CART arrives in style at Rockingham

CART has not had the best of years in 2001 and although the series looks to be ending the year on a high note, the recruitment of Chris Pook as CEO last week, cancelled races and the loss of Penske to rival series the Indy Racing League did not make for an easy time.

However, off-track problems aside, competitive racing was still the order of the day. While Franchitti's drive from 22nd place to win at Cleveland and the three abreast finish at Michigan were both worthy candidates, Rockingham was the real highlight, not least because I was there to witness it first hand.

Despite months of preparation and build-up to the 17th round of the season, fans at the Rockingham Motor Speedway were kept right on the edge of their seats in the run up to the race. Not, unfortunately, by thrilling practice and qualifying sessions, but by whether they were going to see any running at all.

Heavy rain in the weeks before the event and drainage problems under the track led to a problem found commonly on ovals in the US, that until last September were an alien concept to the British race fan - 'weepers'. Moisture collecting under the circuit managed to make its way to the surface, which despite no water falling from the sky, made the track wet enough to prevent any running.

"When you're trying to push a bathtub over a swimming pool, which this circuit is, the drainage is not so good," said a frustrated Mauricio Gugelmin. "You can call them damp patches or weepers, but they don't disappear. It seems if you fix one here, there is another one down the road."

Fortunately, ceaseless activity and frantic overnight drilling meant the race, albeit reduced in length and almost two hours late, went ahead without a hitch, avoiding several red faces and causing widespread sighs of relief. The show was certainly worth the wait.

Aside from helping out with the pitlane commentary during the race, I also managed to venture to the outside of Turn 1 to watch the cars heading onto the pit straight. In spite of various accounts of 'amazing spectacle' and 'sheer, raw speed', watching cars that closely going that quickly was, if you'll pardon the expression, awesome.

Racing cars invariably sound an awful lot faster than they look and it is not often that races look genuinely fast. But as each turbocharged 850bhp machine thundered past, you could feel the speed. Average speeds were approaching 215mph and it looked it. Add to that the hollow ringing in your chest and you knew why the crowd was captivated.

Instead of 500 kilometres, the race had to be cut to 140 laps, to account for the delays and also the fading light. Right from the start, it was always going to be about then championship leader Kenny Brack and his closest rival Gil de Ferran. The pair were in a class of their own and as the chequered flag drew nearer it became clear that one or the other would win and that traffic was going to the decider.

Brack managed to pounce past de Ferran with just seven laps to go, but it was far from over. De Ferran stayed right with the Swede as the tension built to the finish, and on the very last lap, as the duo descended upon Oriol Servia and Max Papis, the Penske ace slipped past to take the win. An amazing spectacle, climaxing in a near photo finish. The second-placed Brack said it all.

"It was down to traffic in the end," he said afterwards. "That's why I got by him and he got by me. We had a very good race. It was tough, it was exciting. It was everything that oval racing was supposed to be."

Here, here.