1997 Dixie Crystals Grand Prix

February 2025 USA Hutchinson Island Savannah Hutchinsons Island Circuit.svg May 18 1997 Dixie Crystals Grand Prix 4th PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship Powered By Buick Grand Prize of America Road Course Parkland circuit 1.965 3.162 50 98.25 158.10 Hélio Castroneves Tasman Motorsports 1:04.824 BRA Hélio Castroneves Tasman Motorsports BRA Hélio Castroneves Tasman Motorsports 1:05.726 BRA Sérgio Paese FRE Racing BRA Lee Bentham Forsythe Racing CAN The 1997 Dixie Crystals Grand Prix was the fourth race of the 1997 PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship Powered By Buick. The race took place on May 18 in Savannah, Georgia, United States, on Grand Prize of America Road Course parkland circuit on Hutchinson Island; a river island in the Savannah River, north of downtown Savannah. The race was won by Hélio Castroneves for Tasman Motorsports. Sérgio Paese finished second ahead of Lee Bentham, Luiz Garcia Jr., and Naoki Hattori.http://racing-reference.info/race/1997_Dixie_Crystals_Grand_Prix/IL 1997 Dixie Crystals Grand Prix Report Background In the 1990s, a group of local businessmen formed the Colonial Motorsport company, deciding it was time to bring back international racing action to Savannah. Major international races had last been held on the streets of Savannah with the American Grand Prize in 1908, 1910, and 1911; and the Vanderbilt Cup Race in 1911. After four years of careful negotiations, an agreement was reached for a stand-alone Indy Lights race, with follow up events in '98 and '99 offering the possibility of a future CART round. Public monies helped build a 1.965-mile county road to serve as a 10-turn circuit; the first time a public road had been pre-designed with the intention of also using it for racing in the USA.http://edgar.secdatabase.com/257/95015297008812/filing-main.htm CHAMPIONSHIP AUTO RACING TEAMS, Form S-1, Filing Date Dec 23, 1997 secdatabase.com May 14, 2018 Mark Blundell quoted, after a feasibility test for future CART races, "As a drivers track, it's good, It's quite demanding and really physical. It's a fun circuit to drive, and there are at least two and possibly three spots for overtaking. It doesn't have a street course feel, it's more of a road course feel. From a spectator viewpoint, there are plenty of great vantage points."http://www.hhiconcours.com/events/savannah.html Savannah's History The event looked like a modest success; drivers seemed happy with the course, fans turned out in reasonable numbers, and a contract was in place for future years. However, creditors and several companies involved in the construction didn't want to give the promoters a reasonable time frame to make the event profitable. The resulting lawsuit threw Colonial Motorsport company into Chapter 11, and all its contracts, including the one with CART, were dissolved. The track itself came into public ownership and fell into disrepair.http://www.racingcircuits.info/north-america/usa/savannah.html#.V-rAhfArLIV Circuit Historyhttp://www.autoracing1.com/cassioc/2004/0902Savannah.asp Why Champ Car needs to look at Savannah 2016-09-27 2016-10-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20161007121411/http://www.autoracing1.com/cassioc/2004/0902Savannah.asp dead Classification Indy Lights Pos Qual Driver Team Laps Laps Led Points11 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Tasman Motorsports50502224 Brazil Sérgio Paese FRE Racing5016310 Canada Lee Bentham Forsythe Racing501443 Brazil Luiz Garcia Jr. Dorricott Racing5012515 JPN 1947 Naoki Hattori Team Green501067 JPN 1947 Hideki Noda Indy Regency Racing508717 Brazil Oswaldo Negri Jr. Genoa Racing506812 Brazil Airton Daré Brian Stewart Racing49595 FRA 1974 Didier André Autosport Racing4941013 Sweden Fredrik Larsson Johansson Motorsports4931116 USA Bob Dorricott, Jr. Dorricott Racing492129 FRA 1974 Christophe Tinseau Conquest Racing4911324 USA Casey Mears Team Mears49146 Canada David Empringham Forsythe Racing48 Crash158 JPN 1947 Shigeaki Hattori Lucas Place Motorsports48 Crash1614 USA Chris Simmons Team Green481711 USA Mark Hotchkis Team Green481825 USA Clint Mears Team Mears47 Off Course1923 Canada John Jones Eclipse Racing452020 USA Geoff Boss Team Medlin42 Wheel2119 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Brian Stewart Racing16 Crash2218 USA Robby Unser PacWest Lights16 Crash232 Brazil Tony Kanaan Tasman Motorsports15 Throttle2421 USA Jaques Lazier Brian Stewart Racing8 Crash2522 Mexico Rodolfo Lavín Indy Regency Racing1 CrashDNSDNQ USA Dave DeSilva Lucas Place Motorsports Notes: All teams used a Normally-Aspirated Buick V6 engine producing 425 hp, and the Lola T97/20 chassis. Support Races North American Touring Car Championship Season Date Pole position Winning driver Winning team 1997 May 17 USA Peter Cunningham USA Peter Cunningham Honda American Racing Team May 18 USA Peter Cunningham USA Peter Cunningham Honda American Racing Team Barber Dodge Pro Series Season Date Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver 1997 May 18 USA Derek Hill USA Rocky Moran Jr. USA Derek Hill USAC Formula Ford 2000 Season Date Winning driver Chassis 1997 May 18 Brazil Luciano Zangirolamihttp://racingrecords.eu/series/314/season/1997/usac-formula-ford-2000 USAC Formuła Ford 2000 - sezon 1997 Van Diemen RF97 References Dixie Crystals Grand Prix Dixie Crystals Grand Prix Category:History of Savannah, Georgia Dixie Crystals Grand Prix