2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Race 19 of 19 in the 2002 CART season | |
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track layout
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| Date | November 17, 2002 |
| Official name | 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante Presented by Banamex/Visa |
| Location |
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Mexico City, Mexico |
| Course | Permanent Road Course 2.786 mi / 4.484 km |
| Distance | 73 laps 203.378 mi / 327.332 km |
| Weather | Hazy |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Bruno Junqueira (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Time | 1:25.941 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Shinji Nakano (Fernández Racing) |
| Time | 1:27.248 (on lap 70 of 73) |
| Podium | |
| First | Kenny Bräck (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Second | Cristiano da Matta (Newman/Haas Racing) |
| Third | Bruno Junqueira (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) |
The 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante was the nineteenth and final round of the 2002 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series season, held on November 17, 2002 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first Champ Car race at the track since the 1981 season. The race preceded a mass exodus of significant drivers and teams who all competed in their final Champ Car event, most of whom knew beforehand that they would not return. Most rued the fact that they were leaving for the rival Indy Racing League, wishing to continue in CART rather than endure a more stable future in the IRL. CART's winningest driver (42 wins), Michael Andretti, along with Kenny Brack, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, and Japan's most successful driver in U.S. open wheel racing Tora Takagi would all bid CART adieu in favor of the IRL. Other entities leaving CART included 1996-1999 champions Chip Ganassi Racing, 1995 champions Team KOOL Green, and Mo Nunn Racing permanently switched to the IRL, and Japanese automotive industry giants Honda and Toyota likewise left CART for the IRL. Season champion Cristiano da Matta was set to leave CART for Formula One with his engine supplier's F1 team, and Christian Fittipaldi attempted a stock car career.
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