German 500

German 500
VenueEuroSpeedway Lausitz
First race2001
Distance311.542 miles
Laps154
Previous namesAmerican Memorial (2001)
German 500 (2003)
Most wins (driver)Kenny Bräck (1)
Sébastien Bourdais (1)
Most wins (team)Team Rahal (1)
Newman/Haas Racing (1)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chassis: Lola (2)
Engine: Cosworth (2)

The German 500 was an automobile race sanctioned by CART held at EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany in 2001 and 2003.

History[edit]

The German 500 was put on the schedule for the 2001 CART season and it was the first CART race ever to be held in Europe.[1] It was the beginning of a two-week European stretch for the series; the Rockingham 500 was held at Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, England one week later.[2]

The September 11 attacks occurred four days before the race, causing most major American sporting events scheduled on the same weekend as the German 500 to be postponed, including National Football League and Major League Baseball games and a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race, the New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.[3] The Italian Grand Prix, a Formula One race, was held that weekend.[3] According to Ronald Richards, the vice president of CART, the series decided to continue with the race prior to the cancellation of that week's NFL games, a decision followed by other American leagues. Richards acknowledged that "We wish we would have had the input regarding the NFL's decision prior to making our decision."[1] In remembrance of the September 11 attacks' victims, and in a desire to avoid criticism for holding the German 500 so soon afterward, CART changed the race's name to the American Memorial.[1][4] The series also held tributes on the day of the race,[5] and made a $500,000 donation to the World Trade Center Relief Fund, matching the event's prize fund.[3][6] The race was won by Kenny Bräck but was marred by a crash involving Alex Tagliani and Alex Zanardi.

In 2002, the German 500 was originally scheduled for September 21st but was cancelled after EuroSpeedway filed for insolvency.[7]

In 2003, the race returned and so did Alex Zanardi, who drove a specially adapted car prior to the race, doing 13 laps to represent those that he did not complete in 2001.[8] Sébastien Bourdais won the race but CART dropped EuroSpeedway Lausitz after the 2003 CART season.

Race winners[edit]

Year Date Driver Team Chassis Engine Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph) 		Report Ref
Laps Miles (km)
2001 15 September Sweden Kenny Bräck Team Rahal Lola Ford-Cosworth 154 311.542 (501.378) 2:00:20 155.319 Report [9]
2002 Cancelled after EuroSpeedway Lausitz filed for insolvency
2003 11 May France Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas Racing Lola Ford-Cosworth 154 312.069 (502.226) 1:58:44 170.903 Report [10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Wade, Stephen (September 14, 2001). "CART re-names race 'The American Memorial'". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  2. ^ Wade, Stephen (September 13, 2001). "CART branches out: 70,000 expected to attend German 500". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. p. C2. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "For The Record: A summary of how the sports world responded to the Sept. 11 tragedy". Sports Illustrated. September 24, 2001. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  4. ^ Wade, Stephen (September 14, 2001). "CART renames race 'The American Memorial'". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  5. ^ "CART To Offer Tributes". Championship Auto Racing Teams. September 13, 2001. Archived from the original on April 3, 2003. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  6. ^ "CART Community, Drivers To Provide Aid To WTC Relief Fund". Championship Auto Racing Teams. September 15, 2001. Archived from the original on April 4, 2003. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
  7. ^ "CART's German 500 canceled". CNN Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. July 16, 2002. Archived from the original on August 24, 2004. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
  8. ^ Wade, Stephen (May 11, 2003). "Zanardi finishes his 13 laps after 20-month 'pit-stop'". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  9. ^ "2001 American Memorial". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  10. ^ "2003 German 500". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
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