1999 Firestone Firehawk 500K
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 2 of 20 in the 1999 CART season | |
|
Twin Ring Motegi | |
| Date | March 28, 1999 |
| Official name | 1999 Firestone Firehawk 500K |
| Location | Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi, Tochigi, Japan |
| Course |
Permanent oval course 1.549 mi / 2.493 km |
| Distance |
201 laps 311.349 mi / 501.093 km |
| Weather | Dry |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Gil de Ferran (Walker Racing) |
| Time | 25.463 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Hélio Castro-Neves (Hogan Racing) |
| Time | 25.830 (on lap 136 of 201) |
| Podium | |
| First | Adrián Fernández (Patrick Racing) |
| Second | Gil de Ferran (Walker Racing) |
| Third | Christian Fittipaldi (Newman-Haas Racing) |
The 1999 Firestone Firehawk 500K was the second round of the 1999 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series season, held on April 9, 1999 on the Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Tochigi, Japan.
Report
Race
There was drama at the start when polesitter Gil de Ferran spun while taking the green flag. As a result, the start was delayed, and de Ferran was able to take back his starting position: pole. He led the early stages but then began to drop back with tyre problems and Maurício Gugelmin took the lead. Gugelmin led comfortably until the first round of stops, when he overshot his pitlane, losing time. He was also given a black flag for running over pit material, which put him a lap down and out of contention. Adrián Fernández took the lead and led comfortably until Juan Pablo Montoya closed right up to him. Fernández held him off, and Montoya's challenge was ended when he lost three laps due to a fuel pick-up problem. In the final stages of the race, it seemed clear that everyone had to pit for fuel, and a caution brought out by Max Papis's spin was ideal. All the leaders pitted, except Fernández who for some reason stayed out. It seemed to be a mistake, as the race went green with 4 laps left, and he did not have enough fuel for 4 green-flag laps. However, Greg Moore, running second, spun while lapping backmarkers, which resulted in Richie Hearn crashing, and the caution came out again. Whereas the spin dropped Moore to fourth, the caution was till the end of the race, which meant that Fernández did not have to stop, and thus won the race. de Ferran recovered to finish second, and Christian Fittipaldi completed the podium.
Classification
Race
Caution flags
| Laps | Cause |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | de Ferran (5) spin |
| 89-96 | Franchitti (27) contact |
| 140-148 | Debris on track |
| 194-198 | Papis (7) spin |
| 200-201 | Moore (99) spin |
Lap Leaders
|
|
Point standings after race
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Greg Moore |
34 |
| 2 |  Michael Andretti |
26 |
| 3 |  Gil de Ferran |
25 |
| 4 |  Adrián Fernández |
21 |
| 5 | Christian Fittipaldi |
18 |