The 2001 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on October 7, 2001 on the streets of Houston, Texas, USA. It was the 18th round of the 2001 CART FedEx Championship Series season. Gil de Ferran took his second win of the season for Team Penske after starting on pole position and leading every lap ahead of Dario Franchitti and Memo Gidley.
de Ferran inherited the lead of the drivers' standings from Kenny Bräck by virtue of his win here and at the previous race at Rockingham, a lead he would not relinquish for the rest of the season. The difficult road course on the streets of Houston meant that little on-track passing could occur, and de Ferran's position throughout the race was rarely in jeopardy. Franchitti was one of the few that could muscle his way through the field despite being hit by Hélio Castroneves at the start of the race, taking his third podium finish at Houston in four starts and his third podium of the season. Gidley, after starting 23rd, used pit strategy to move his way through the field and take his second podium of the season and his career.
The race saw multiple incidents and crashes as drivers struggled around the temporary circuit. Alex Tagliani, despite running near the front for the entire race, crashed from 2nd place with just seven laps remaining. Oriol Servià and Michel Jourdain Jr. also crashed on Lap 37, with Servià's car ending up on top of Jourdain's.
This was the final time CART would race at this track configuration in Houston; the series would return in 2006 and 2007 using a temporary circuit at NRG Park, while the IndyCar Series would race in Houston from 2013-2014.
Qualifying October 6, 2001 - Qualifying Speeds Rank Driver Time Leader Speed (mph) Team1 Gil de Ferran59.421—92.513Team Penske2 Bruno Junqueira (R)59.943 +0.52291.707Chip Ganassi Racing3 Kenny Bräck59.947 +0.52691.701Team Rahal4 Hélio Castroneves1:00.063 +0.64291.524Team Penske5 Alex Tagliani1:00.191 +0.77091.329Forsythe Racing6 Dario Franchitti1:00.433 +1.01290.964Team Green7 Scott Dixon (R)1:00.446 +1.02590.944PacWest Racing8 Cristiano da Matta1:00.491 +1.07090.876Newman-Haas Racing9 Maurício Gugelmin1:00.502 +1.08190.860PacWest Racing10 Tony Kanaan1:00.548 +1.12790.791Mo Nunn Racing11 Roberto Moreno1:00.612 +1.19190.695Patrick Racing12 Michael Andretti1:00.625 +1.20490.675Team Motorola13 Christian Fittipaldi1:00.681 +1.26090.592Newman-Haas Racing14 Tora Takagi (R)1:00.793 +1.29190.425Walker Motorsport15 Adrian Fernández1:00.861 +1.44090.324Fernandez Racing16 Shinji Nakano1:00.949 +1.52890.193Fernandez Racing17 Oriol Servià1:01.182 +1.76189.850Sigma Autosport18 Michel Jourdain Jr.1:01.192 +1.77189.835Bettenhausen Racing19 Max Papis1:01.289 +1.86889.693Team Rahal20 Patrick Carpentier1:01.310 +1.88989.662Forsythe Racing21 Paul Tracy1:01.382 +1.96189.557Team Green22 Bryan Herta1:01.418 +1.99789.505Forsythe Racing23 Memo Gidley1:01.611 +2.19089.224Chip Ganassi Racing24 Jimmy Vasser1:02.129 +2.70888.840Patrick Racing25 Casey Mears1:02.799 +3.37687.536Mo Nunn Racing26 Max Wilson (R)1:02.912 +3.49187.379Arciero Racing
Race Pos No Driver Team Laps Time/retired Grid Points11 Gil de FerranTeam Penske1001:54:42.336122227 Dario FranchittiTeam Green100 +3.430616312 Memo GidleyChip Ganassi Racing100 +18.847231445 Tora Takagi (R)Walker Motorsport100 +20.894141253 Hélio CastronevesTeam Penske100 +21.67041066 Cristiano da MattaNewman-Haas Racing100 +23.1028878 Kenny BräckTeam Rahal100 +28.82636811 Christian FittipaldiNewman-Haas Racing100 +34.42113597 Max PapisTeam Rahal100 +38.2981941032 Patrick CarpentierForsythe Racing100 +38.8832031140 Jimmy VasserPatrick Racing100 +39.2512421255 Tony KanaanMo Nunn Racing100 +46.5391011377 Bryan HertaForsythe Racing100 +46.80022—1451 Adrian FernándezFernandez Racing99 +1 Lap15—1552 Shinji NakanoFernandez Racing99 +1 Lap16—1625 Max Wilson (R)Arciero Racing98 +2 Laps26—1766 Casey MearsMo Nunn Racing98 +2 Laps25—1818 Scott Dixon (R)PacWest Racing96Contact7—1933 Alex TaglianiForsythe Racing93Contact5—2017 Maurício GugelminPacWest Racing78Gearbox9—2139 Michael AndrettiTeam Motorola76Brakes12—2220 Roberto MorenoPatrick Racing65Gearbox11—234 Bruno Junqueira (R)Chip Ganassi Racing52Contact2—2426 Paul TracyTeam Green49Contact21—2516 Michel Jourdain Jr.Bettenhausen Racing37Contact18—2622 Oriol ServiàSigma Autosport37Contact17— – Includes two bonus points for leading the most laps and being the fastest qualifier.
Race statistics Lead changes: 0 among 0 drivers
Lap Leaders Laps Leader1–100 Gil de Ferran
Total laps led Leader Laps Gil de Ferran 100
Cautions: 4 for 16 laps Laps Reason39-43 Servià and Jourdain Jr. crash45-47 Fernández and Nakano collide52-54 Debris79-83 Andretti stops on course
Standings after the race
Drivers' standings Pos+/-DriverPoints1 1 Gil de Ferran1632 1 Kenny Bräck1533 1 Hélio Castroneves1334 1 Michael Andretti1255 1 Dario Franchitti105
Constructors' standings Pos +/– Constructor Points 1 Reynard 329 2 Lola 274
Manufacturer's Standings Pos +/- Manufacturer Points 1 Honda 300 2 1 Toyota 250 3 1 Ford Cosworth 246
References