1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix

1994 Surfers Paradise

Race details
Race 1 of 16 in the 1994 IndyCar season
Map of the track
Date	20 March, 1994
Official name	1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix
Location	Surfers Paradise Street Circuit Queensland, Australia
Course	Temporary Street Circuit 2.794 mi / 4.496 km
Distance	55 laps 153.670 mi / 247.280 km
Weather	Rain
Pole position
Driver	Nigel Mansell (Newman-Haas Racing)
Time	1:34.877
Fastest lap
Driver	Nigel Mansell (Newman-Haas Racing)
Time	1:37.487 (on lap 15 of 55)
Podium
First	Michael Andretti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing)
Second	Emerson Fittipaldi (Marlboro Team Penske)
Third	Mario Andretti (Newman-Haas Racing)

The 1994 Australian FAI Indycar Grand Prix was the opening round of the 1994 CART World Series season, held on 20 March 1994 on the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit, Australia.

Nigel Mansell, the defending winner and CART series champion, won the pole position in Newman-Haas's new Lola T94/00. Alongside on the grid was Michael Andretti, who was beginning his comeback to the CART series with Chip Ganassi Racing after spending a year in Formula One. Starting in eighth position was future CART and Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve, making his first start in the CART series. It was also the Indy car debut of the Reynard chassis and the Honda engine.

The race start was delayed because of changing wet weather conditions and accidents during each of the first two attempts. The first incident occurred in Turn 12 (the final corner) and collected Raul Boesel, Willy T. Ribbs, Robbie Buhl, and Alessandro Zampedri. The second aborted start saw further carnage; this time in the second chicane involving Boesel and Zampedri again, along with Mario Andretti, Hiro Matsushita, and Davy Jones slowed the field. Bobby Rahal hit the tyre wall in the first chicane, apparently on his own, and Paul Tracy spun off in Turn 4 undamaged. The race finally started around 4 p.m., with Andretti overtaking Mansell on the first lap.