The1996 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyotawas aCARTrace at theMetro-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex,held on March 3, 1996. It was the first round of the1996 IndyCar season,and first CART race since the open-wheel split in 1996. It was preceded in the 1996 racing season by theinaugural Indy Racing League racein Orlando, which was not contested by any of the CART drivers that appeared at Homestead.Jimmy Vasserscored the first win of his CART career. It was also the second major racing event at the recently completed 1.527-mile oval, which had previously hosted aNASCAR Busch Grand Nationalevent in November 1995.
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 1 of 16 in the1996 IndyCar season | |
 | |
| Date | March 3, 1996 |
| Official name | Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami |
| Location | Homestead, Florida,United States |
| Course | Oval 1.527[1]mi / 2.457 km |
| Distance | 133 laps 203.091 mi / 326.843 km |
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 66.9 °F (19.4 °C); wind speeds up to 14.7 miles per hour (23.7 km/h)[2] |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Paul Tracy(Penske Racing) |
| Time | 27.681 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Greg Moore(Forsythe Racing) |
| Time | 28.385 (on lap 131 of 133) |
| Podium | |
| First | Jimmy Vasser(Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Second | Gil de Ferran(Hall Racing) |
| Third | Robby Gordon(Walker Racing) |
Report
editQualifying
editDue to rain on Saturday afternoon, the qualifying session occurred on Sunday morning.CanadiandriverPaul Tracy,on his return toMarlboro Team Penskeafter spending a year atNewman/Haas Racing,set the pole with a lap of 198.590 mph (27.681s) in aPenske PC25-Mercedes car. All of the qualified cars were newly built for the 1996 season, with CART having adopted new technical rules that altered the underbody tunnels and sidepods, and were expected to reduce downforce and increase the focus on mechanical grip.[3]
Race
editOn the start,Mark Blundellspun andRoberto Morenohad an unrelated contact with the wall. Then, the start was aborted for the second time, as Tracy was deemed to have jumped the start. At the end of lap 1, another caution came out asMichael AndrettihitMaurício Gugelminand lost his front wing. After the restart, Tracy continued to lead for 8 laps of racing, until rain began to fall. The cars circulated under caution period conditions until the decision was made to red flag the race with Tracy in the lead.
The race restarted after a half-hour delay, with Tracy continuing to lead the race comfortably while second-place was contested betweenGil de Ferran,Vasser, andScott Pruett.Meanwhile,Al Unser Jr.hitCarlos Guerrero,and fell a lap down to repair his front wing.Andre RibeiroandRobby Gordonmade contact on Lap 82 while fighting for position, bringing out a caution period. During the ensuing pit stops, Tracy retired from the lead due to a transmission failure. On the same lap, rookie Alex Zanardi crashed under caution as his wheel separated following his pit stop.
Light rain again delayed the restart until Lap 102. De Ferran led at the restart, but slower traffic in front of the leaders enabled Vasser to overtake and hold onto the lead until the finish.
Notes
edit- First CART race:Greg Moore,Eddie Lawson,Mark Blundell,Jeff Krosnoff,Alex Zanardi
- Parker Johnstonedid not start the race, having suffered a concussion from a practice crash.[3]
- All American Racersreturned to CART as a team and a constructor for the first time since 1986.
- This was the first CART race since 1991 that long-time entrantA. J. Foyt Enterprisesdid not enter, asFoythad elected to participate in the newIndy Racing Leagueinstead.
Championship standings after the race
edit- Drivers' Championship standings
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jimmy Vasser
|
20 |
| 2 |  Gil de Ferran
|
16 |
| 3 | Robby Gordon
|
14 |
| 4 | Scott Pruett
|
12 |
| 5 | Bobby Rahal
|
10 |
References
edit- ^Harms, Philip (January 6, 2001)."1996 Championship Results: Homestead, FL 200 Mile Race - March 3, 1996"(PDF).motorsport.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on June 8, 2011.RetrievedDecember 21,2009.
- ^"Weather information for the1996 Grand Prix of Miami".The Old Farmers' Almanac.RetrievedSeptember 12,2018.
- ^abcAutocourse (1996).Autocourse Indy car, 1996-97.Richmond, Surrey, Eng.: Hazleton Pub.ISBN1874557071.OCLC37423587.
| Previous race: none |
PPG Indy Car World Series 1996 season |
Next race: 1996 Rio 400 |
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| Previous race: 1995 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami |
Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami | Next race: 1997 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami |