieved his first career pole for Hogan Racing, but as witnessed the previous week at Gateway, pole position does not necessarily bring victories on these fast circuits and he must watch out as Ganassi driver and 1996 CART Champion Jimmy Vasser sits alongside just ahead of a second row containing Greg Moore and Dario Franchitti with Juan-Pablo Montoya starting 5th. This is 225 laps of the one-mile track and fuel mileage looks rather good for those that want to stop twice; however tyres are often a different story.
As the field completes the final pace, the cars exit turn 4 with Castroneves quite a distance ahead the pack - no green flag is given and the start is waved off. Just like the previous week at Gateway, the race is put on hold for another lap as the field bunch together into rows once again.
The Miller Lite 225 gets going second time of asking and pole-man Castroneves surges ahead of Vasser, but the green flag is quickly swapped for the yellow caution flag as PJ Jones overcooks it on the exit of turn four and slides sideways in the middle of the track. Amazingly everyone in the pack of ten cars right behind him somehow manage to miss him - some avoid the Patrick Racing machine by only a few feet. Jones is very lucky not to get side swiped by anyone and eventually the CART Safety team get him going again; however the young American finds himself two laps down at a very early stage.
The green flag flies again on the ninth lap and while the leaders remain static, Montoya tries to take 4th place off of Paul Tracy, but cannot quite make it; however Michael Andretti does make a move stick as he shoves passed Christiano Da Matta through turn 1 and 2 for 7th position.
The drama doesn't contain itself to deep in the pack though, as frontman Helio Castroneves loses not only engine boost pressure, but also the lead to Jimmy Vasser. Within a couple of laps, the young Brazilian is falling backwards down the pack and is down in 15th place when the car launches down pit lane for a check up. Things are not looking good for the Hogan Racing driver as the mechanics lift off the engine cover to study the ailments of the number 9 machine. It doesn't take long before the team signal that the race is over and a disappointed Castroneves climbs out of the car to register retirement. Unbeknown to the team, this would be the first in a long string of retirements that would plague and frustrate the underfunded Hogan Racing team for the rest of the 1999 season - one of many issues that would lead to the team being wrapped up at season end. Unfortunately it's not the only action in the pits, as PJ Jones dives in for new tyres - his previous set of four ruined in his early race spin and so he falls even further behind.
Back on circuit, a fired-up Michael Andretti closes towards Greg Moore for 5th place and it isn't long before the veteran is by the speedy Canadian - Andretti started 11th at Gateway and won; he started 11th at Milwaukee and is clearly trying to engineer a similar result. Ahead of the Newman-Haas driver, the leaders begin to close on the backmarkers, which in turns leads to a tightening of the top 5 - suddenly all the leaders are in the same shot; considering moves and challenging the same. Vasser still leads ahead of Franchitti, Tracy, Montoya and Andretti; however they are all trapped behind the Penske of Al Unser Jr., who for lap after lap after lap refuses to give way to the leaders.
An impatient Montoya tries at ludicrous dive down the inside of Tracy, catches the curb and has huge wobble - in a similar situation, lesser drivers would be bracing themselves for an impact against the wall; however the Colombian pilot pulls his Ganassi machine back together. Within a lap, Montoya is back on Tracy's tail and this Montoya does get through and the distracted Team Green driver loses another position in quick succession - 3rd down to 5th in less than a lap, but the leaders are still trapped behind the sluggish Unser Jr. and cannot pull away from the Canadian.
With Tracy out of the way, Andretti begins to challenge Montoya for 3rd - a battle that quickly sees the two rivals go wheel-to-wheel with eachother through a series of turns. Trying a move down into the first corner, Montoya hangs his car all the way around the outside of Andretti and doesn't flinch for a moment - an excellent piece of defensive driving. A lap later, Andretti tries again, but still Montoya is able to hold him off around the outside.
Up front Franchitti tries a similar move of race leader Jimmy Vasser on the entry into turn 3, but doesn't have quite enough to make it stick. For a time, the Ganassi driver has plenty of speed in hand to hold the lead until Franchitti makes an effort into turn 1 and takes control of the race from Vasser - 45 laps in to the race and the face of the event changes once again, but the Scotsman doesn't hold the charge for long.
Andretti seizes a gap left by Montoya in turn 1 and is through in to third place; however the Newman-Haas driver doesn't stop there - an excellent exit from turn 2 gives him a run of Vasser and now Andretti is up to second. With Franchitti close in front and distracted by traffic, Andretti tears down the inside approaching the first turn to take the lead - a terrific few moves from the 1991 CART Champion to take himself from 4th place to the head of the pack in just over one lap.
Amidst this battle for the lead, a large contingent of cars gather behind, as Moore latches onto the back of Tracy with Fittipaldi closing in as well; however before this new fight can gain any momentum, the yellow flag is thrown for loose debris and the safety car comes out on track. Its timing is spot on - it's lap 62 and the leaders all venture down the pit lane for fuel and tyres.
Andretti leads the field - fills up and gets another set of slicks, but there is a disaster as he pulls out of his box. The clutch begins to slip on the Newman-Haas car and it shoots forward, knocking several mechanics out of the way and pulling the airjack man under the left rear wheel - the car runs over the head of the mechanic and within moments the CART Safety crew are with the fallen man to give him aid.
For the second time within a week, a crewman has been injured in the pitlane during a race as one of Gil De Ferran's Walker Racing mechanic's was taken down at Gateway. Reports from the Medical Centre later on during the race told of a possible spine injury for the Newman-Haas crew man, but nothing life threatening which is miraculous when one considers the incident.
On this occasion, it is not the only problem in the pits - a less serious issue hampers Dario Franchitti's race, as runs over Paul Tracy's airhose and is sent to the back of the field as a result. All these changes give the race lead to Tracy, with Montoya and Vasser not far behind the Canadian.
The green flag emerges on lap 74 and the pack get racing once again - everyone that is except Michael Andretti, who must drive through the pits to amend for his problems during the stop. Not all hope is lost for Andretti as the also-penalised Dario Franchitti fights his way through the field and is at least up to 14th position. However, as the Newman-Haas veteran falls down the order, another veteran is challenging for 4th place, as Roberto Moreno searches keenly for gaps left by De Ferran.
Up front Montoya closes in on Tracy as the leader hits backmarkers. The Colombian tries a move in turn 4, but nearly loses it over the kerbs - an incredible save from the rookie as the he nearly lost his number 4 Target machine violently; however Vasser has closed up on his teammate. Within a flash, Vasser jumps a recovering Montoya and a distracted Tracy to take the lead of the race - from 3rd to 1st in one move and with that, the three leaders finally put a lap on Unser Jr.'s Penske. Montoya, following Vasser's example goes by Tracy and back up to 2nd place.
The yellow flies again as Japanese driver Shigeaki Hattori crashes into another wall as he continues to struggle with his Bettenhausen Racing Reynard. This would not be the last time that Hattori would smash his car and the then 35-year-old rookie would soon discover that CART's patience was not limitless.
Amidst the strewn wreckage buried in the wall, a disheartened Bryan Herta silently parked his number 8 Team Rahal charger - a difficult weekend in a difficult car that had seen the young American a full twelve laps down at half distance.
These incidents open an opportunity for all the drivers to pit in, although with much of the race still to run, the chances of making the distance on tank were surely negligible. During the stops themselves, Vasser hangs on until his car is full to the brim with fuel, but it gives Montoya just enough time to beat him out into the lead - an exasperated Vasser signals from his cockpit that he is clearly not happy with this particular change. Behind the Ganassi cars are Gil De Ferran, Tracy, Fittipaldi and super-sub, Roberto Moreno.
When the green flag is dropped, Moore and Franchitti begin to press Moreno hard, but the Pacwest driver does not relent; however the pressure that Moreno is receiving is nothing quite like what Paul Tracy is forcing on De Ferran. For lap after lap, Tracy pushes for 3rd place - some turns having a go down the inside and on others, the Canadian has a look around the outside, but he cannot force his way passed the Walker Racing machine.
The laps continue to count down and with only 40 left Vasser sticks to the back of Montoya who busies himself by slicing through lapped traffic. There is a niggling feeling that both Ganassi cars may have to take a splash and dash in the pits to get to the flag, but meanwhile on track, they are saving fuel as much as they dare - their last stops were on lap 124 and things may get marginal; however, the two leaders are not the only ones conserving as everyone is running quite lean. Unfortunately this does not bode well for the crowd as on track passing has dropped to virtually nil, but with some drivers creating new levels of fuel conservation, there may be a surprise in store yet.
Montoya and De Ferran are the first to bite the bullet as they head down pitroad on lap 210; however just as they reach their stalls, Fittipaldi and Moreno bump wheels on track, forcing the Pacwest substitute driver into a spin - although he doesn't hit the wall, he does stall and ends up sitting helpless on the outside line of turn 1. The full course caution comes out and the remaining field breathes a sigh of relief, as does Moreno himself who is fired up again and sent to rejoin the pack. De Ferran and Montoya lose positions as a result, but the young Colombian loses out to De Ferran as the Walker crew work a faster pit stop.
Eventually the pits open and Vasser dives in for a stop lasting just 3.9 seconds; however Tracy stays out and assumes the race lead - it looks like he's risking it by not stopping. The Team Green driver has the advantage though of having seven lapped cars in between himself and the new second place man, Greg Moore. Behind them, the second Forsythe car of Patrick Carpentier sits in third.
The race restarts with 4 laps to go and Paul Tracy begins to run down the remaining 16 turns, full in the knowledge that he could take his first win in 35 attempts if he can bring it across the line. Both Moore and Carpentier begin to cut through traffic, but there is not enough time to reach Tracy and the Team Green driver crosses the line to pick up his first victory since Gateway 1997. De Ferran is just able to take Carpentier on the final lap, thereby giving himself a podium place and the Ganassi duo finish 5th and 6th with Vasser leading the pair. Vasser may see this as a win lost and certainly a win deserved.
In hindsight, this really was not a great race. A lot of the excitement that happened in the first half fizzled out after the halfway point as the Miller Lite 225 became a fuel conservation race. A good win for Tracy finishes the first third of the season and the next eight races are dominated by road and street races, interrupted by the US500 at Michigan.
Montoya holds the Championship lead with Moore regaining equal second in the title hunt with Franchitti. From Milwaukee though, it's on to Portland International Raceway.
Race Quality: 3 out of 5
Source Quality: B- (Slightly blurred, but good; audio is perfect)
(January 2010)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 1, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 2, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 3, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 4, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 5, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 6, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 7, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 8, average quality)
It is on this oval that Helio Castroneves achieved his first career pole for Hogan Racing, but as witnessed the previous week at Gateway, pole position does not necessarily bring victories on these fast circuits and he must watch out as Ganassi driver and 1996 CART Champion Jimmy Vasser sits alongside just ahead of a second row containing Greg Moore and Dario Franchitti with Juan-Pablo Montoya starting 5th. This is 225 laps of the one-mile track and fuel mileage looks rather good for those that want to stop twice; however tyres are often a different story.As the field completes the final pace, the cars exit turn 4 with Castroneves quite a distance ahead the pack - no green flag is given and the start is waved off. Just like the previous week at Gateway, the race is put on hold for another lap as the field bunch together into rows once again.
The Miller Lite 225 gets going second time of asking and pole-man Castroneves surges ahead of Vasser, but the green flag is quickly swapped for the yellow caution flag as PJ Jones overcooks it on the exit of turn four and slides sideways in the middle of the track. Amazingly everyone in the pack of ten cars right behind him somehow manage to miss him - some avoid the Patrick Racing machine by only a few feet. Jones is very lucky not to get side swiped by anyone and eventually the CART Safety team get him going again; however the young American finds himself two laps down at a very early stage.
The green flag flies again on the ninth lap and while the leaders remain static, Montoya tries to take 4th place off of Paul Tracy, but cannot quite make it; however Michael Andretti does make a move stick as he shoves passed Christiano Da Matta through turn 1 and 2 for 7th position.The drama doesn't contain itself to deep in the pack though, as frontman Helio Castroneves loses not only engine boost pressure, but also the lead to Jimmy Vasser. Within a couple of laps, the young Brazilian is falling backwards down the pack and is down in 15th place when the car launches down pit lane for a check up. Things are not looking good for the Hogan Racing driver as the mechanics lift off the engine cover to study the ailments of the number 9 machine. It doesn't take long before the team signal that the race is over and a disappointed Castroneves climbs out of the car to register retirement. Unbeknown to the team, this would be the first in a long string of retirements that would plague and frustrate the underfunded Hogan Racing team for the rest of the 1999 season - one of many issues that would lead to the team being wrapped up at season end. Unfortunately it's not the only action in the pits, as PJ Jones dives in for new tyres - his previous set of four ruined in his early race spin and so he falls even further behind.
Back on circuit, a fired-up Michael Andretti closes towards Greg Moore for 5th place and it isn't long before the veteran is by the speedy Canadian - Andretti started 11th at Gateway and won; he started 11th at Milwaukee and is clearly trying to engineer a similar result. Ahead of the Newman-Haas driver, the leaders begin to close on the backmarkers, which in turns leads to a tightening of the top 5 - suddenly all the leaders are in the same shot; considering moves and challenging the same. Vasser still leads ahead of Franchitti, Tracy, Montoya and Andretti; however they are all trapped behind the Penske of Al Unser Jr., who for lap after lap after lap refuses to give way to the leaders.
An impatient Montoya tries at ludicrous dive down the inside of Tracy, catches the curb and has huge wobble - in a similar situation, lesser drivers would be bracing themselves for an impact against the wall; however the Colombian pilot pulls his Ganassi machine back together. Within a lap, Montoya is back on Tracy's tail and this Montoya does get through and the distracted Team Green driver loses another position in quick succession - 3rd down to 5th in less than a lap, but the leaders are still trapped behind the sluggish Unser Jr. and cannot pull away from the Canadian.With Tracy out of the way, Andretti begins to challenge Montoya for 3rd - a battle that quickly sees the two rivals go wheel-to-wheel with eachother through a series of turns. Trying a move down into the first corner, Montoya hangs his car all the way around the outside of Andretti and doesn't flinch for a moment - an excellent piece of defensive driving. A lap later, Andretti tries again, but still Montoya is able to hold him off around the outside.
Up front Franchitti tries a similar move of race leader Jimmy Vasser on the entry into turn 3, but doesn't have quite enough to make it stick. For a time, the Ganassi driver has plenty of speed in hand to hold the lead until Franchitti makes an effort into turn 1 and takes control of the race from Vasser - 45 laps in to the race and the face of the event changes once again, but the Scotsman doesn't hold the charge for long.
Andretti seizes a gap left by Montoya in turn 1 and is through in to third place; however the Newman-Haas driver doesn't stop there - an excellent exit from turn 2 gives him a run of Vasser and now Andretti is up to second. With Franchitti close in front and distracted by traffic, Andretti tears down the inside approaching the first turn to take the lead - a terrific few moves from the 1991 CART Champion to take himself from 4th place to the head of the pack in just over one lap.Amidst this battle for the lead, a large contingent of cars gather behind, as Moore latches onto the back of Tracy with Fittipaldi closing in as well; however before this new fight can gain any momentum, the yellow flag is thrown for loose debris and the safety car comes out on track. Its timing is spot on - it's lap 62 and the leaders all venture down the pit lane for fuel and tyres.
Andretti leads the field - fills up and gets another set of slicks, but there is a disaster as he pulls out of his box. The clutch begins to slip on the Newman-Haas car and it shoots forward, knocking several mechanics out of the way and pulling the airjack man under the left rear wheel - the car runs over the head of the mechanic and within moments the CART Safety crew are with the fallen man to give him aid.
For the second time within a week, a crewman has been injured in the pitlane during a race as one of Gil De Ferran's Walker Racing mechanic's was taken down at Gateway. Reports from the Medical Centre later on during the race told of a possible spine injury for the Newman-Haas crew man, but nothing life threatening which is miraculous when one considers the incident.On this occasion, it is not the only problem in the pits - a less serious issue hampers Dario Franchitti's race, as runs over Paul Tracy's airhose and is sent to the back of the field as a result. All these changes give the race lead to Tracy, with Montoya and Vasser not far behind the Canadian.
The green flag emerges on lap 74 and the pack get racing once again - everyone that is except Michael Andretti, who must drive through the pits to amend for his problems during the stop. Not all hope is lost for Andretti as the also-penalised Dario Franchitti fights his way through the field and is at least up to 14th position. However, as the Newman-Haas veteran falls down the order, another veteran is challenging for 4th place, as Roberto Moreno searches keenly for gaps left by De Ferran.
Further down the order, the race runs short for Robby Gordon who pulls into the pits and grinds to a halt with smoke bellowing out of his cockpit - electrical issues within the car linking to the engine put an end to his on the 85th lap. Thankfully, Gordon gets his machine off of the track in time and the yellow stays in - the race continues.
A tight pack begins to form in the mid-field as a 10th place Christiano Da Matta battles with Mauricio Gugelmin, with Alex Barron, Scott Pruett and Franchitti give chase; however it's not before the Scotsman gets by Pruett for 13th and Franchitti continues to make progress.Up front Montoya closes in on Tracy as the leader hits backmarkers. The Colombian tries a move in turn 4, but nearly loses it over the kerbs - an incredible save from the rookie as the he nearly lost his number 4 Target machine violently; however Vasser has closed up on his teammate. Within a flash, Vasser jumps a recovering Montoya and a distracted Tracy to take the lead of the race - from 3rd to 1st in one move and with that, the three leaders finally put a lap on Unser Jr.'s Penske. Montoya, following Vasser's example goes by Tracy and back up to 2nd place.
The yellow flies again as Japanese driver Shigeaki Hattori crashes into another wall as he continues to struggle with his Bettenhausen Racing Reynard. This would not be the last time that Hattori would smash his car and the then 35-year-old rookie would soon discover that CART's patience was not limitless.Amidst the strewn wreckage buried in the wall, a disheartened Bryan Herta silently parked his number 8 Team Rahal charger - a difficult weekend in a difficult car that had seen the young American a full twelve laps down at half distance.
These incidents open an opportunity for all the drivers to pit in, although with much of the race still to run, the chances of making the distance on tank were surely negligible. During the stops themselves, Vasser hangs on until his car is full to the brim with fuel, but it gives Montoya just enough time to beat him out into the lead - an exasperated Vasser signals from his cockpit that he is clearly not happy with this particular change. Behind the Ganassi cars are Gil De Ferran, Tracy, Fittipaldi and super-sub, Roberto Moreno.
When the green flag is dropped, Moore and Franchitti begin to press Moreno hard, but the Pacwest driver does not relent; however the pressure that Moreno is receiving is nothing quite like what Paul Tracy is forcing on De Ferran. For lap after lap, Tracy pushes for 3rd place - some turns having a go down the inside and on others, the Canadian has a look around the outside, but he cannot force his way passed the Walker Racing machine.
The laps continue to count down and with only 40 left Vasser sticks to the back of Montoya who busies himself by slicing through lapped traffic. There is a niggling feeling that both Ganassi cars may have to take a splash and dash in the pits to get to the flag, but meanwhile on track, they are saving fuel as much as they dare - their last stops were on lap 124 and things may get marginal; however, the two leaders are not the only ones conserving as everyone is running quite lean. Unfortunately this does not bode well for the crowd as on track passing has dropped to virtually nil, but with some drivers creating new levels of fuel conservation, there may be a surprise in store yet.
Montoya and De Ferran are the first to bite the bullet as they head down pitroad on lap 210; however just as they reach their stalls, Fittipaldi and Moreno bump wheels on track, forcing the Pacwest substitute driver into a spin - although he doesn't hit the wall, he does stall and ends up sitting helpless on the outside line of turn 1. The full course caution comes out and the remaining field breathes a sigh of relief, as does Moreno himself who is fired up again and sent to rejoin the pack. De Ferran and Montoya lose positions as a result, but the young Colombian loses out to De Ferran as the Walker crew work a faster pit stop.
Eventually the pits open and Vasser dives in for a stop lasting just 3.9 seconds; however Tracy stays out and assumes the race lead - it looks like he's risking it by not stopping. The Team Green driver has the advantage though of having seven lapped cars in between himself and the new second place man, Greg Moore. Behind them, the second Forsythe car of Patrick Carpentier sits in third.
The race restarts with 4 laps to go and Paul Tracy begins to run down the remaining 16 turns, full in the knowledge that he could take his first win in 35 attempts if he can bring it across the line. Both Moore and Carpentier begin to cut through traffic, but there is not enough time to reach Tracy and the Team Green driver crosses the line to pick up his first victory since Gateway 1997. De Ferran is just able to take Carpentier on the final lap, thereby giving himself a podium place and the Ganassi duo finish 5th and 6th with Vasser leading the pair. Vasser may see this as a win lost and certainly a win deserved.
In hindsight, this really was not a great race. A lot of the excitement that happened in the first half fizzled out after the halfway point as the Miller Lite 225 became a fuel conservation race. A good win for Tracy finishes the first third of the season and the next eight races are dominated by road and street races, interrupted by the US500 at Michigan.
Montoya holds the Championship lead with Moore regaining equal second in the title hunt with Franchitti. From Milwaukee though, it's on to Portland International Raceway.
Race Quality: 3 out of 5
Source Quality: B- (Slightly blurred, but good; audio is perfect)
(January 2010)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 1, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 2, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 3, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 4, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 5, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 6, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 7, average quality)
The 1999 CART Grand Prix of Milwaukee (Part 8, average quality)
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