FINAL CHECKERED FLAG FALLS ON CART'S ZANARDI, RAHAL.Byline: Bill Schlotter Daily News Staff Writer Oh, how the CART series is going to miss Alex Zanardi Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi, (born October 23, 1966 in Bologna, Italy), is an Italian racing driver. He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver. . It will miss Bobby Rahal Robert "Bobby" Woodward Rahal (born January 10, 1953 in Medina, Ohio) is an American auto racing team owner and former driver, spending most of his driving career in the CART open-wheel series, winning three championships there. who, like Zanardi, made his last tour start Sunday in the Marlboro 500, to be sure. But Zanardi is really going to be a hard act to follow. The colorful two-time CART champion, who is headed for Formula One next season, made that clear with his gutsy third-place finish Noun 1. third-place finish - a finish in third place (as in a race) finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the winner is the team with the at the California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. . Zanardi did not qualify well for Sunday's race, lining up 18th. And in the early going, his car did not handle well and he soon found himself more than a lap behind the leaders. ``The car was pushing hard at first,'' Zanardi said. ``We made some little changes that put some speed back into it, but by then we were a lap down.'' Some drivers might have written off the race at that point. Not Zanardi. After getting his mechanical problems worked out, Zanardi - who came from more than a lap down to win the Long Beach Grand Prix
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is the premier circuit in the Champ Car World Series. It is an open-wheel race held on a temporary road course in Long Beach, California. this year - was on the move. By the halfway point, he had moved up to eighth. By lap 200 - with 100 miles to go - he was sixth. And at the end, he was contending to steal the race. He might have if not for a slip-up on turn 2 of the final lap There is also Final Lap (novel), a novel in the Traces series by Malcolm Rose. Final Lap is a video game released by Namco and Atari Games (for the Americas) in 1987 which was the unofficial sequel to the popular Pole Position games. as he and teammate Jimmy Vasser Jimmy Vasser (born November 20 1965 in Canoga Park, California ) is an American racing driver. Vasser was the 1996 Champ Car champion, driving for Chip Ganassi, and has scored ten victories in the category. charged past Greg Moore Greg Moore may refer to:
Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. . ``My car got loose a little bit in the turn and I fell a little back,'' he said. Moore was able to get back around Zanardi and finish second. But it didn't bother Zanardi, who has built a reputation for aggressive driving during his three-year run in CART. ``We got third place, which is much better than I thought, so I'm very happy,'' Zanardi said. ``When I saw Jimmy take the lead, I was very happy for him.'' Rahal wasn't sure what his emotions were after finishing 11th in his final race. ``I still don't exactly know what I'm feeling,'' Rahal said after struggling to stay with the leaders all afternoon. ``A long chapter in my life is over. A new chapter is beginning. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what it will bring.'' Rahal was the object of tributes all weekend as his competitors made final shows of respect. During practice Sunday, each of the other teams lined pit row wearing Groucho Marx glasses - reminders of Rahal's characteristic moustache and glasses - as he drove by. ``I don't want to mention any names, but that's the best I've ever seem some of those people look,'' Rahal said. Rahal, ever the competitor, said there was one feeling he could describe. ``At the end of the race, I remember being mad because I couldn't get by (Helio) Castro-Nieves and take 10th,'' he said. ``So I wasn't going to give up today. I was fighting to the end.'' And he noted a bit of irony that nearly resulted from a crash between Bryan Herta and Max Papis, who will be Team Rahal teammates next season. ``As I was driving by, I almost got hit by the shrapnel from their cars,'' Rahal said. ``That would have been great - all three of us out together.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--2--Color) At top, Bobby Rahal comes around turn 4 in Sunday's Marlboro 500 at California Speedway, his final career race. Actor Paul Newman, a former race-car driver himself, watches the action. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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