2003 German 500
Encyclopedia
The 2003 German 500 was the fifth round of the 2003 CART World Series season
, held on May 11, 2003 on the oval track at EuroSpeedway Lausitz
in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany
. The race also featured the return of Alex Zanardi
to a Champ Car
racing cockpit, about a year and a half after he lost both his legs in a nearly fatal crash at the 2001 CART race at the track.
CART race at EuroSpeedway Lausitz
, Alex Zanardi
spun on the warm up lane after a pit stop. His car spun directly into the path of the car driven by Alex Tagliani
. The t-bone accident immediately amputated Zanardi's legs above his knees. Quick work by the medical team saved his life and by 2002 he was walking on artificial legs of his own design.
For this event a 2002 Reynard
Champ Car was modified to include hand controls by Mi-Jack Conquest Racing with assistance from Walker Racing
, painted in the same color scheme as the car Alex drove in the 2001 season. Prior to the start of the race, Zanardi took to the track and completed the 13 laps to symbolically finish the 2001 race. His fastest lap was clocked at 37.487 seconds which would have put him 5th on the grid for the 2003 race.
Zanardi would go on to return to competitive auto racing in 2004, driving a BMW in the European Touring Car Championship
(which would be redubbed the World Touring Car Championship
in 2005
). On August 28, 2005 he won his first race since the accident at the Oschersleben
circuit in Germany
.
2003 CART World Series season
The 2003 CART season, the twenty-fifth and final in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 18 races, beginning in St. Petersburg, Florida on February 23 and concluding in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia on October 26...
, held on May 11, 2003 on the oval track at EuroSpeedway Lausitz
EuroSpeedway Lausitz
The EuroSpeedway Lausitz is a race track located near Klettwitz in the state of Brandenburg in Eastern Germany, near the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic...
in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany
Oberspreewald-Lausitz
Oberspreewald-Lausitz is a Kreis in the southern part of Brandenburg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Dahme-Spreewald, Spree-Neiße, the districts Kamenz and Riesa-Großenhain in Saxony, and the district Elbe-Elster....
. The race also featured the return of Alex Zanardi
Alex Zanardi
Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.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...
to a Champ Car
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
racing cockpit, about a year and a half after he lost both his legs in a nearly fatal crash at the 2001 CART race at the track.
Qualifying results
| Pos | Nat | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French race car driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive championships from 2004 to 2007.... |
Newman/Haas Racing Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Newman/Haas Racing was a motor racing team competing in the IndyCar Series. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed when actor Paul Newman and long-time racer Carl Haas, competitors in the Can-Am championship, each began looking to Champ Car racing... |
37.000 |
| 2 |  |
Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira is a Brazilian race car driver that most recently competed in the IRL IndyCar Series. He is a former Formula 3000 champion and three-time runner-up in the Champ Car World Series.-Early career:... |
Newman/Haas Racing | 37.211 |
| 3 |  |
Michel Jourdain, Jr. Michel Jourdain, Jr. Michel Jourdain Jr. is an IndyCar driver. Jourdain Jr. started racing cars in the Mexican Formula Junior series at the age of 12. He then moved to the Mexican Formula K and Formula 2 series.-Champ Car:... |
Team Rahal Rahal Letterman Racing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series and part–time in the IndyCar Series. Based in Hilliard, Ohio, it is co–owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, television talk show host David Letterman, and businessman Mike... |
37.274 |
| 4 | |
Mario Haberfeld Mario Haberfeld Mario Haberfeld is a Brazilian auto racing driver.After winning the British Formula Three Championship in 1998, he drove in Formula 3000 from 1999 until 2002. He posted some decent results, but struggled his first season driving for the McLaren junior team failing to score a single point while... |
Mi-Jack Conquest Racing | 37.392 |
| 5 | Darren Manning Darren Manning Darren Manning is a motor racing driver, most recently racing in the IRL IndyCar Series for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.-Early career:... |
Walker Racing Walker Racing Walker Racing is a racing team founded by Derrick Walker in 1991 racing originally in the CART Championship Car series. Presently the team competes in the Firestone Indy Lights series.-Early success:... |
37.532 | |
| 6 | |
Mario Domínguez Mario Domínguez Mario Domínguez is a Mexican racing driver. He has competed in the CART and CCWS Champ Car series and later the IndyCar Series.-Early career:Domínguez first began racing in 1987 driving go-karts... |
Herdez Competition | 37.690 |
| 7 |  |
Oriol Servià Oriol Servia Oriol Servià i Imbers is a race car driver in the IndyCar Series, originally from Catalonia, Spain. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.-Early career:... |
Patrick Racing Patrick Racing Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.Patrick Racing was started by Pat Patrick with the formation of CART in 1978. Patrick Racing would win three Indianapolis 500s and two CART championships, making it one of the most successful CART teams ever.In... |
37.702 |
| 8 | |
Rodolfo Lavín Rodolfo Lavin Rodolfo Lavín is a Mexican racing driver from San Luis Potosí. He most notably raced in the Champ Car World Series.In Mexico, Lavín raced in Formula Azteca and Formula 3. With funding in the form of sponsorship from Corona, with whom his father is on the board, Lavin raced in Indy Lights from... |
Walker Racing | 37.717 |
| 9 |  |
Alex Tagliani Alex Tagliani Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:... |
Rocketsports Racing Rocketsports Racing Rocketsports Racing is a motor racing team from the United States based in East Lansing, Michigan.Rocketsports was founded in 1985 by racing driver Paul Gentilozzi to compete in the Trans-Am series. It competed in Trans-Am until 2004, when the championship was cancelled, and achieved 57 outright... |
37.732 |
| 10 | |
Patrick Lemarié Patrick Lemarié Patrick Lemarié is a French auto racing driver born February 6, 1968 in Paris. He spent four years performing testing work for the British American Racing Formula One team but never was considered for a race seat due to his lack of experience. His manager, Craig Pollock, hired him to drive for... |
PK Racing | 37.806 |
| 11 |  |
Jimmy Vasser Jimmy Vasser Jimmy Vasser is a retired American racing driver and current co-owner of KV Racing Technology. Vasser won the 1996 IndyCar season championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, and scored ten victories in the series... |
American Spirit Team Johansson | 37.911 |
| 12 | |
Roberto Moreno Roberto Moreno Roberto Pupo Moreno , usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. He raced in CART in 1986, and was Formula 3000 champion before joining... |
Herdez Competition | 38.057 |
| 13 |  |
Alex Yoong Alex Yoong Alexander Charles Yoong Loong , is a Malaysian race car driver of European and Asian parentage. His mother, Joanna Bean, is from England. His father, Hanifah Yoong Yin Fah , a Malaysian Chinese, is a former racer and manager of the Shah Alam circuit between 1988 and 1998... |
Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing is a motorsports team in the IndyCar Series owned by former driver Dale Coyne. It was founded in 1986 with Chicago Bears great Walter Payton as Payton/Coyne Racing. The team fields the No. 18 Acorn Stairlifts and No... |
38.152 |
| 14 |  |
Tiago Monteiro Tiago Monteiro Tiago Vagaroso da Costa Monteiro is a Portuguese racing driver. He drove for Jordan, Midland and Spyker MF1 teams—all different iterations of the same team as it was bought by new owners during a two year stint as part of the Formula One paddock... |
Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing | 38.196 |
| 15 | |
Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Hunter-Reay is a professional American race car driver best known as the only driver to have won races in each of North America's top open wheel formulas, CART the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series... |
American Spirit Team Johansson | 38.220 |
| 16 | |
Paul Tracy Paul Tracy Paul Tracy is a professional automobile racer who has competed in CART, the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series... |
Team Player's Forsythe Championship Racing Forsythe/Pettit Racing is a racing team that competed in the Champ Car World Series owned by Gerald Forsythe and Dan Pettit. The Champ Car effort ceased operations after the 2008 unification of North American open wheel racing.-History:... |
38.244 |
| 17 | |
Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier is a retired Canadian race car driver. He is best known for his career in the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. In 2009, Patrick shared the #36 of Tommy Baldwin Racing with Mike Skinner and ran Michael Waltrip's #55 Toyota Camry in the road course races in the... |
Team Player's | 38.286 |
| 18 |  |
Joël Camathias Joël Camathias Joël Camathias is a Swiss race car driver born in Lugano. In 2001 he raced in the International Formula 3000 championship and in 2002 in the European F3000 series. In 2003 he made 7 starts in the American Champ Car series for Dale Coyne Racing, his best finish a 9th in his debut at the Grand Prix... |
Dale Coyne Racing | 38.558 |
| 19 | |
Adrian Fernández Adrian Fernández José Adrián Fernández Mier is a Mexican racing driver and co-owner of the Fernandez Racing team.-Early career:... |
Fernández Racing Fernández Racing Fernández Racing is a Mexican motor racing team that competes in the American Le Mans Series and previously Champ Car, the IRL IndyCar Series, and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The team was co-founded by Adrian Fernández and Tom Anderson in 2001.-Open wheel:... |
38.666 |
Alex Zanardi's 13 Laps
With 13 laps remaining in the 2001 American Memorial2001 American Memorial
The 2001 American Memorial was a Championship Auto Racing Teams motor race held on September 15, 2001 at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Germany. It was the 16th round of the 2001 CART season and the first race in the series to be held in Europe. Originally known as the German 500, the...
CART race at EuroSpeedway Lausitz
EuroSpeedway Lausitz
The EuroSpeedway Lausitz is a race track located near Klettwitz in the state of Brandenburg in Eastern Germany, near the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic...
, Alex Zanardi
Alex Zanardi
Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.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...
spun on the warm up lane after a pit stop. His car spun directly into the path of the car driven by Alex Tagliani
Alex Tagliani
Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...
. The t-bone accident immediately amputated Zanardi's legs above his knees. Quick work by the medical team saved his life and by 2002 he was walking on artificial legs of his own design.
For this event a 2002 Reynard
Reynard Motorsport
Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy...
Champ Car was modified to include hand controls by Mi-Jack Conquest Racing with assistance from Walker Racing
Walker Racing
Walker Racing is a racing team founded by Derrick Walker in 1991 racing originally in the CART Championship Car series. Presently the team competes in the Firestone Indy Lights series.-Early success:...
, painted in the same color scheme as the car Alex drove in the 2001 season. Prior to the start of the race, Zanardi took to the track and completed the 13 laps to symbolically finish the 2001 race. His fastest lap was clocked at 37.487 seconds which would have put him 5th on the grid for the 2003 race.
Zanardi would go on to return to competitive auto racing in 2004, driving a BMW in the European Touring Car Championship
European Touring Car Championship
The European Touring Car Championship was an international touring car racing series organised by the FIA. It had two incarnations, the first one between 1963 and 1988, and the second between 2000 and 2004...
(which would be redubbed the World Touring Car Championship
World Touring Car Championship
For the video game, known as World Touring Car Championship in Japan, see TOCA World Touring CarsThe FIA World Touring Car Championship is an international Touring Car championship sanctioned by the FIA.-History:...
in 2005
2005 World Touring Car Championship season
The 2005 World Touring Car Championship season was the second World Touring Car Championship season, and the first since 1987. It featured a ten event, twenty race series which commenced on April 10, 2005 and ended on November 20...
). On August 28, 2005 he won his first race since the accident at the Oschersleben
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is long race track with a width of 11 – 13 meters and elevation changes of 23 metres. The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde , Northern Germany...
circuit in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Race
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French race car driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive championships from 2004 to 2007.... |
Newman/Haas Racing Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Newman/Haas Racing was a motor racing team competing in the IndyCar Series. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed when actor Paul Newman and long-time racer Carl Haas, competitors in the Can-Am championship, each began looking to Champ Car racing... |
154 | 1:49:22.498 | 1 | 22 |
| 2 | 55 | Mario Domínguez Mario Domínguez Mario Domínguez is a Mexican racing driver. He has competed in the CART and CCWS Champ Car series and later the IndyCar Series.-Early career:Domínguez first began racing in 1987 driving go-karts... |
Herdez Competition | 154 | +0.084 secs | 6 | 16 |
| 3 | 9 | Michel Jourdain, Jr. Michel Jourdain, Jr. Michel Jourdain Jr. is an IndyCar driver. Jourdain Jr. started racing cars in the Mexican Formula Junior series at the age of 12. He then moved to the Mexican Formula K and Formula 2 series.-Champ Car:... |
Team Rahal Rahal Letterman Racing Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series and part–time in the IndyCar Series. Based in Hilliard, Ohio, it is co–owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, television talk show host David Letterman, and businessman Mike... |
154 | +0.245 secs | 3 | 14 |
| 4 | 1 | Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira is a Brazilian race car driver that most recently competed in the IRL IndyCar Series. He is a former Formula 3000 champion and three-time runner-up in the Champ Car World Series.-Early career:... |
Newman/Haas Racing | 154 | +12.042 secs | 2 | 12 |
| 5 | 20 | Oriol Servià Oriol Servia Oriol Servià i Imbers is a race car driver in the IndyCar Series, originally from Catalonia, Spain. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.-Early career:... |
Patrick Racing Patrick Racing Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League.Patrick Racing was started by Pat Patrick with the formation of CART in 1978. Patrick Racing would win three Indianapolis 500s and two CART championships, making it one of the most successful CART teams ever.In... |
154 | +12.055 secs | 7 | 10 |
| 6 | 15 | Darren Manning Darren Manning Darren Manning is a motor racing driver, most recently racing in the IRL IndyCar Series for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.-Early career:... |
Walker Racing Walker Racing Walker Racing is a racing team founded by Derrick Walker in 1991 racing originally in the CART Championship Car series. Presently the team competes in the Firestone Indy Lights series.-Early success:... |
154 | +24.602 secs | 5 | 8 |
| 7 | 32 | Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier is a retired Canadian race car driver. He is best known for his career in the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. In 2009, Patrick shared the #36 of Tommy Baldwin Racing with Mike Skinner and ran Michael Waltrip's #55 Toyota Camry in the road course races in the... |
Team Player's Forsythe Championship Racing Forsythe/Pettit Racing is a racing team that competed in the Champ Car World Series owned by Gerald Forsythe and Dan Pettit. The Champ Car effort ceased operations after the 2008 unification of North American open wheel racing.-History:... |
153 | + 1 Lap | 17 | 6 |
| 8 | 12 | Jimmy Vasser Jimmy Vasser Jimmy Vasser is a retired American racing driver and current co-owner of KV Racing Technology. Vasser won the 1996 IndyCar season championship with Chip Ganassi Racing, and scored ten victories in the series... |
American Spirit Team Johansson | 153 | + 1 Lap | 11 | 5 |
| 9 | 5 | Rodolfo Lavín Rodolfo Lavin Rodolfo Lavín is a Mexican racing driver from San Luis Potosí. He most notably raced in the Champ Car World Series.In Mexico, Lavín raced in Formula Azteca and Formula 3. With funding in the form of sponsorship from Corona, with whom his father is on the board, Lavin raced in Indy Lights from... |
Walker Racing | 153 | + 1 Lap | 8 | 4 |
| 10 | 4 | Roberto Moreno Roberto Moreno Roberto Pupo Moreno , usually known as Roberto Moreno and also as Pupo Moreno, is a racing driver from Brazil. He participated in 75 Formula One Grands Prix, achieved 1 podium, and scored a total of 15 championship points. He raced in CART in 1986, and was Formula 3000 champion before joining... |
Herdez Competition | 153 | + 1 Lap | 12 | 3 |
| 11 | 31 | Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Hunter-Reay Ryan Hunter-Reay is a professional American race car driver best known as the only driver to have won races in each of North America's top open wheel formulas, CART the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series... |
American Spirit Team Johansson | 152 | + 2 Laps | 15 | 2 |
| 12 | 3 | Paul Tracy Paul Tracy Paul Tracy is a professional automobile racer who has competed in CART, the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series... |
Team Player's | 152 | + 2 Laps | 16 | 1 |
| 13 | 7 | Tiago Monteiro Tiago Monteiro Tiago Vagaroso da Costa Monteiro is a Portuguese racing driver. He drove for Jordan, Midland and Spyker MF1 teams—all different iterations of the same team as it was bought by new owners during a two year stint as part of the Formula One paddock... |
Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing | 152 | + 2 Laps | 14 | 0 |
| 14 | 34 | Mario Haberfeld Mario Haberfeld Mario Haberfeld is a Brazilian auto racing driver.After winning the British Formula Three Championship in 1998, he drove in Formula 3000 from 1999 until 2002. He posted some decent results, but struggled his first season driving for the McLaren junior team failing to score a single point while... |
Mi-Jack Conquest Racing | 152 | + 2 Laps | 4 | 0 |
| 15 | 51 | Adrian Fernández Adrian Fernández José Adrián Fernández Mier is a Mexican racing driver and co-owner of the Fernandez Racing team.-Early career:... |
Fernández Racing Fernández Racing Fernández Racing is a Mexican motor racing team that competes in the American Le Mans Series and previously Champ Car, the IRL IndyCar Series, and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The team was co-founded by Adrian Fernández and Tom Anderson in 2001.-Open wheel:... |
152 | + 2 Laps | 19 | 0 |
| 16 | 19 | Joël Camathias Joël Camathias Joël Camathias is a Swiss race car driver born in Lugano. In 2001 he raced in the International Formula 3000 championship and in 2002 in the European F3000 series. In 2003 he made 7 starts in the American Champ Car series for Dale Coyne Racing, his best finish a 9th in his debut at the Grand Prix... |
Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing is a motorsports team in the IndyCar Series owned by former driver Dale Coyne. It was founded in 1986 with Chicago Bears great Walter Payton as Payton/Coyne Racing. The team fields the No. 18 Acorn Stairlifts and No... |
152 | + 2 Laps | 18 | 0 |
| 17 | 11 | Alex Yoong Alex Yoong Alexander Charles Yoong Loong , is a Malaysian race car driver of European and Asian parentage. His mother, Joanna Bean, is from England. His father, Hanifah Yoong Yin Fah , a Malaysian Chinese, is a former racer and manager of the Shah Alam circuit between 1988 and 1998... |
Dale Coyne Racing | 81 | Mechanical | 13 | 0 |
| 18 | 33 | Alex Tagliani Alex Tagliani Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:... |
Rocketsports Racing Rocketsports Racing Rocketsports Racing is a motor racing team from the United States based in East Lansing, Michigan.Rocketsports was founded in 1985 by racing driver Paul Gentilozzi to compete in the Trans-Am series. It competed in Trans-Am until 2004, when the championship was cancelled, and achieved 57 outright... |
28 | Mechanical | 9 | 0 |
| 19 | 27 | Patrick Lemarié Patrick Lemarié Patrick Lemarié is a French auto racing driver born February 6, 1968 in Paris. He spent four years performing testing work for the British American Racing Formula One team but never was considered for a race seat due to his lack of experience. His manager, Craig Pollock, hired him to drive for... |
PK Racing | 25 | Contact | 10 | 0 |
Caution flags
| Laps | Cause |
|---|---|
| 23-27 | Debris |
| 83-88 | Debris |