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3 - 1992 - IndyCar Long Beach & F1 Spain
Indy Car: Round Three: Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – 12 April 1992 – Long Beach
It was just another year at Long Beach where Al Unser, Jr. was leading with the laps winding down. Six laps remained, and he was in front of his teammate, Danny Sullivan, by less than a second, six laps until he could extend his Long Beach winning streak to five. Unlike the more controlled explosions of Formula One, he knew that it was the time of the race where anything went, and he could only push as hard as possible to keep Sullivan from overtaking him. Finally, his Galmer-Chevrolet combination was out front, thanks to Michael Andretti’s transmission failing on the 44th lap. With two long straightaways followed by hard right-hand corners, Little Al knew he had his work cut out for him. As long as he led, he could make up some ground on the championship-leading Lola-Chevrolet of Bobby Rahal, who led the series , with Unser twelve points back in fifth place. If only Sullivan could keep doing him this favor and let him gain six points on Rahal and Fittipaldi going into Indy…
Danny Sullivan wanted to win, and could taste it, as he inched closer and closer to his teammate. Four laps remained, and he had a good run going into the backstretch, as Rahal and Fittipaldi closed in on his own gearbox. He was in Unser’s draft, and set him up for a dive on the inside, but no – he slammed on the brakes, as Unser took a legal but sharp line through the corner.[II] He wasn’t going to take out both himself and his teammate, not when they were running one-two. Then from his own left rear, he felt a thump and saw the black-and-yellow Lola of Rahal slowing, with Fittipaldi slipping by. He keyed his radio and called to the pits: “Rahal hit me! Check my left rear, don’t know if it’s going down yet!” Left Rear!”
“Copy! Left Rear. Will check for puncture.” The Galles-Kraco boys would try to spot the tire going down as Sullivan blasted past on Shoreline Drive. With a lap in hand over Goodyear in fifth, the team might lose the one-two, but they’d have two in the top four.
Bobby Rahal didn’t have time to react. Sullivan had pulled out of his attack at the last possible second for him, but Bobby was following Unser’s line, knowing he couldn’t take either until the hairpin or the front straight. It was too late for him when he saw the rear of the second Galmer back off and twitch back into a normal line, and he clipped Sullivan’s right wheel with his front wing. He could see most of the right half was gone, and was fairly sure he could bring it home, but his shot at a top-three had evaporated, as there was no way he could hold off Fittipaldi for one lap, let alone three and a half. He let Fittipaldi go and tried to protect his car.
Emerson Fittipaldi had just enough time to avoid getting sucked into the accordion-effect in front of him, and was able to pass Rahal into the next corner. He’d fight with Sullivan, but with Unser streaking into the horizon, he knew Sullivan would fight hard to preserve the 1-2. Time to try anyway.
“Unser takes the win! That’s five times in a row for Little Al here at Long Beach, he’s not just the king anymore, he’s the emperor!” Paul Page
IndyCar Drivers' Standings after three Races:
Emerson Fittipaldi-48 Bobby Rahal-47 Al Unser, Jr.-44 Rick Mears-29 Danny Sullivan-26 Eddie Cheever-21 John Andretti-16 Scott Goodyear-14 Paul Tracy-12 Scott Pruett-10 Mario Andretti-6 Michael Andretti-6 Scott Brayton-4 Ted Prappas-3 Eric Bachelart-2 Buddy Lazier-1
Round Four: Gran Premio Tio Pepe de España – 03 May 1992 – Catalunya
After Senna’s outright obliteration of the opposition during his Grand Slam at Interlagos, the mutterings across the paddock were louder, more profane, and starting to attract more attention from the racing media. The level of technological advancement was starting to worry the minor teams, especially with the early-season folding of Coloni. March and even the once-renowned Brabham were looking like they may not have the funds to finish out the season.. Meanwhile, McLaren were stunned by the abrupt confirmation that Honda would not be renewing their supply with the team. However, at Spain, the frustrations within the F1 community were blunted due to the Olympic atmosphere at Barcelona, the city already in full swing preparing for the Summer Games.
One spectator cared less about the upcoming Olympics than the race, and had taken time out between school and karting to attend with his father. Ten year-old Fernando Alonso soaked it all in, hoping to catch a glimpse of the drivers, wishing he was one of them. Along the fence, he watched every session, and had his chance to shake the hand of Damon Hill, who spun off in his prequalifying session in the Brabham. Fernando knew it was Hill’s first race and made sure to smile at the man who just lost his shot to start in it. He spent the rest of the weekend hoping for an autograph by one of the greats like Senna or Mansell, or even Schumacher, but he knew he was just lucky enough to make it to the race, his father could have just insisted to watch on TV, but made an exception when he saw how fascinated Fernando had come with the last few seasons of formula one.
The only surprise in qualifying was that Nigel Mansell finally outclassed his teammate, putting his car on pole ahead of Senna by a slim five-hundredths of a second. Race day saw treacherous conditions due to a downpour, and everyone was expecting a Senna charge to the front as had happened the race before. That was not the case, though, as mechanical troubles finally felled his Williams, leaving him in the garage before the first round of stops with electrical difficulties. It was Mansell’s race to win, but not before trouble with a pit stop allowed Schumacher to close to within twelve seconds by the checkered flag.
Down through the field, half of the entrants that day had spun off or outright collided with each other in a series of messy wrecks and offs, however thankfully without any injuries. McLaren finally finished on the podium, bringing a smile to a team that struggled mightily ever since Senna’s departure, with Berger making it past Capelli in the closing stages. Points were also won by Alboreto and Wendlinger, their respective fifth and sixth brought constructers points to the struggling Footwork and March teams. For the first time since Kyalami, Mansell sat atop the standings in first place, with one quarter of the season completed.
Points after four races:
Drivers’:
Mansell – 32
Senna – 26
Schumacher – 18
Patrese – 8
Berger – 7
Capelli – 4
Hakkinen, Alesi, & Alboreto – 2
Wendlinger, Herbert & Morbidelli – 1
Constructors’:
Williams – 58
Benetton - 18
McLaren - 15
Ferrari - 6 Lotus – 3
Footwork -2
Minardi & March - 1
[II] Second POD. IOTL, Sullivan completed the attack, and spun Unser out at that corner. Top four IOTL was Sullivan, Rahal, Fittipaldi, and Unser Jr. Here, Sullivan holds back. Assume all other eventa in the 1992 IndyCar season happen as OTL through race 15. If anything, Unser winning at Long Beach was routine by that point, and nothing would change going into Indy. The next IndyCar update will likely be before and during the last week of that season.
It was just another year at Long Beach where Al Unser, Jr. was leading with the laps winding down. Six laps remained, and he was in front of his teammate, Danny Sullivan, by less than a second, six laps until he could extend his Long Beach winning streak to five. Unlike the more controlled explosions of Formula One, he knew that it was the time of the race where anything went, and he could only push as hard as possible to keep Sullivan from overtaking him. Finally, his Galmer-Chevrolet combination was out front, thanks to Michael Andretti’s transmission failing on the 44th lap. With two long straightaways followed by hard right-hand corners, Little Al knew he had his work cut out for him. As long as he led, he could make up some ground on the championship-leading Lola-Chevrolet of Bobby Rahal, who led the series , with Unser twelve points back in fifth place. If only Sullivan could keep doing him this favor and let him gain six points on Rahal and Fittipaldi going into Indy…
Danny Sullivan wanted to win, and could taste it, as he inched closer and closer to his teammate. Four laps remained, and he had a good run going into the backstretch, as Rahal and Fittipaldi closed in on his own gearbox. He was in Unser’s draft, and set him up for a dive on the inside, but no – he slammed on the brakes, as Unser took a legal but sharp line through the corner.[II] He wasn’t going to take out both himself and his teammate, not when they were running one-two. Then from his own left rear, he felt a thump and saw the black-and-yellow Lola of Rahal slowing, with Fittipaldi slipping by. He keyed his radio and called to the pits: “Rahal hit me! Check my left rear, don’t know if it’s going down yet!” Left Rear!”
“Copy! Left Rear. Will check for puncture.” The Galles-Kraco boys would try to spot the tire going down as Sullivan blasted past on Shoreline Drive. With a lap in hand over Goodyear in fifth, the team might lose the one-two, but they’d have two in the top four.
Bobby Rahal didn’t have time to react. Sullivan had pulled out of his attack at the last possible second for him, but Bobby was following Unser’s line, knowing he couldn’t take either until the hairpin or the front straight. It was too late for him when he saw the rear of the second Galmer back off and twitch back into a normal line, and he clipped Sullivan’s right wheel with his front wing. He could see most of the right half was gone, and was fairly sure he could bring it home, but his shot at a top-three had evaporated, as there was no way he could hold off Fittipaldi for one lap, let alone three and a half. He let Fittipaldi go and tried to protect his car.
Emerson Fittipaldi had just enough time to avoid getting sucked into the accordion-effect in front of him, and was able to pass Rahal into the next corner. He’d fight with Sullivan, but with Unser streaking into the horizon, he knew Sullivan would fight hard to preserve the 1-2. Time to try anyway.
“Unser takes the win! That’s five times in a row for Little Al here at Long Beach, he’s not just the king anymore, he’s the emperor!” Paul Page
IndyCar Drivers' Standings after three Races:
Emerson Fittipaldi-48 Bobby Rahal-47 Al Unser, Jr.-44 Rick Mears-29 Danny Sullivan-26 Eddie Cheever-21 John Andretti-16 Scott Goodyear-14 Paul Tracy-12 Scott Pruett-10 Mario Andretti-6 Michael Andretti-6 Scott Brayton-4 Ted Prappas-3 Eric Bachelart-2 Buddy Lazier-1
Round Four: Gran Premio Tio Pepe de España – 03 May 1992 – Catalunya
After Senna’s outright obliteration of the opposition during his Grand Slam at Interlagos, the mutterings across the paddock were louder, more profane, and starting to attract more attention from the racing media. The level of technological advancement was starting to worry the minor teams, especially with the early-season folding of Coloni. March and even the once-renowned Brabham were looking like they may not have the funds to finish out the season.. Meanwhile, McLaren were stunned by the abrupt confirmation that Honda would not be renewing their supply with the team. However, at Spain, the frustrations within the F1 community were blunted due to the Olympic atmosphere at Barcelona, the city already in full swing preparing for the Summer Games.
One spectator cared less about the upcoming Olympics than the race, and had taken time out between school and karting to attend with his father. Ten year-old Fernando Alonso soaked it all in, hoping to catch a glimpse of the drivers, wishing he was one of them. Along the fence, he watched every session, and had his chance to shake the hand of Damon Hill, who spun off in his prequalifying session in the Brabham. Fernando knew it was Hill’s first race and made sure to smile at the man who just lost his shot to start in it. He spent the rest of the weekend hoping for an autograph by one of the greats like Senna or Mansell, or even Schumacher, but he knew he was just lucky enough to make it to the race, his father could have just insisted to watch on TV, but made an exception when he saw how fascinated Fernando had come with the last few seasons of formula one.
The only surprise in qualifying was that Nigel Mansell finally outclassed his teammate, putting his car on pole ahead of Senna by a slim five-hundredths of a second. Race day saw treacherous conditions due to a downpour, and everyone was expecting a Senna charge to the front as had happened the race before. That was not the case, though, as mechanical troubles finally felled his Williams, leaving him in the garage before the first round of stops with electrical difficulties. It was Mansell’s race to win, but not before trouble with a pit stop allowed Schumacher to close to within twelve seconds by the checkered flag.
Down through the field, half of the entrants that day had spun off or outright collided with each other in a series of messy wrecks and offs, however thankfully without any injuries. McLaren finally finished on the podium, bringing a smile to a team that struggled mightily ever since Senna’s departure, with Berger making it past Capelli in the closing stages. Points were also won by Alboreto and Wendlinger, their respective fifth and sixth brought constructers points to the struggling Footwork and March teams. For the first time since Kyalami, Mansell sat atop the standings in first place, with one quarter of the season completed.
Points after four races:
Drivers’:
Mansell – 32
Senna – 26
Schumacher – 18
Patrese – 8
Berger – 7
Capelli – 4
Hakkinen, Alesi, & Alboreto – 2
Wendlinger, Herbert & Morbidelli – 1
Constructors’:
Williams – 58
Benetton - 18
McLaren - 15
Ferrari - 6 Lotus – 3
Footwork -2
Minardi & March - 1
[II] Second POD. IOTL, Sullivan completed the attack, and spun Unser out at that corner. Top four IOTL was Sullivan, Rahal, Fittipaldi, and Unser Jr. Here, Sullivan holds back. Assume all other eventa in the 1992 IndyCar season happen as OTL through race 15. If anything, Unser winning at Long Beach was routine by that point, and nothing would change going into Indy. The next IndyCar update will likely be before and during the last week of that season.
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