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
January 15, 2024
In this blog we take a look back at the 1994 CART Miller Genuine Draft 200 at the Milwaukee Mile on June 5, 1994.
The weekend prior to the Milwaukee Mile race was the Indianapolis 500 which was won by Al Unser Jr. in his Team Penske Ilmor powered Indy Car.
There are not too many racers that have won the Indy 500 and the Milwaukee Mile race the following weekend but Al Unser Jr. was one of them to win both in 1994!
This was the year that Michael Andretti came back to Indy Car with the Target Chip Ganassi Team after an unsuccessful year in Formula 1.
Notice also the photos of Rick Mears giving Casey Mears some advice in his Indy Lights car.
One of the best liveries ever of an Indy Car is Adrian Fernandez Tecate car seen here. It's just beautiful, as is Bobby Rahal's Miller Genuine Draft car.
The Miller Genuine Draft 200 actually became the Miller Genuine Draft 192 because rain ended the race on lap 192.
Raul Boesel was on the pole position but Al Unser Jr. dominated the race.
Finishing second to Al Unser Jr. was Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy making the top three cars, all Team Penske.
Enjoy a look at the Milwaukee Mile in 1994 and get your tickets for the races this year on August 31 and September 1.
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
The Briggs and Stratton 200 held at Road America in 1988 where Emerson Fittipaldi won.
March 7, 2022
The world is in a crazy place these days but the Indy Car season has begun!
It's great to see Scott McLaughlin win the first race of the year in St. Petersburg, Florida. He has a great future in Indy Car.
Last week was Mario Andretti's 82nd birthday and Sebastian Bourdais on the same day! Will Power's birthday was the following day. He had a strong showing in St. Petersburg. Will is trying to beat Mario Andretti for most pole positions with only one more to do it.
Here are a few photos of the Indy Cars through the years to get us in the mood for the season.
Good luck to all. Last year's champ ,Alex Palou, has some competition this year. Colton Herta is my pick on his way to the championship!
Enjoy and be safe.
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.
The 1987 Milwaukee Mile CART Indy Car race.
June 1, 2020
A long time ago in 1987 I was sitting in the stands at the Milwaukee Mile watching the CART Indy Car race. That was before I was getting access to pit lane and just having fun with the boys. Pardon the photos that are shot through the fence, which would be all of them!
I had to dig these photos up for someone doing an article on Arie Luyendyk's 1987 car. Then I thought I'd put them in the system and write a blog about it!
It's fun to look at the cool old cars of Arie Luyendyk, Bobby Rahal, Roberto Guerrero, Rick Mears, Michael Andretti, Tom Sneva, Kevin Cogan and more.
Rick Mears had a bad day and had an accident during the race as you will see. Other than that, it was a great weekend.
Check the photos out and enjoy a look back in time.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
May 4, 2020
Being ordered to stay at home because of the COVID-19 virus, we are all starving for some real racing, at least I am! The iRacing events with drivers using simulators in their homes is interesting, but it just won't do.
Both the Indy 500 and the Kentucky Derby have been postponed this year. That has not happened since WW2. I suspect we will all remember this time period for the rest of our lives. The children will most likely remember the home schooling on personal computers.
For a blog this week, let's look at Arie Luyendyk through the years. I don't have photos of Arie during his IRL days here because my IRL files are buried in the closet and in time I will put them on my website. Here though are some good examples of Arie and his early days in CART and Indy Car.
At the time these photos were taken, I was a contributing photographer for Indy Car Racing Magazine. The magazine office was less than a mile away from the Milwaukee Mile track. The photos are from the Milwaukee Mile and Road America. See if you can figure out the year of each car for fun!
I like the style of these cars so much more than our present day Indy Cars. For sure they were not as safe as the current cars but wow, they were fast and good looking race cars!
Stay safe everyone and let's hope we have Indy Car back in action at Road America in June, with social distancing of course.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
