Da Matta takes consummate win

The 27-year-old Brazilian kicked off his relationship with the respected Newman-Haas team in the best possible way by bringing his Texaco-sponsored Ford/Lola home 1.982 seconds ahead of defending CART champion Gil de Ferran.

Da Matta led 32 of the 78 laps, averaging 81.548 mph. Team Kool Green's Paul Tracy took third after a forceful drive from 15th on the grid.

Da Matta ran second to pole man Kenny Brack for the first 22 laps, then emerged in front after a group of three cars had finished their out-of-sequence first round of pit stops. Brack's Team Rahal Shell Ford/Lola was fairly evenly matched with da Matta's Toyota-powered example, but the Swede had a couple of problems and faded to a fifth place finish.

"I had a pretty good day," said da Matta. "Kenny was running strong until he seemed to have a problem on the back straight. I passed him, but then next thing I knew, he was right back in my mirrors.

"He was really hooked up for the second stint," da Matta continued. "I think his car may have been a little faster than mine, but maybe he used a little more fuel because he pitted one lap before I did and that really cost him a lot. That was the toughest part of the race for me, because I still had to make my fuel mileage goal while holding Kenny off. When Gil got to second place during the last stint, I was able to run at full rich and I had the situation a little more under control."

It marked the second career Champ Car victory for da Matta, who also won at Chicago Motor Speedway in 2000 while driving for Cal Wells' PPI Motorsports. When that team folded, da Matta was snapped up by Newman-Haas to replace Michael Andretti. The move did not go over well with sponsor Texaco, which sued to get out of its contract with Haas in light of Andretti's departure. The oil giant may be reconsidering after da Matta's accomplished drive.

"It's not the fact that I'm replacing Michael that brings the pressure," da Matta remarked. "It's driving for a team with the heritage of Newman-Haas. At PPI, I didn't have a lot of pressure because it was a new team and everything we achieved was a plus. "Now I'm with a bigger team that has had success and won championships in the past. That makes a lot of difference. I put pressure on myself because I know I'm with a team capable of winning the championship. Having a good start the first time out takes the pressure off. I knew Newman-Haas could win races and I knew I could win races because I did it last year. The only question was whether we could do it together."

De Ferran drove the race while suffering from intense stomach flu. He pressured da Matta for the lead immediately after the final round of pit stops, but his younger countryman was able to pull away over the final laps of a race that was flagged after 78 of a scheduled 80 laps due to CART's two-hour rule. His run to second place was keyed by a rapid, no-tyre second pit stop.

De Ferran was able to participate in the podium presentation, but he immediately went to the CART Medical Center for fluid replacement for the second straight day.

"Considering all the circumstances this weekend, second place is a great way for Marlboro Team Penske to start the season," said de Ferran in a team statement. "It was unfortunate I became sick, because I wasn't able to eat anything since Saturday morning and I really was feeling bad. But once I got in the car, all the enthusiasm from the great Mexican fans kept me going."

"Gil was an ironman today, without a doubt," said Penske Racing President Tim Cindric. "Gil earned his keep today, and the Firestone tyres were great for him. He ran the last two stints on the same set, and he did a great job."

Tracy made a number of spots at the start, took advantage of attrition, and bullied his way past a couple of competitors to earn a trip to the podium after a dogged drive.

"I just kept plucking away," Tracy reported. "Some guys dropped out, I was able to get by some guys, and I kind of bumped my way by some guys. That's how I got by Kenny, and maybe that's a little bit unfair to him, but that's racing. It's a tight track and these things happen.

"But after where we qualified, a podium is exceptional."

Fourth fell to Michael Andretti in his debut for Team Motorola, while Brack battled fading brakes in the closing stages to take fifth. Jimmy Vasser ran to a steady sixth in his first race for Patrick Racing, just ahead of Tony Kanaan.

Helio Castroneves was very confident heading into the race, but his Marlboro Penske Honda/Reynard lost fourth gear early in the race and he did well to bring the car home eighth.

Click here for the race result.