Herta Gets It Right in Edging Zanardi

In a contradiction of feelings, the scenario at the finish of Sunday’s Grand Prix of Monterey was exactly what Bryan Herta didn’t want, but at the same time it was what he has been racing for.

With two laps remaining in the Texaco/Havoline 300 at Laguna Seca, after a lengthy yellow caution flag, Herta was leading, with Alex Zanardi, his nemesis, on his rear bumper.

Unlike two years ago, when Zanardi took a shortcut through the dirt on the last lap at Laguna Seca to prevent Herta from winning his first race, or unlike Friday, when Zanardi ran into Herta and damaged his car, the driver of Bobby Rahal’s Ford Cosworth-powered Reynard won the tense race to the checkered flag.

It was Herta’s first FedEx champ car win in 71 starts. Zanardi, who clinched his second straight championship last week at Vancouver, Canada, finished second.

“It came right down to the end, and I’ll admit I had mixed emotions,” Herta said after collecting $125,000 in prize money. “On one hand, I knew he’d be coming hard, but on the other hand I said, ‘OK, Herta, this is what you’ve been waiting all your life for. Let’s see if you can do it.’

“The scenario was perfect. I’m glad Alex was pushing me. I knew if I could hold off the best, and Alex is the best, it would put some of these demons to rest.”

Zanardi, who made several probes in the last two laps attempting to pass, or rattle, Herta, said his only chance to win was if Herta made a mistake, “and he didn’t make one.”

An unusual caution period for 13 of the final 15 laps played into Herta’s hands.

“Before the yellow [caution flag], we were in big trouble with fuel,” Herta said. “We didn’t know if we could make it, if we had to run hard to keep Zanardi behind us. At the end, though, everyone turned it [fuel pressure] up 100%.”

The first caution started innocently enough when Vincenzo Sospiri, making his first start for Dan Gurney’s Eagle team, spun off course. While crews worked to clean up the debris, Greg Moore pulled off into the sand, keeping the caution flag flying while he was towed to safety.

Then Alex Barron, Gurney’s other Eagle driver, spun into a tire barrier.

Once the green flag was finally displayed on lap 77, only six from the end, it lasted less than half a lap before Scott Pruett and Gil de Ferran crashed and spun into Patrick Carpentier.

No one was hurt, but before the course could be cleared, there were only two laps remaining.

“On the restart, my plan was to follow Bryan as closely as possible, but I couldn’t get him,” Zanardi said. “The long yellows completely changed our strategy. My only chance was to pressure Bryan into a mistake, but he drove a fine race. No mistakes. He deserved to win.”

Tony Kanaan, a rookie from Brazil who drives for Steve Horne’s Tasman team, made judicious use of a pit stop to finish third, the highest of his career.

When all the leaders made their first pit top, Kanaan, who started 14th, stayed out two more laps before stopping.

“During those two laps, I drove as hard as I could, probably the fastest laps of my day, and when I finished refueling and got back on the track, I had jumped from 10th to fourth. It is very hard to pass on this course, so we figured that was our best chance to move up, and it worked.”

Kanaan passed Dario Franchitti in the second turn on lap 63 to take third place. It was one of the few passes on the track during the entire 1-hour 55-minute race.

Herta started on the pole and led 81 of the 83 laps.

The 28-year-old Herta, who plans on moving back to his home in Valencia later this year, averaged 96.726 mph. For the past several years, he has been living in New Albany, Ohio, to be near Rahal’s race shop.

Other Races

Ron Hornaday battled back from nearly two laps behind to beat Jay Sauter by 0.0441 seconds and win the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Memphis 200 at Millington, Tenn. Forty-two laps of caution held Hornaday’s winning speed to 84.204 mph. . . . Michael Schumacher overcame a terrible start from the pole position and led a 1-2 Ferrari triumph in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Italy, tying Mika Hakkinen atop the world standings. Schumacher’s sixth victory this season gave him a total of 80 points, equaling Hakkinen, who finished fourth. Schumacher, who averaged 147.306 mph, beat runner-up Eddie Irvine, his Ferrari teammate, by 37.9 seconds. Ralf Schumacher, Michael’s younger brother, drove a Jordan-Mugen Honda to third place.