1997 Dixie Crystals Grand Prix

1997 Hutchinson Island Savannah
Race details
4th round of the 1997 PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship Powered By Buick season
Date May 18, 1997
Official name Dixie Crystals Grand Prix
Location Grand Prize of America Road Course
Course Parkland circuit
1.965 mi / 3.162 km
Distance 50 laps
98.25 mi / 158.10 km
Pole position
Driver Hélio Castroneves (Tasman Motorsports)
Time 1:04.824
Podium
First Hélio Castroneves (Tasman Motorsports)
Second Sérgio Paese (FRE Racing)
Third Lee Bentham (Forsythe Racing)

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, 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.[1]

Report

Background

In the 1990's, 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.[2]

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."[3]

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.[4] [5]

Classification

Indy Lights

Pos Qual Driver Team Laps Laps Led Points
1 1 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Tasman Motorsports 50 50 22
2 4 Brazil Sérgio Paese FRE Racing 50 16
3 10 Canada Lee Bentham Forsythe Racing 50 14
4 3 Brazil Luiz Garcia Jr. Dorricott Racing 50 12
5 15 Japan Naoki Hattori Team Green 50 10
6 7 Japan Hideki Noda Indy Regency Racing 50 8
7 17 Brazil Oswaldo Negri Jr. Genoa Racing 50 6
8 12 Brazil Airton Daré Brian Stewart Racing 49 5
9 5 France Didier André Autosport Racing 49 4
10 13 Sweden Fredrik Larsson Johansson Motorsports 49 3
11 16 United States Bob Dorrichott, Jr. Dorricott Racing 49 2
12 9 France Christophe Tinseau Conquest Racing 49 1
13 24 United States Casey Mears Team Mears 49
14 6 Canada David Empringham Forsythe Racing 48 Crash
15 8 Japan Shigeaki Hattori Lucas Place Motorsports 48 Crash
16 14 United States Chris Simmons Team Green 48
17 11 United States Mark Hotchkis Team Green 48
18 25 United States Clint Mears Team Mears 47 Off Course
19 23 Canada John Jones Eclipse Racing 45
20 20 United States Geoff Boss Team Medlin 42 Wheel
21 19 Brazil Cristiano da Matta Brian Stewart Racing 16 Crash
22 18 United States Robby Unser PacWest Lights 16 Crash
23 2 Brazil Tony Kanaan Tasman Motorsports 15 Throttle
24 21 United States Jaques Lazier Brian Stewart Racing 8 Crash
25 22 Mexico Rodolfo Lavín Indy Regency Racing 1 Crash
DNS DNQ United States Dave DeSilva Lucas Place Motorsports

Notes: All teams used a Normally-Aspirated Buick V6 engine producing 425hp, and the Lola T97/20 chassis.

Support Races

North American Touring Car Championship

Season Date Pole position Winning driver Winning team
1997 May 17 United States Peter Cunningham United States Peter Cunningham Honda American Racing Team
May 18 United States Peter Cunningham United States Peter Cunningham Honda American Racing Team

Barber Dodge Pro Series

Season Date Pole position Fastest lap Winning driver
1997 May 18 United States Derek Hill United States Rocky Moran Jr. United States Derek Hill

USAC Formula Ford 2000

Season Date Winning driver Chassis
1997 May 18 Brazil Luciano Zangirolami [6] Van Diemen RF97

References

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