SURFERS PARADISE, Australia, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Cristiano da Matta claimed his second victory and fellow Brazilian Gil de Ferran captured his second straight CART championship Sunday at the Honda Indy 300.
Da Matta won his third career race with a record-time at this 2.795-mile circuit, averaging 97.511 miles per hour in his Toyota/Lola in a time of one hour, 51 minutes and 47.260 seconds. His first win of the year came in the season-opener at Monterrey, Mexico in March.
"Our team needed this win and the momentum it brings as we head to the finale next weekend (at the California Speedway)," said Da Matta, who moved into fifth place in the CART standings.
Da Matta led the last 14 laps after gaining the lead from pole-sitter Roberto Moreno on the 52nd of the race's 65 laps. He finished 5.786 seconds ahead of Michael Andretti's Honda/Reynard.
"I couldn't quite follow the pace Gil and Moreno brought in the beginning of the race and I had to drive for mileage," Da Matta said. "I stopped on the same lap as Moreno (on the first round of pit stops), but he was able to go faster and get the same mileage. But then I was able to pass Moreno before the second stop."
Da Matta's victory was the fifth of the season for Toyota and the ninth for Lola.
De Ferran took fourth place to clinch his second consecutive Championship Series title and earn the Vanderbilt Cup. With an insurmountable 191-163 lead over Sweden's Kenny Brack in the championship standings, he joined Rick Mears (1981-82), Bobby Rahal (1986-1987), and Alex Zanardi (1997-98) as back-to-back winners.
This is the ninth CART championship for Team Penske and sixth straight for Honda.
De Ferran led the first 21 laps of the race to move into sole possession of 13th place on the CART career laps led list with 1,283. He passed Al Unser, who led 1,282 laps during his career. Next up for de Ferran is Bobby Unser's mark of 1,298.
Andretti earned his fifth podium appearance of the season and his first since coming in third at Vancouver last month. He moved into a third-place tie in the points standings with Helio Castoneves of Brazil with 141 points each.
Alex Tagliani of Canada finished in third place in his Ford-Costworth/Reynard. He stood on the podium for the second time this season and first since a career-best second-place effort at Toronto in July.
Brack took fourth place, followed by Jimmy Vasser, Michel Jourdain Jr. of Mexico, Christian Fittipaldi of Brazil and Max Papis of Italy.
Scott Dixon of New Zealand was 15th which was enough to clinch the CART Rookie of the Year title. He has 42 points more than Brazilian Bruno Junqueira.
