The 1997 Molson Indy Vancouver Was WILD!

The 1997 Molson Indy Vancouver saw Alex Zanardi have one of his wildest races, as well as Maurício Gugelmin scoring his one and only IndyCar victory. This video recaps the thrills, spills, and excitement from this race in 1997.
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#indycar #indycarseries #molsonindy #vancouver

[@Demise90Racing]

Do you think Zanardi was at fault?

[@undefined21]

YES! You can't divebomb the leader like that

[@edwardlazich1140]

ya, i guess it could be argued that he got ahead cleanly but there was no room for both cars in that corner and he should have slowed, oh Alex was break trouble, he could have been given a penalty

[@Saturn185]

not really, i think it was a racing incident

[@andredeketeleastutecomplex]

For sure!

[@pjludda4323]

Yes. A bit overzealous, and he had very little chance of properly pull off the pass.

[@MGXsport]

I was at this race and the two things I remember about it were the mix of emotions from Princess Diana’s death and the many yellow flags. The race seemed to never end.

[@mrserious42]

I'm from western Canada and my family made the trip to Vancouver every year for this race. I vividly remember this race even though I was only 10. Zanardi was an absolute menace that day and made himself into an absolute villain in the eyes of most fans there after punting Herta into the wall... This track layout was brilliant, they would absolutely fly down that long straight and we always got to see lots of action sitting in those grandstands at the hairpin. The new layout they had in the few years after just never had the same vibe. I also got to meet Greg that year, as a Canadian kid he was my favorite driver, RIP.

[@kenharris5390]

When Tony Kanaan won the Indy 500 in 2013, Alex Zanardi, in his wheelchair, came up to Tony and congratulated him on his win. Tony returned the lucky charm that a little girl had given Alex at the Parallel Olympics, in which he won a gold medal. That was an emotional moment for me, I must confess I had a tear in my eye, not only for Tony's win but to see Alex there to make sure his lucky charm did the job. The latest news of Alex, as of late December 2022, is that is back at home, continuing to make a recovery.

[@elisamaria3628]

awww Zanardi is such an inspiration.

[@polycube868]

Alex Zanardi was the Ross Chastain of CART! It never got boring even when he was dominating.

[@softwave1662]

That Hollywood livery was gorgeous.

[@douglasalan5783]

The golden age of Champ Cars. Great drivers, sleek cars, and fierce competition.

[@fatforceremorse]

About a year and a half ago I began watching through old full CART seasons (on 99 now) and looking back, I'd say the whole 97 season is maybe quite overlooked or underated in a way. You had four chassis constructors, four engine suppliers, two tire makes, a good mix of tracks, you had races like this one, the finish at Portland, the last lap at Detroit, some great nearly moments like Rahal almost winning at Rio and Carpentier at Gateway, insane drives from Zanardi like at Cleveland, the 240 mph qualifying speed at Fontana and probably the last year the CART product was really good on the short ovals. Those were just some of the things I remember.

[@astinus4]

Yep, my favourite CART season after the split

[@arlindosilva2557]

Well said. 1997 was in my opinion the best season in CART during the 1990's

[@alessandrospenga.video6]

I think I watched this race back in 1997, I was 10! Of course I was supporting Zanardi 🇮🇹 Incredible to rewatch this after so many years! Much simpler cars than modern F1. no paddle shift, much harder to drive, slower, no DRS, yet amazing race action!

[@factormars4339]

Indycars today are pretty simple, just a modern aero and paddle shift gears, but no assisted direction, no drs

[@pasqualeguadagni]

@@factormars4339no drs but they still have push-to-pass

[@michaelgideon8944]

I have forgotten how many times Zanardi got the best of Herta including "the pass." I miss 90s CART, it was pretty much the sweet spot for open wheel racing. It's such a shame the Tony George had to go kill open wheel in North America with the IRL.

[@cool3865]

the new Indycar series seems to be good, like the old late 90s Cart

[@michaelgideon8944]

@@cool3865 It's better now than it's been in a while, but the 90s had the added dimension of several chassis and engines. At least more than one person can win an Indy race unlike some series we know.

[@BadWallaby]

These cars are LITERALLY my all time favorite for sim racing. AMS2 represents them well but I have that Zanardi Target CART car in every sim I own lol

[@BadWallaby]

Also I live near Napa, CA and Jimmy Vasser lives near here and owns a Truck Dealership lol

[@ObviousArtists]

@@BadWallaby sweet. I lived in vallejo in th 80s and 90s. Jeff gordon town.

[@AngryChristian1]

This is my favorite kind of race; insane recovery drives (Zanardi), unexpected bruh moments (a lot of them really), oddball winners (Gugelmin), and even some visual comedy (Zanardi praying in the car).

[@Demise90Racing]

I couldn't agree more Christian!

[@dxfifa]

Except in the last 60% of 1997 PacWest had 4 wins and 6 podiums (this would have been 5 and 7 if both Guglemin in 1st and then Blundell in 2nd (from 1st) djdn''t run out of fuel on the last lap in detroit). Ganassi had 5 and 9, De Ferran had 6 podiums. So it's fair to say that when Zanardi didn't have the perfect race PacWest were the favourites by this point in 97

[@lonewolf2513]

Gugelmin really is underlooked in IndyCar. I never hear him brought up that much in retrospect

[@danielhenderson8316]

Gugelmin's problem was PacWest having 1 great year before falling apart at the seems. Same with Mark Blundell.

[@lonewolf2513]

@@danielhenderson8316 yeah that is true. But damn they had some awesome looking cars

[@StarFox85]

he was fast!

[@lonewolf2513]

@@StarFox85 he was lol. When he won the pole in Cleveland in 2001 I can remember physically feeling the car ride by where we were at much faster

[@JonB83]

I was there, one of the best performances ever by a driver I'd seen even though he didn't win. Was sitting at the hairpin. Zanardi was an animal.

[@w.arnold8806]

Very good summary of that race. Thank you! It's one of those races I still remember. Especially Zanardi outbraking everyone with ease ... and himself too :) He was on another planet that day! And he would have lapped the whole field if he didn't make so many mistakes.

[@edwardlazich1140]

there were a couple of times Alex had to make use of the of the off shoot areas because his brakes were too hot.

[@jfpk114]

God i remember watching this race with my Dad on Eurosport with Ben Edwards and Jeremy Shaw commentating. Zanardi was the man during this time, such talent that would put shame on todays drivers. He should never have gone back to F1.

[@Clappinghambloke1998]

Least you took a break from the constant Diana coverage as this race took place on the day that Princess Diana died

[@hprees1]

These are some of the best motorsport videos on YT. Keep going mate!

[@Demise90Racing]

I really appreciate that!! I do my best. Glad you enjoy them.

[@rhaimon2100]

I wish Vancouver was still welcoming to racing, any racing.. but those dang Noise complaint Karens ruined a good thing

[@chrisguardiano6143]

Great video Demise. The race 2 years later was also memorable for two reasons: one was the absolute rainstorm that slowed the cars down considerably & shortened the race from 90 to 74 laps. The other was that because the race was running long, ESPN decided to bump the ending of the race from ABC to ESPN News so that ABC could show the 5:00 local news or World News Tonight on the East Coast. The reason why it was bumped to ESPN News instead of ESPN or ESPN 2 was because ESPN 2 was showing an MLS match between Tampa & Miami & ESPN had Sunday Night Baseball between the Red Sox & Yankees. This meant that CART fans on the East Coast were screwed out of seeing the ending if they did not have ESPN News & had to watch the ending on RPM Tonight on ESPN 2 after MLS got done. This did not affect the West Coast viewers as they got to see the race end on ABC.

[@Demise90Racing]

Thanks Chris. I appreciate it! That is some interesting information not many would know. Including myself.

[@dxfifa]

PacWest were the ultimate half season wonder in 1997. Just as Paul Tracy and Greg Moore fell apart in the second half, Blundell and Gugelmin came on strong

[@dc-vw4qm]

3:09 imagine being on that train and getting to see this as you went by, would be so cool

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Said it ages ago but the TV direction of this race was something else, initially I thought okay, I got a cut up version but no, found a full, unaltered version and it is, somehow, worse than I remember. I don't remember any other year being this bad in terms of Molstar (I think it was who did the production side?) being this bad though, both ESPN an Eurosport had issues throughout the broadcast though IIRC they got the same feed just with their own crews doing the call

[@Demise90Racing]

The 90's was brutal for TV coverage. So many missed key moments of the race. Especially restarts.

[@calixa]

I live in Vancouver and drive these streets daily....to this day I ALWAYS think of the Indy cars ripping around BC Place. I attended a few. Such a great event. Absolutely insane how much the city has changed in 26 years. Unrecognizable. Cool to see again. Thanks.

[@TheSwedeJay]

I really loved the original circuit

[@eladreltuc]

I was just a young punk of 17 or 18 living in Vancouver when this happened. I remember going by on the skytrain and seeing how fast the cars were going down the strip pretty cool.

[@sincerewyd2285]

I was there.. 26 years ago!! I was 10!! And it was amazing!!!! I still live in Vancouver!!

[@lfobolacha]

Great video as always man! I would love to see a video about Portland 97 as well

[@Demise90Racing]

Thanks Leandro. You will 100% see that in the near future.

[@daveth121864]

I was at this race working (as I was for almost every race that year) for a series sponsor. Vancouver was always a hugely popular race for the IndyCar traveling circus, and we had a full house of corporate guests, and the weather was gorgeous as usual. The night before the race is a perennial highlight for teams and sponsors, in a city as hip and happening as Vancouver. You can imagine guests flying into Vancouver on Saturday morning, catching qualy, a support race or two, and the final Indycar practice session before returning to their hotels to shower and change for happy hour and a usually late night before the race. That Saturday started out great but became a blur, not because of a party, but because totally unrelated news. As on track events were wrapping for the day, around 4:00 p.m. news because to filter through the paddock that Princess Diana had been in an automobile crash, and that she was believed to have been injured. By the time we were headed to dinner around 7:00 p.m., it was 4:00 a.m. Paris. The TVs around the bar announced that Diana had been killed. I have never seen a party end so fast. We ate dinner, but no one was talking about racing. A few of our guests left as soon as they put their forks down. I was the guy stuck with the bill every week, so I can tell you no one stayed around for dessert. When I left the restaurant at abut 8:30 p.m., this most popular of restaurants in Vancouver, was 3/4 empty. This being Canada, there was much more of a feeling of losing one of their own than you might feel in the US. But even on Sunday for the race, people showed up and watched, but I have never felt a weirder energy than at that race, that year. Closest thing I can remember that felt similar would be September 12, 2001. It's too bad this race because an afterthought. It was pretty crazy, and it was great to see Mo Gugelmin win. Super nice guy and as part of the 1990s Brazilian invasion, he was an underrated talent.

[@mvd4436]

I was there. 13 years old. Can't believe we have no major racing in Western Canada now. The east has F1 and Indy , we have nothing uhhhgff

[@Demise90Racing]

I know, it's unfortunate. I'm born and raised in Toronto so it was always awesome to have the Indy race 15 mins away. I wish somehow IndyCar could return to Vancouver, I'd love to attend the race out there.

[@mvd4436]

@@Demise90Racing I forgot to mention, we were supposed to have Formula E last year. The track was going to be around False creek similar to the Indy track. But the city govt got in a fight with the promoter and it was cancelled. Tickets were sold and everything. But it never happened. I have heard that Calgary wants to get an Indy race but that was years ago now

[@cjparrott]

i miss the old indycar races.... so good

[@bartsullivan4866]

Another awesome video thank you Demise

[@Demise90Racing]

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@KellieLeigh48]

Great upload as always Demise

[@Demise90Racing]

Thank you!!

[@bartsullivan4866]

Well this race wasn't short on action was it. Zanardi had a Rocketship balls of steel to pull off so many passes. Kind of wish they would bring this race back to the Streets of Vancouver. A little bias being in the NW.

[@danielhenderson8316]

This area of the city has been renovated that it no longer exists, sadly.

[@bartsullivan4866]

@@danielhenderson8316 Even so a street race in Vancouver could still be realy cool. Does BC have any oval race tracks?

[@jasonbaird1645]

@@danielhenderson8316 Expo and Pacific still exist. I'm sure they could figure something out if they wanted to. (They don't want to. Nothing is more important these days than appeasing foreign investors who don't even live in the homes near what would be the track. BC stands for Bring Cash.)

[@camrsr5463]

Agreed. Wild.

[@MG_Motorsport]

always thought this was such a cool track. Good video , enjoyed the flashback. as for Zanardi , what a legend. Yeah he was at fault , I think it was a late(ish) move and as you said Herta was the leader but when Alex is on form he is great to watch and hard to stop :)

[@wpbarchitect1800]

Dennis Vitolo, always good for a laugh...unless you're Nigel Mansell...

[@AMGmeister]

Great race, great video!

[@jasonpeng6767]

Growing up in Vancouver in the 90's, I remember those screaming V8's echoing through the city every summer. I was lucky enough to attend a practice session for this '97 race. Those screams were even more AMAZING in the stands. it started a life long love for open wheeled racing for me. I would go to the false creek area (where this street course is located) and would recreate the race on my bike. The candy canes would remain for a good few years after the cancelation of the Molson Indy.

[@two6520]

Great video man! I loved them cars.

[@salkdhfpoahergpoahre1534]

I remember watching this thinking it was great that Zanardi blew it. He’d won the last few races and I was getting sick of him, but when he was flying through the field I was convinced he was unstoppable and no one else would ever win again.

[@MikeWooshy]

This is my favourite street track.

[@rickmartel1588]

I was there! Zanardi was the only one doing any passing that day. Made for an exciting race!

[@patricktrakzel9657]

You put out some great vids. Cannot believe the low amounts of thumbs up on those. Should be in the tens of K's. I can give you only one bro!

[@JJFDNY]

Good video! Miss these days of CART!

[@Demise90Racing]

Thank you! Me too.

[@lornesbored]

remember when we had fun things in Vancouver?

[@carypyke935]

Great street course !!

[@Atticus3lack]

Very heavy breaking, stick shift, single handed, no power steering. Driving these things must have been like being in a fight

[@TeganCantEven]

Every Vancouver race before this one had been won by either Michael Andretti or Al Unser Jr.

[@Bastian_Zugnappen33]

Amazing Video ❤

[@dyslexicfurry]

The amount of times Zanardi screwed over Hurta is comical

[@edwardlazich1140]

I've seen twice now. The other time was at Laguna Seca right on the corkscrew. I consider that pass questionable.

[@Mishima505]

When we had variety in CART...

[@SH-ly1uy]

The golden years

[@axemanracing6222]

These cars are so pretty & wild

[@nastystew6942]

R.I.P Greg Moore!!!!!!

[@fmascarenhas]

I didn't understand what the guy said at the opening of the video... "Journey-man Driver" ou "Gentleman Driver" when he was talking about the race winner. Mauricio Gugelmin was a great Brazilian driver having raced in F1 prior to moving to CART. He raced (and won) in various categories before arriving in F1.

[@adamspence4283]

i was there!

[@jdsk8914]

Golden years in Vancouver.

[@djangomclear_rocks]

That's why Zanardi won championships

[@brandensimmons653]

Alex was an weapon in Vancouver

[@terrymckenzie8786]

He was great. Al Unser owned this track. Just kept looking for the north shore mountains.

[@terrymckenzie8786]

God I wish we did ,t lose this race. Best time of the year.

[@ivertranes2516]

Yeah, Zanardi should have been more patient behind Herta, and it's surprising he didn't get penalized. But my God! That run through the field to fourth!! I was a fan from that day forward!!!! Also, Greg Moore, Rest In Peace. Your fans miss you forever.

[@alessandrosanna1270]

Zanardi great pass and hearts mistake squeeze at turn Zanardi diveboomb inside the crash is unavoidable

[@mgers75]

1997 era Track Marshalls were either super brave or super dumb

[@michaeltubbs272]

Great show did u get the jacket?

[@CptJET-he8nc]

GJ !

[@Demise90Racing]

Thank you!!!

[@skojuzija]

Zanardi overtaking everyone like Max and Lewis

[@skojuzija]

Damn, they advertised websites on wings in 1997(look at 1:40). Wicked, but I am not sure if that was profitable bcs I recon that still many people didnt have acess to the internet

[@damnmarkey]

If NASCAR want street racing. This would be good to go to.

[@Demise90Racing]

Unfortunately this exact layout no longer exists. The track changed in 1998.

[@djeurosham]

Damn, I miss CART. It was really the closest thing North America had to F1. Amazing cars, great drivers, tons of drama. Modern Indycar just isn't quite the same.

[@rodentcafeteria]

Why is it in American open wheel racing they don't do standing starts? Seems like those starting near the end of the grid are immediately put at a disadvantage, because they're still coming around the final turn to take their position, while those at the front of the grid have already taken off. Even today, it's the same way.

[@rhysellis928]

I think Zanardi was at fault for that crash. The leader had fully committed to the corner, Zanardi was way too late. That door was always going to close.

[@blackflagqwerty]

Yeah Alex done some idiotic shit back then. IMO he should have be DSQ from Laguna 96'.

[@badlt5897]

Zanardi told Herta, "I am your Daddy"

[@christopherjefferson3561]

I miss bob varsha

[@msnovtue]

Re: Christian Fittipaldi's incident-- Speaking as a former marshal...... Drivers do a lot of dumb shit in incidents. Really. Start watching incidents and see how often the driver does anything other than either stay in the car or immediately get behind a barrier. Don't get me wrong, I love these guys, but they think a little differently sometimes.

[@scottl.1568]

Molson LOL

[@terrymckenzie8786]

😂

[@fatrick5004]

Huge Zanardi but that was stupid what he did to Herta. A lapped car taking out the leader is ridiculous.

[@itsmebatman]

Fitipaldi did this stupid thing of immediately jumping out of the car multiple times. I guess he was really concerned about his car getting hit and he wanted to get out there quickly. But he didn't consider at all how dangerous that is. He was lucky he didn't get killed in one of the dumbest ways you could imagine.

[@michaellorenson2997]

Zanardi was 'there', but Herta was left with 'nowhere' to go. Technically, it was Zanardi's corner, but you really shouldn't put another driver in that position. He would surely have been furious, if the roles were reversed!

[@davemcmillan8460]

100% zanardis fault, but that’s the instinct of a winner. If you don’t go for a gap you won’t win

[@terrymckenzie8786]

Still remembers the race Paul Tracey got mad when he was in mid field and started racing like a demon. Out of no where he was beating the track time by a second passing everyone on the track. Drivers were pulling over letting him pass as they were worried about being hit. I think he finally got black flagged, but it shows if your willing to risk an accident you can really fly. Some drivers said he would kill somebody some day.

[@adamscissorhands]

If there is a gap and you don’t go for it quit racing. Left the door open and shut it slow or tried to.

[@Commander-McBragg]

Zanardi paid the price for his over exuberance a couple of times. I can’t see how Herta could have forgiven him for taking him out of the lead in two races. Look where the Italian is today. Not cool.

[@DigbyOdel-et3xx]

That era of CHAMP cars were the best looking cars of the CART series.

[@KellieLeigh48]

Fittipaldi 0 IQ move. Lol 🤣

[@Red_Buuuullll]

Said the woman who just watch fatal crashes

[@KellieLeigh48]

@@Red_Buuuullll excuse me? I watch a lot more than that. But of course you're a little keyboard warrior who can run their mouth from far far away right?

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@Red_Buuuullll bro hiding from his keyboard like a coward lmao. Nice sexism🙄

[@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT]

@@KellieLeigh48 he’s all bark and no bite

[@KellieLeigh48]

@@IanTheMotorsportsMan_YT i know 😆

[@StarFox85]

q X❗ 11:41

[@warrenholmes3311]

CART = Championship Auto Race Teams. No 'K' in the mix.

[@dotCody]

Coulda done without the commentary from the uploader

[@TheTotallyRealXiJinping]

Salute to Bob Jenkins. He walks IMS at night now along with the other legends.

[@aberamagold7509]

This is back when I loved watching Indy Car. Then we had a kid, which, as everyone knows, changes your lifestyle a 🤏🏿 for a few years, and I've tried watching Indy again, but my enthusiasm for it just isn't there. Hopefully, it comes back. Indy fans will give me crap for this, but... ... I've gotten back into F1. Sure, most races start too early, but with F1, you at least know what you're getting week in and week out... ... _BORING_ races.

[@MrGabo1509]

Zanardi deserved a black flag

[@TheGumballhead]

That was an amazing race. Thanks Demise for posting this. But my take on it is that the Fittipaldis have always been idiots and an embarrassment to the sport