April 22, 2024

The weekend of September 11, 1994 at Road America, the CART Indy Cars raced in the the Texaco Havoline 200.

That was a big year of change in CART because of the formation of the IRL series starting up. It was trying to take over the series. That is a whole story in itself someday for another blog, book or movie, but 1994 was a great year of CART racing.

On that nice Fall weekend at Road America we got to see a Canadian in the front row with Paul Tracy in the pole position and a young superstar named Jacques Villeneuve right next to him.

Nigel Mansell was on his last visit to Road America and had the fastest lap of the race but Jacques Villeneuve won it that day.

Team Penske showed up with Emerson Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr. who won the Indy 500 that year with the very secret Mercedes Benz 500I engine that had 1,100hp! Al would end up winning the 1994 championship.

Michael Andretti came back to CART after a year in F1 that didn't go so well. Michael came back driving for Chip Ganassi's new team and won the first race of the year. This was also the last year of Mario Andretti racing in CART and Indy Cars.

Some other great racers you will see here in my photos are Stefan Johansson, Raul Boesel, Arie Luyendyk, Teo Fabi, Adrian Fernandez, Willy T. Ribbs, Scott Goodyear, Mauricio Gugelmin and Bobby Rahal in his beautiful Miller Genuine Draft race car.

Nice to see and remember Dick Simon who was a great team owner for several years for multiple drivers.

Notice the top of Al Unser Jr.'s helmet full of tire rubber and someone else's oil leak!!

Enjoy a look and some beautiful sounding and great looking Indy Cars.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

September 19, 2022

Now that our Indy Car season is done which makes me sad, here is a look at the 1995 CART race at the Milwaukee Mile. The Miller Genuine Draft 200 was held on June 4th 1995, the weekend after the Indy 500 which was traditionally when they ran here in Milwaukee.

These cars were fast and sounded so great! Plus, I think one of my favorite liveries of a race car is the car of Christian Fittipaldi seen here. It has a bit of the Brazilian flag and his helmet is awesome too.

Some good memories here with Bobby Rahal, Stefan Johansson, Christian Fittipaldi, Al Unser Jr, Jeff Andretti, Emerson Fittipaldi and more. I remember using actual film in my cameras then. It was Kodak's Extar 25. It was a slow film but the colors were great.

Paul Tracy won the race with Teo Fabi second and this was the old Milwaukee Mile with the old grandstands. Good times!

Enjoy a look back.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

May 16, 2022

In 1988, the Briggs and Stratton 200 Indy Car CART race was held at Road America. Danny Sullivan had the pole position but Emerson Fittipaldi won the race!

Road America looked a bit different back then, and I see the new media center was already built. Didn't think it was that old.

The short lived Porsche Indy Car was racing then with Teo Fabi. It was a beautiful car that never did very well and was only around a few years.

Must have been a combined weekend with the IMSA racing cars because I notice a photo I took of Walter Payton! Looks as if his #34 blew an engine in turn 5. He is standing next to it as it's smoking away.

Love the livery on Arie Luendyk's car!!!!

Enjoy a look back to 1988. Were you there that weekend?

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

March 22, 2021

On September 10, 1989, the CART Indy Car show came to Road America.

I was just getting back into racing photography after some years of commercial work, rock and roll photography and having fun participating in BASS fishing tournaments.

For this race I only took a few photos and actually attended for the race itself. Now, I'm usually up at Road America for the full three days of competition. I travel back and forth each day from home so I can see my wife and download the day's work.

The cars in 1989 were awesome looking and sounded even better! They were powered by methanol. It is a nice, unique smell in the morning with Indy Cars in pit lane!

The race had the now famous Porsche Indy Car with driver Teo Fabi. Teo and his Porsche won only one race in the history of Porsche Indy Car racing with a win at Mid Ohio in 1989. Here at Road America, Teo Fabi finished second. Considering all the problems with the Porche racing program in Indy Car this was very good.

Danny Sullivan won the race and Rick Mears finished third. Wisconsin favorite Arie Luyendyk finished fourth.

Miss those great high horsepower cars and wish I had taken more photos of them in 1989!

Enjoy a look the photos and imagine the smell of methanol fuel.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

September 10,1989 at Road America with the great CART Indy Cars!

Danny Sullivan won it with Teo Fabi second and Rick Mears third.

October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween everyone!! The little beggers should be knocking on our door today at 5pm! It's fun to see the kids and we give them each a little bag of assorted candy. It's good size and they like us for that. Maybe they will be nice to us to as they grow up, right?

My next three blogs look at a test day that was at the Milwaukee Mile on May 24 and 25 of 1993. Today's blog photos are of Teo Fabi, one of the three drivers of this test session.

Teo Fabi came from Italy to the CART Indy car series after a few years in Formula 1. Prior to that he did everything from motorcycles to winning the European karting title in 1976 and flying helicopters, Sportscar racing, Formula Ford, Formula 3 and in 1989 he won the only victory for Porsche in CART at Mid Ohio.

He is a nice little guy that has done it all it seems!

Enjoy a look at Teo in a car that has the colors of Rick Mears and later Helio Catroneves. It was dubbed the yellow submarine and made famous by Rick Mears and Team Penske.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Teo Fabi at a test day in Milwaukee in May of 1993.

The 1991 CART race at the Milwaukee Mile, won by Michael Andretti.

September 12, 2016

Wow!! It's a very busy weekend around here fighting horn worms on our tomato plants!!!! Never heard of these things until a month ago and now I can't get rid of them and I'll be dreaming of them soon!!

First one, then another and then Friday night three of them!!  Today, one this morning and now I come back from our bike ride to find another!! Yuck!!! Photos will have to come soon I guess because you will not believe these things!!

Anyway, here is a follow up to the 1991 Indy cars at the Milwaukee Mile! Last weeks blog featured photos of Al Unser Jr. in 1991 at the famous Milwaukee Mile.

Here is Mario and Michael Andretti and Carl Haas giving a blessing to the nose of Michael's car on race day morning! It was a ritual every race day!!

Enjoy, and join me on Facebook at Rich Zimmermann Photography if you haven't yet.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

May 23, 2016

This week's blog takes us back to CART racing in 1990 at Elkhart Lake's Road America.

These were the days when Porsche was into Indy cars, and had Teo Fabi as it's driver.

Alfa Romeo was also on the grid along with Cosworth and Chevy and more.

Competition was good with the different engine manufacturers.

Roger Penske had Danny Sullivan, Rick Mears and Emerson Fittipaldi who had won the championship in 1989. A three car team was not normal in 1990 like it is today.

So, take a look at Eddie Cheever, Didie Theys and Al Unser Jr. in the good old days. A.J. Foyt was still racing then too.

After taking a second look, a few of these photos are from 1989 at Road America! Still good old stuff to look at!

Get ready for the 100th running of the Indy 500!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann