2002 Honda Indy 300

December 2021 November 2011 Australia Honda Indy 300 Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.svg Layout of the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit October 27 2002 Honda Indy 300 17 19 CART Surfers Paradise Street CircuitQueensland, Australia Temporary street circuit 2.795 4.498 40 111.800 179.920 Wet; persistent rain Cristiano da Matta Newman-Haas Racing 1:30.204 BRA Cristiano da Matta Newman-Haas Racing 1:56.457 7 BRA Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition MEX Patrick Carpentier Forsythe Racing CAN Paul Tracy Team Green CAN The 2002 Honda Indy 300 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on October 27, 2002 at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Queensland, Australia in front of 103,351 fans. It was the seventeenth round of the 2002 CART season, the twelfth running of the event, and the only race of the year to be held in Australia. Herdez Competition driver Mario Domínguez earned his first career CART win in the shortened 40-lap race. Patrick Carpentier, driving for Forsythe Racing, finished second, and Paul Tracy brought home the third position for Team Kool Green. The race, originally scheduled to be 70 laps, was marred by extremely wet conditions. The initial start saw a multi-car crash injuring Adrián Fernández and Tora Takagi. CART officials shortened the race to 50 laps and allowed teams to repair their cars or pull out backups. After a long delay, the race was restarted on lap 3 with slightly improved conditions. Pole sitter Cristiano da Matta led the first 10 laps. Bruno Junqueira took the lead as da Matta and several other drivers took their first mandatory pit stop under caution, though he gave the lead back to da Matta on lap 18 after making his pit stop. Da Matta led the next eleven laps until he pitted again on lap 30. Michael Andretti inherited the lead thereafter, and he and his team believed they were in position to win once the race reached official race status of the full lap past the halfway point (35 laps plus one) of the original distance (70 laps), since they had already pitted once. However, CART officials made the controversial decision to wait until lap 40 to end the race, which meant that most teams would be forced to pit twice. After Andretti pitted on lap 36, Domínguez inherited the lead and led the final four laps en route to victory. The finishing order of the race led to da Matta, who had already clinched the Drivers' Championship after Miami, extending his lead to 75 points over Junqueira with two races remaining in the season. Dario Franchitti, Carpentier, and Christian Fittipaldi rounded out the top five. Lola, which also clinched the Constructors' Championship at Denver, lengthened their lead over Reynard to 148 points. With Kenny Bräck's fourth-place finish, Toyota secured the Manufacturers' Championship with a 46-point lead over Honda. The race was criticized for its officiating, and marked another dent in CART's reputation. Background 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series#Drivers and teams left|thumb|The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit (pictured in 2006), where the race was held. The Honda Indy 300 was confirmed as part of CART's 2002 schedule in November 2001.November 5, 2001 CART 2002 Schedule https://books.google.com/books?id=W4IyAAAAIBAJ&dq=2002+cart+surfers+paradise&pg=PA13&article_id=6640,4496825 July 24, 2025 Lawrence Journal-World 13 It was the 17th of 19 scheduled races by CART, and was held on October 27, 2002 at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia.November 4, 2001 CART UNVEILS 2002 SCHEDULE http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2425 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021114115330/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2425 November 14, 2002 July 24, 2025 CART.com Fontana, California The track is a street circuit which features 12 turns and is 2.795 mi km in length.October 22, 2002 CART AUSTRALIA SUMMARY http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4927 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225181440/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4927 December 25, 2002 July 24, 2025 CART.com Indianapolis This was the twelfth annual edition of the event, dating back to 1991. Cristiano da Matta was the defending race winner. Over 300,000 people were expected to attend the event, and track organizers erected several new grandstands due to the growing ticket demand for the race.October 1, 2002 Demand Means More Grandstands For Surfers Paradise http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4776 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021026224957/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4776 October 26, 2002 July 24, 2025 CART.comOctober 17, 2002 TICKET DEMAND PUSHES INDY HONDA 300 TO ADD STILL MORE GRANDSTANDS. http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4911 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225172216/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4911 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Indianapolis Preluding festivities for the event began on October 20, a week prior to the race, as fans were allowed to spend the day on pit road.October 8, 2002 Family Day to Kick Off CART Australia Weekend http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4882 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225182221/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4882 December 25, 2002 July 24, 2025 CART.com Indianapolis Because of the success of the event, CART and the track organizers announced the signing of a new contract on October 24, which allowed the event to be held every year through 2008.October 25, 2002 CART EXTENDS AUSTRALIA CONTRACT THROUGH 2008 http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4941 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183113/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4941 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.comOctober 24, 2002 CART to continue to race Down Under https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1024/1450731.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250725170017/https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1024/1450731.html July 25, 2025 July 25, 2025 ESPN.com ESPN Heading into the event, Newman/Haas Racing driver da Matta had already clinched the Drivers' Championship due to his win in the Grand Prix Americas at Miami the race prior.October 6, 2002 Da Matta Takes 'Da Title' http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4866 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021026225132/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4866 October 26, 2002 July 24, 2025 CART.comOctober 7, 2002 Da Matta clinches CART points title https://books.google.com/books?id=JfQ0AAAAIBAJ&dq=cristiano+da+matta+championship&pg=PA18&article_id=3357,4370580 July 24, 2025 Reading Eagle 18 He earned 212 points at this point in the season, 69 ahead of Bruno Junqueira. Dario Franchitti sat in third with 129 points, while Patrick Carpentier, with 115 points, and Christian Fittipaldi, with 114 points, rounded out the top five.October 17, 2002 Motor Sports https://books.google.com/books?id=tccvAAAAIBAJ&dq=2002+cart+points+miami&pg=PA4&article_id=5387,1703853 July 24, 2025 Kingman Daily Miner 4 Lola had also clinched the Constructors' Championship with Junqueira's win at Denver,October 24, 2002 Men at work: CART hits Land Down Under for Surfer's Paradise race https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2114781/men-work-cart-hits-land-down-under-surfers-paradise-race/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230209000045/https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2114781/men-work-cart-hits-land-down-under-surfers-paradise-race/ February 9, 2023 July 26, 2025 Autoweek.com gaining a total of 335 points. Reynard held second with 193 points.October 6, 2002 Lola Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4867 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225181515/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4867 December 25, 2002 July 24, 2025 CART.com As for the Manufacturers' Championship, Toyota obtained 287 points and extended their lead to 46 points over Honda. Ford was 81 points behind Toyota and was eliminated from championship contention after Miami.October 6, 2002 Toyota Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4869 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428141830/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4869 April 28, 2003 July 24, 2025 CART.com Toyota had a chance to lock up the championship by scoring at least 20 points in the remaining three races. Da Matta was relived that he had clinched his first CART championship. He admitted that he felt "lighter" after winning the championship and focused his efforts on winning the final three races of the season, starting with Surfers Paradise.October 21, 2002 Newman/Haas Racing Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4920 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183343/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4920 December 25, 2002 July 24, 2025 CART.com On October 24, da Matta honored his championship efforts by donning the #1 on his car, which remained from Surfers Paradise to the season finale in Mexico.October 24, 2002 Da Matta Puts On Championship Digit In Australia http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4934 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183556/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4934 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Fittipaldi, da Matta's teammate, reminisced about his various experiences in Australia, including his severe crash during the event in 1997 and his podium finish a year later. Numerous drivers, such as Team KOOL Green teammates Paul Tracy and Dario Franchitti,October 22, 2002 Team KOOL Green Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4928 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225180336/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4928 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Oriol Servià,October 23, 2002 Visteon/Patrick Racing Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4931 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183212/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4931 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Michael Andretti,October 21, 2002 Team Motorola Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4924 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021201205846/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4924 December 1, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com and Jimmy VasserOctober 21, 2002 Team Rahal Race Preview http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4922 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225171710/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4922 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com all sung their praises about the track and its fans. Despite the excitement leading up to the race, CART had suffered a big loss in sponsorship. On October 25, CART president Chris Pook announced that FedEx would no longer be the series' title sponsor after 2002. Pook explained: "As a series sponsor, we loved them. But the fact of the matter is in these sort of series, you have to have a series sponsor who activates to the retail market. That was not FedEx's game plan, that was never their game plan."October 25, 2002 Pook seeking new sponsor https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1025/1450925.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250725171350/https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1025/1450925.html July 25, 2025 July 25, 2025 RPM.ESPN.com Surfers Paradise, Australia FedEx pulling their sponsorship was another huge blow to CART, which had suffered from a string of drivers, teams, and engine manufacturers switching to CART's rival sanctioning body, the Indy Racing League, in the past two years.November 5, 2002 Fernandez planning to remain involved https://books.google.com/books?id=zVtIAAAAIBAJ&dq=cart+loses+fedex&pg=PA14&article_id=3101,701868 July 25, 2025 The Vindicator 14 Pook also played down the rumors about a possible merger between CART and Formula One in 2003, saying he only talked to F1 executive Bernie Ecclestone for advice: "I'm not going to deny to anybody that I've talked with Bernie Ecclestone. He's a friend. He's also the most intelligent man in motor racing in the world. And there is no doubt that I am rebuilding this series. So it's logical that I would go to someone like that and say, 'Hey, am I going in the right direction?' That's what's going on." He went on to call the rumors "flattering from [CART's] point of view, but also very embarrassing", and firmly denied them.October 25, 2002 Pook plays down Ecclestone CART talks https://www.autosport.com/general/news/pook-plays-down-ecclestone-cart-talks-5035644/5035644/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210727122414/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/pook-plays-down-ecclestone-cart-talks-5035644/5035644/ July 27, 2021 July 25, 2025 Autosport.com Practice and qualifying thumb|298x298px|Bruno Junqueira (pictured in 2006) lost the pole position by one hundredth of a second. There were two practice sessions that preceded the race on Sunday. The first session on Friday morning ran for 80 minutes, and the final session on Saturday morning ran for 75 minutes. Luminous skies befitted the Surfers Paradise race course on Friday, with temperatures in excess of 80 F C.October 25, 2002 Honda Indy 300 Friday Morning Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4942 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225180124/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4942 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Cristiano da Matta set the fastest lap of the session, with a time of 1 minute and 32.977 seconds, ahead of Adrián Fernández in second.October 25, 2002 Practice 1: Da Matta is number one https://www.autosport.com/general/news/practice-1-da-matta-is-number-one-5035661/5035661/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210803161138/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/practice-1-da-matta-is-number-one-5035661/5035661/ August 3, 2021 July 25, 2025 Autosport.com Jimmy Vasser, Paul Tracy, and Michel Jourdain Jr. rounded out the top five.CART 2002 - Australia SpeedCenter Report https://www.speedcenter.com/archive/races02/17surfers/index.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250725152711/https://www.speedcenter.com/archive/races02/17surfers/index.html July 25, 2025 July 25, 2025 SpeedCenter.com Dario Franchitti, who was sixteenth fastest, only completed seven laps before clutch issues prematurely ended his practice session.October 25, 2002 Team KOOL Green Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4960 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183700/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4960 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Championship Auto Racing Teams Three red flags were issued during this session. The first red flag occurred ten minutes into the session and lasted for two minutes, when Tora Takagi spun and had to be restarted by the CART safety team. Da Matta stopped the session for five minutes after he lost power at the runoff area in turn three. With eighteen minutes left, the session was paused for the final time as course officials checked a surface condition in the first turn. The next morning, skies remained sunny as temperatures reached 86 F C.October 26, 2002 Honda Indy 300 Saturday Morning Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4965 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225181837/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4965 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Da Matta led the field again in the final practice session, setting a time of 1 minute and 31.514 seconds.October 26, 2002 Practice 2: Da Matta holds sway https://www.autosport.com/general/news/practice-2-da-matta-holds-sway-5035630/5035630/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210724051025/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/practice-2-da-matta-holds-sway-5035630/5035630/ July 24, 2021 July 25, 2025 Autosport.com Kenny Bräck, Scott Dixon, Bruno Junqueira, and Fernández were second through fifth. The session featured three stoppages, two of which were due to incidents. Eleven minutes in, several cones were knocked over at the apex of turn six, which exposed the bolts in the asphalt that secured them to the surface. After Christian Fittipaldi spun without contact in turn one, CART officials extended the red flag in order for course officials to make further repairs to the surface near turn six. Takagi later drove into the runoff area in turn three and was not able to engage reverse gear. Qualifying was divided into two sessions, one on Friday afternoon and one on Saturday afternoon. The fastest driver in each session would be awarded one championship point and was guaranteed a front-row starting position, regardless of the results of the other session.October 25, 2002 Honda Indy 300 Friday Afternoon Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4948 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183445/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4948 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com One preliminary practice session was held for each qualifying session. Tony Kanaan was fastest in the fifteen-minute practice session on Friday,2002 Honda Indy 300 - Results http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=778 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225204841/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=778 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com which was brought to a brief halt four minutes in when Domínguez slammed head-on into the tire barrier near turn one. Domínguez was uninjured, and his team was able to repair his car in time for qualifying.October 25, 2002 Herdez Competition Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4953 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183314/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4953 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com The qualifying session on Friday, which lasted for 35 minutes, saw three red flags. The first red flag was flown for Vasser, who was fourth quickest at the time, stop his car in turn one with heavy damage. Vasser was uninjured, but lost his fastest lap. Four minutes after the session went back to green flag conditions, Franchitti crashed in turn eight, sustaining heavy right-side damage. Finally, with twelve minutes remaining, Carpentier locked up his brakes and crashed into the tire barriers in turn one.October 25, 2002 Qualifying 1: Junqueira laps it up https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-1-junqueira-laps-it-up-5035662/5035662/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210805150806/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-1-junqueira-laps-it-up-5035662/5035662/ August 5, 2021 July 25, 2025 Autosport.com By the end of the session, Junqueira had won the provisional pole position, with a time of 1 minute and 31.515 seconds.October 25, 2002 Junqueira On Provisional Pole! http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4949 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225182234/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4949 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Junqueira's lap was just six hundredths of a second quicker than Tracy's fastest lap, and he didn't set the lap until there was only seven minutes remaining.October 25, 2002 Team Target Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4961 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183346/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4961 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Tracy qualified second, and Dixon, da Matta, and Kanaan took positions three through five. Junqueira's lap also established a new track record for the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit. After qualifying, Junqueira attributed his fastest lap to a setup change that his team made following Friday morning's practice session. left|thumb|Cristiano da Matta (pictured in 2006) won the pole position. In the ten-minute preliminary practice session on Saturday afternoon, da Matta put down the fastest lap, with a time of 1 minute and 31.251 seconds, improving from his previous fastest lap of the weekend. Dixon and Jourdain Jr. were second and third quickest.October 26, 2002 Honda Indy 300 Saturday Afternoon Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4989 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183552/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4989 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com The 40-minute qualifying session that followed only featured only one stoppage, which occurred eight minutes in when Fittipaldi spun without contact in turn one and stalled his car. Tracy also briefly got airborne after missing a chicane, and ended his qualifying run two laps later due to suspension issues.October 26, 2002 Team KOOL Green Qualifying Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4980 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183835/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4980 December 25, 2002 July 26, 2025 CART.com Just before the halfway mark of the session, Bräck set the fastest lap of either qualifying session, which was nearly six tenths quicker than Junqueira's lap the day prior. However, Bräck was almost immediately outshined by da Matta, who set a lap two tenths faster than Bräck's. With thirteen minutes remaining, Junqueira defended his provisional pole by setting the new fastest lap over da Matta. However, with under six minutes left, da Matta returned to the track one last time and put down a lap which was one hundredth of a second quicker than Junqueira.October 26, 2002 Qualifying 2: da Matta holds of Junqueira https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-2-da-matta-holds-of-junqueira-5035629/5035629/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210729143621/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/qualifying-2-da-matta-holds-of-junqueira-5035629/5035629/ July 29, 2021 July 25, 2025 Autosport.com Da Matta's fastest lap time of 1 minute and 30.204 seconds awarded him the pole position for Sunday's race, marking his seventh (and final) pole position of the 2002 season and his CART career. It also set a new track record for Surfers Paradise, besting Junqueira's lap from Friday's qualifying and Franchitti's track record set in 1999.October 26, 2002 Australia Saturday Notebook http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4977 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183249/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4977 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Junqueira joined him on the front row.October 26, 2002 Da Matta Captures Pole! http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4981 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225171918/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4981 December 25, 2002 July 25, 2025 CART.com Da Matta's record-setting lap was nearly one-and-a-half seconds faster than Franchitti's record-setting lap, and many drivers credited the increase in speed to the slight changes in the course.October 25, 2002 Da Matta takes seventh pole of 2002 https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1025/1451195.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250726004823/https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1025/1451195.html July 26, 2025 July 25, 2025 RPM.ESPN.com Prior to the race, the wall on the left side of the exit of the first turn was moved back four feet, which led to drivers racing 10 mph km/h faster than in previous years. Qualifying classification Pos PositionNo. Car NumberDriverTeamTimeGrid Final starting grid positionRound 1Round 2 11 BRA Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing1:32.1621:30.2041 24 BRA Bruno Junqueira Target Chip Ganassi Racing1:31.5151:30.2142 310 BRA Tony Kanaan Mo Nunn Racing1:32.2671:30.4273 412 SWE Kenny Bräck Target Chip Ganassi Racing1:32.9001:30.6164 526 CAN Paul Tracy Team KOOL Green1:31.5751:30.7315 644 NZL Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing1:32.1431:30.8106 752 JAP Shinji Nakano Fernández Racing1:32.6631:30.9367 827 GBR Dario Franchitti Team KOOL Green1:35.2781:31.0408 920 ESP Oriol Servià Visteon/Patrick Racing1:32.7941:31.0879 1051 MEX Adrián Fernández Fernández Racing1:32.3011:31.351171 1 118 USA Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal1:32.4281:31.36910 129 MEX Michel Jourdain Jr. Team Rahal1:32.3841:31.70911 1311 BRA Christian Fittipaldi Newman/Haas Racing10:26.0851:32.22312 1433 CAN Alex Tagliani Team Player's1:33.7701:32.30013 1532 CAN Patrick Carpentier Team Player's1:33.5061:32.36714 1639 USA Michael Andretti Team Motorola1:32.5741:32.43915 175 JAP Tora Takagi Walker Racing1:32.7101:32.522181 1 1855 MEX Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition1:35.1611:33.65516Source: Notes 1 1 – When the race began, Adrián Fernández and Tora Takagi were injured in a massive pileup. While the others drivers involved were able to race their backup cars, Fernández and Takagi forfeited their starting positions and did not start.October 27, 2002 Start line shunt delays race https://www.autosport.com/general/news/start-line-shunt-delays-race-5035621/5035621/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20210724042525/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/start-line-shunt-delays-race-5035621/5035621/ July 24, 2021 July 26, 2025 Autosport.com Warm-up The drivers took to the track on Sunday at 10:00 local time for the thirty-minute warm-up session. For the first time all weekend, rain began pouring on the track, and teams had to use rain tires to suit the track conditions.October 27, 2002 Rain Hampers Warm-Up! http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4987 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225181121/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4987 December 25, 2002 July 26, 2025 CART.com The slick racing surface caused numerous spins and crashes involving drivers such as Paul Tracy, Michel Jourdain Jr., Mario Domínguez, and Dario Franchitti. Other drivers also drove into the runoff areas, but continued.October 27, 2002 Honda Indy 300 Sunday Morning Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4990 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021213103642/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4990 December 13, 2002 July 26, 2025 CART.com At the end of the session, only two drivers, Christian Fittipaldi and Tora Takagi, were able to complete a full lap. Fittipaldi was fastest over Takagi with a lap of 2 minutes and 12.443 seconds. Race The race's broadcast began at 2:00 PM local time on Sunday, October 27. It was televised live on the Speed Channel, with Bob Varsha serving as the play-by-play commentator, and Tommy Kendall and Scott Pruett taking the roles of the color commentators.February 6, 2002 SPEED Channel Announces Broadcast Team Lineup http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2713 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20020918082856/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=2713 September 18, 2002 July 26, 2025 CART.com The rain at Surfers Paradise had only worsened, and air temperatures decreased to 71 F C.October 27, 2002 Honda Indy 300 Sunday Afternoon Press Notes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5000 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030710202301/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5000 July 10, 2003 July 26, 2025 CART.com 103,351 fans were in attendance for the race.October 27, 2002 Domínguez Splashes To Win! http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030428130504/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5006 April 28, 2003 July 26, 2025 CART.com Due to the immense rain, CART officials mandated a single-file rolling start for the drivers' safety. The green flag was waved by CART Series Starter Jim Swintal at 2:05 PM, and Junqueira immediately made a pass on pole sitter da Matta for the race lead.October 27, 2002 CHAMPCAR/CART: Australia race red-flagged for huge crash https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-australia-race-red-flagged-for-huge-crash/1991380/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250726160523/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-australia-race-red-flagged-for-huge-crash/1991380/ July 26, 2025 July 26, 2025 Motorsport.com As the leaders approached the first corner, a massive crash had occurred behind them and the red flag was quickly issued, signaling drivers to stop the race. The crash was seemingly sparked by Vasser making contact with the rear of Fernández's car as he slowed on the frontstretch. The course was blocked, and several drivers piled into the crash.October 26, 2002 Controversial finish in Australia https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1026/1451668.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250726154950/https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1026/1451668.html July 26, 2025 July 26, 2025 RPM.ESPN.com ESPN Andretti slammed into the back of Alex Tagliani's car, which launched him into the air and upside-down. Takagi and Carpentier, both of whom were already caught up in the crash, were T-boned at full speed by Domínguez. When the dust had settled, it was reported that Vasser, Jourdain Jr., Carpentier, Tagliani, Fernández, Andretti, Franchitti, Domínguez, and Takagi were all involved in the crash. Vasser and Takagi both landed upside-down. While Vasser and most other drivers involved were uninjured, Fernández and Takagi were carried out of their cars in stretchers and taken to the Gold Coast Hospital. Takagi underwent precautionary X-rays after complaining about pain in his pelvis. During the red flag, many drivers stated that the visibility was far too low, which is what contributed to the pileup. CART officials announced that the start of the race was waved off and every driver who was involved in the crash (except Fernández and Takagi, as they were still being treated for injuries) would be permitted to use their backup cars for the upcoming start. Most teams pulled out their backup cars, while Domínguez's team repaired the suspension damage to his primary car. The race had also been shortened to 50 laps, and 35 laps (half of the originally scheduled distance) were required to be completed in order for the race to be declared official. Postponing the race was not an option due to international travel logistics, as cars had to get to Fontana, California by Tuesday to allow for conversion to superspeedway configuration and the 500-mile oval race scheduled the following weekend. Logistics of the street course circuit also played a factor, as organizers were contractually required to have the entire course cleared by the next morning.Miller Robin October 21, 2002 Going The Extra Mile(s) http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4919 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183011/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4919 December 25, 2002 July 26, 2025 CART.com During the red flag, CART president Chris Pook held a meeting with its drivers to discuss safety concerns ahead of the event.October 28, 2002 Dominguez Wins as Crashes Mar Race https://books.google.com/books?id=4T5OAAAAIBAJ&dq=mario+dominguez+australia&pg=PA12&article_id=6598,6193614 July 26, 2025 Lakeland Ledger 12 After an 81-minute delay to clean the course, the sixteen remaining drivers showed up to the starting grid and refired their engines to start the race again. With rain finally clearing up, the race began under yellow flag conditions for the first three laps. The green flag was waved at 3:43 PM on lap 4 to mark the beginning of the race, and pole sitter da Matta promptly fired away from the rest of the field.October 27, 2002 Sufers Paradise: Dominguez wins! https://www.autosport.com/general/news/sufers-paradise-dominguez-wins-5035624/5035624/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250727001415/https://www.autosport.com/general/news/sufers-paradise-dominguez-wins-5035624/5035624/ July 27, 2025 July 26, 2025 Autosport.com Bräck also outbraked and made a pass on Kanaan for third position. The race went without any incidents until the sixth lap, when Domínguez went into the runoff area in turn eight, but continued. A lap later, Tracy spun in turn nine and made slight contact with the wall and Tagliani, but continued.October 28, 2002 Canny Dominguez prevails in wash-up https://www.theage.com.au/sport/motorsport/canny-dominguez-prevails-in-wash-up-20021028-gduqf8.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250727171539/https://www.theage.com.au/sport/motorsport/canny-dominguez-prevails-in-wash-up-20021028-gduqf8.html July 27, 2025 July 27, 2025 TheAge.com The lap after that, course officials threw local caution flags in turn eight for reported rain. The rain would soon fall across the entire course again and visibility began to deteriorate, leading to a full-course caution being issued on lap 10. From this point until the race's end, the green flag was not displayed and the last thirty-one laps were run under caution. Da Matta, the race leader, was among the many drivers that chose to pit on lap 11, thus forfeiting the lead to Junqueira, who was originally running in second. On lap 11, Servià's engine compartment went ablaze and he drove into the runoff area in turn four for safety. He quickly exited his car and subsequently retired from the race, becoming the first retiree of the sixteen remaining drivers.October 27, 2002 Visteon/Patrick Racing Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5017 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183653/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5017 December 25, 2002 July 26, 2025 CART.com As the race continued under yellow-flag conditions, jet dryers were sent out to clean the course on the first turn. Teams also figured that standing water would soon become an issue, and strategy began coming into play. Andretti, believing that the race would be called on lap 36 (the halfway mark of the originally scheduled distance), pitted on lap 16 so that the race would end before he reached the maximum number of laps before a mandatory pit stop under CART's pit window rule.October 27, 2002 Team Motorola Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5003 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021201210519/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5003 December 1, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com Da Matta, who ran second after pitting, reassumed the first position after Junqueira made his first mandatory pit stop on lap 19.October 27, 2002 Newman/Haas Racing Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021201222120/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5015 December 1, 2002 July 26, 2025 CART.com Meanwhile, Dixon reported a loss of voltage within his car and entered pit road on lap 21. Three laps later, he retired from the race for mechanical issues.October 27, 2002 Team Target Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5002 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183940/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5002 December 25, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com Da Matta continued leading until lap 30. Since it had been twenty laps since his last pit stop, he and other front-runners were required to reenter pit road. Da Matta later spun on lap 34, ending any hopes he had of winning.October 27, 2002 CHAMPCAR/CART: Rookie Dominguez steals the thunder at Surfers Paradise https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-rookie-dominguez-steals-the-thunder-at-surfers-paradise/1991396/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20250605055226/https://au.motorsport.com/indycar/news/champcar-cart-rookie-dominguez-steals-the-thunder-at-surfers-paradise/1991396/ June 5, 2025 July 27, 2025 Motorsport.com With the halfway point of the race quickly drawing near, this put Andretti and his team right where they had hoped: the race lead. However, on or around lap 35, CART officials finally announced that the race would end after 40 laps to ensure that every driver would pit twice. This ruined Andretti and many other teams' strategies, and they were all forced to pit on lap 37. This gave Domínguez, who pitted four times, with his last pit stop occurring on lap 22, the race lead.October 27, 2002 Herdez Competition Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5007 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225173106/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5007 December 25, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com Since Domínguez's last stop was within 20 laps of the finish, he was able to lead the final four laps and cruise to the victory. Domínguez's win was not only the first win of his career, but also the first win for Herdez Competition since the team first entered CART in 1986. Canadian drivers Carpentier and Tracy finished second and third. Bräck and Kanaan rounded out the top five, and Tagliani, Franchitti, da Matta, Andretti, and Jourdain Jr. took positions six through ten. Fittipaldi, Vasser, Nakano, and Junqueiro were the last classified drivers. Due to the abundance of caution laps, Domínguez's average speed was 55.849 mph km/h,October 27, 2002 CART Australia Race Summary http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021209112635/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5011 December 9, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com the slowest winning average speed in a Champ car race (excluding the Pikes Peak Hill Climb) since 1926.This Week In Champ Car History (October 22–28) http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/TWICC.asp dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061028123822/http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/TWICC.asp October 28, 2006 September 29, 2026 Champ Car World Series Post-race Domínguez, Carpentier, and Tracy all appeared on the podium to celebrate their finishing positions. Domínguez earned $100,000 in race winnings.2002 Honda Indy 300 https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2002_Honda_Indy_300/R/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20241005101725/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2002_Honda_Indy_300/R/ October 5, 2024 July 27, 2025 Racing-Reference.info During post-race celebrations, Domínguez was in disbelief and thanked his team for the successful strategy: "I feel like the luckiest man in the world at the moment, but I had great strategy from my team and they really deserve this." He also commented on the circumstances surrounding the win: "A win is a win. You have to take it any way it comes. We had so many opportunities for good results this year but we had a lot of bad luck. Obviously this wasn't the best way to win it, but the team deserves the result." Tracy was disappointed by how the race played out: "I've never seen anything like this. It's such a shame for CART and the teams and all of the Gold Coast fans who came out here. Mother Nature really dealt us a bad hand today."October 27, 2002 Team KOOL Green http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5004 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225172927/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5004 December 25, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com Andretti, who finished ninth in what was his final race at Surfers Paradise, was very upset about the ending of the race: "This is a real disappointment. The conditions were horrible. I could barely see the car in front of me. I thought Team Motorola made the right call bringing me in on Lap 16 because then I would not have had to pit before the race became official. This is just terribly disappointing." His team co-owner, Kim Green, was furious with CART's officiating: "CART made it clear after the restart the race would be 36 laps so we played our strategy accordingly. We felt like we won but CART obviously decided something different and it's the worst officiating I've ever seen." Several of Green's crew members felt that CART deliberately extended the race from 36 laps to 40 laps in order for Andretti to lose the race, as he had already announced his switch to the rival sanctioning body, the Indy Racing League, in 2003.Miller Robin October 27, 2002 Questionable calls https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1027/1451767.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250727164549/https://www.espn.com/rpm/cart/2002/1027/1451767.html July 27, 2025 July 27, 2025 RPM.ESPN.com Robin Miller of ESPN was equally as critical of the finish, stating in an article: "Mario Dominguez will be credited with a victory in the CART record book but, trust me, there were no winners in this embarrassing mess." He continued by calling Domínguez's celebration on the podium "nearly as embarrassing as this dreary chapter in CART's history", and considered it to be "one of the reasons why manufacturers like Honda and Toyota are leaving CART at the end of 2002." CART chief steward Chris Kneifel justified his ruling of the race's finish in a post-race conference with reporters: "I would venture to guess no matter what lap we picked, there was going to be people that were happy and people that were not happy, and possibly even more than unhappy. I think that goes without saying. It's not our job to worry about who we please and who we don't please, nor is it our job to look and see who might win, who might not win, based on the different strategies that play out."October 27, 2002 CART Officials Press Conference Transcript http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5013 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021209114001/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5013 December 9, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com He also denied the allegations of rigging the race in order for Andretti to lose: "Any insinuation that we did something wrong to Michael because he's going to another series is ludicrous. No matter what lap we picked to stop the race we could not make everyone happy but it's not our job to worry about who we please. We made every attempt to make a decision based on integrity and fair play." For the 2003 season and beyond, the rulebook was changed to allow races to be called prior to halfway with only half points being awarded.December 23, 2002 Franchise Board Approves Rule Changes http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5338 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030630103303/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5338 June 30, 2003 July 26, 2025 CART.com After the race, it was announced that Fernández had suffered two thoracic fractures from his first-lap crash. Dr. Steve Olvey, CART's director of medical affairs, stated that the fractures did not require surgery and Fernández had already been released from the hospital; however, he was required to wear a cervical collar for comfort. He was also unable to run the following race at Auto Club.October 27, 2002 Adrian Fernandez Update http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021201222256/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5008 December 1, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com It was later announced on November 14 that he was also prohibited from running in the season finale at Mexico City.November 14, 2002 Fernandez To Miss CART Finale http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5169 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021221140824/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=5169 December 21, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com As for Takagi, he had suffered minor fractures to his pelvis but drove in the final two races of the season. The complete finishing order resulted in da Matta gaining a total of 219 points in the Drivers' Championship, which he had already clinched. He widened his championship lead to 75 points over Junqueira. Franchitti maintained third with 135 points. Carpentier, with 131 points, and Fittipaldi, with 116 points, rounded out the top five.Standings after Honda Indy 300 http://www.cart.com/Standings.asp?EventID=427 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021219054804/http://www.cart.com/Standings.asp?EventID=427 December 19, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com In the Constructors' Championship, Lola, which also clinched the championship several races prior, earned a total of 357 points, 148 more than Reynard. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Toyota managed to secure the championship on account of Bräck's fourth-place finish in this race.October 27, 2002 Toyota Race Report http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4996 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20021225183909/http://www.cart.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4996 December 25, 2002 July 27, 2025 CART.com They earned 301 points with two races to go, while Honda earned 255 points. Race classification Pos Position No. Car Number Driver Team Laps Laps completed Time/Retired Grid Points 1 55 MEX Mario Domínguez Herdez Competition 40 2:00:06.524 16 20 2 32 CAN Patrick Carpentier Team Player's 40 +2.177 14 16 3 26 CAN Paul Tracy Team KOOL Green 40 +2.549 5 14 4 12 SWE Kenny Bräck Target Chip Ganassi Racing 40 +2.747 4 12 5 10 BRA Tony Kanaan Mo Nunn Racing 40 +4.794 3 10 6 33 CAN Alex Tagliani Team Player's 40 +7.828 13 8 7 27 GBR Dario Franchitti Team KOOL Green 40 +9.940 8 6 8 1 BRA Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing 40 +12.338 1 72 2 9 39 USA Michael Andretti Team Motorola 40 +13.511 15 4 10 9 MEX Michel Jourdain Jr. Team Rahal 40 +13.644 11 3 11 11 BRA Christian Fittipaldi Newman/Haas Racing 40 +14.792 12 2 12 8 USA Jimmy Vasser Team Rahal 40 +16.232 10 1 13 52 JAP Shinji Nakano Fernández Racing 40 +17.570 7 — 14 4 BRA Bruno Junqueira Target Chip Ganassi Racing 40 +18.106 2 13 3 15 44 NZL Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing 24 Electrical 6 — 16 20 ESP Oriol Servià Visteon/Patrick Racing 11 Fire 9 — 17 51 MEX Adrián Fernández Fernández Racing 0 Did not start 17 — 18 5 JAP Tora Takagi Walker Racing 0 Did not start 18 —Source:2002 Honda Indy 300 http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=784 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20030219062215/http://www.cart.com/Results/SessionResults.asp?ID=784 February 19, 2003 July 27, 2025 CART.com Notes 2 2 — Includes two bonus points for winning the pole position and leading the most laps. 3 3 — Includes one bonus point for leading the slowest qualifying group. Championship standings after the race + Drivers' Championship standings Pos. Position Driver Points 10px1BRA Cristiano da Matta 219 10px2BRA Bruno Junqueira 144 (−75) 10px3GBR Dario Franchitti 135 (−84) 10px4CAN Patrick Carpentier 131 (−88) 10px5BRA Christian Fittipaldi 116 (−103)Source: + Constructors' standings Pos. Position Constructor Points 10px1GBR Lola 357 10px2GBR Reynard 209 (−148)Source: + Manufacturers' standings Pos. Position Manufacturer Points 10px1JAP Toyota 301 10px2JAP Honda 255 (−46) 10px3GBR Ford-Cosworth 226 (−75)Source: Note: Only the top five positions are included for the drivers' standings. References Gold Coast Indy 300 2002 2002 Grand Prix Americas 2002 The 500 2001 Honda Indy 300 2003 Lexmark Indy 300 27 59 14 S 153 25 40 E type:landmark_region:AU-QLD_dim:2000 Surfers Paradise Street Circuit title Honda Indy 300 Honda Indy 300 Honda Indy 300 Category:Gold Coast Indy 300 Category:October 2002 sports events in Australia