1996 ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{American Championshp Car race report infobox|

Country = United States|

Race = ITT Automotive Detroit|

Image = Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle route.svg|

Caption = |

Date = June 9|

Year = 1996|

Official name = ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit|

Race_No = 8|

Season_No = 16|

Series = PPG Indy Car World Series|

Location = Belle Isle, Detroit, United States|

Course = Temporary street course|

Course_mi = 2.1|

Course_km = 3.4|

Distance_laps = 77 (72 laps completed)|

Distance_mi = |

Distance_km = |

Weather = Temperatures reaching up to {{convert|65.8|F|C}}; wind speeds up to {{convert|12.8|mph|km/h}}{{cite web|url=http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/MI/Detroit/1996-06-06 |title=1996 ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit weather information |publisher=Old Farmers' Almanac|accessdate=2013-07-13}}|

Pole_Driver = Scott Pruett|

Pole_Team = Patrick Racing|

Pole_Time = 1:11:802|

Pole_Country = USA|

Fast_Driver = |

Fast_Team = |

Fast_Time = |

Fast_Lap = |

Fast_Country = |

First_Driver = Michael Andretti|

First_Team = Newman/Haas Racing|

First_Country = USA|

Second_Driver = Christian Fittipaldi|

Second_Team = Newman/Haas Racing|

Second_Country= Brazil|

Third_Driver = Gil de Ferran|

Third_Team = Jim Hall Racing|

Third_Country = Brazil|

}}

The 1996 ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit was a CART race which happened at the Belle Isle Park. It happened on June 9, 1996. It was the 8th round of the 1996 IndyCar season.

Race

=Lap 2=

Christian Fittipaldi takes the lead from Scott Pruett.

=Lap 4=

Top 6: Christian Fittipaldi, Gil de Ferran, Paul Tracy, Scott Pruett, Robby Gordon and Michael Andretti. First full course caution was out after Gordon had hit the tire wall. Green flag came out on lap 10.

=Lap 13=

Top 12: Christian Fittipaldi, Gil de Ferran, Paul Tracy, Michael Andretti, Scott Pruett, André Ribeiro, Adrian Fernandez, Al Unser Jr., Bobby Rahal, Parker Johnstone, Mark Blundell and Alex Zanardi.

=Some laps later=

Second full course caution, as Greg Moore and André Ribeiro crashed. Neither the Canadian, nor the Brazilian had retired. One lap later, Gil de Ferran spun after leaving the pits.

=Lap 25=

Top 6: Christian Fittipaldi, Michael Andretti, Paul Tracy, Gil de Ferran, Al Unser Jr. and Bobby Rahal. Green flag came out on lap 31.

=Laps 36-37=

At the very same curve, Emerson Fittipaldi and André Ribeiro crashed, but not simultaneously. Fittipaldi brushed the wall on lap 36. Ribeiro would do the same on the following lap. Both drivers retired.

=Lap 46=

Shades of 1994 came out, as Al Unser Jr. and Paul Tracy once again were involved into a crash. Two years before, both drivers collided, as Little Al went into the tyre barrier. The same fate happened on lap 46 of the 1996 race. Third caution was out. Green flag came out on lap 53.

=Lap 57=

Top 6: Christian Fittipaldi, Andretti, de Ferran, Rahal, Tracy and Pruett.

=Lap 61=

Fourth caution was out, as Bobby Rahal had a hard crash.

=Lap 65=

Green flag came out. Christian Fittipaldi went wide and Michael Andretti takes the lead. Meanwhile, Paul Tracy crashed very hard. Fifth full course caution. Few laps later, came the green flag.

=1 lap after the restart=

Scott Pruett caused the sixth full course caution as he crashed into the tyre barrier. Green flag came out with two minutes left.

=Lap 72=

As the race completed the 2-hour limit, Michael Andretti won the race on lap 72. 5 laps before the predicted laps.

Box score

class="wikitable"

!Finish

!Grid

!{{Tooltip|No|Car number}}

!Name

!Team

!Chassis

!Engine

!Tire

!Laps

!Time/Status

!{{Tooltip|Led|Laps led}}

!{{Tooltip|Points|Points include one bonus point for leading the most laps and one bonus point for qualifying on pole position}}

1

| 9

| 6

| {{flagicon|USA}} Michael Andretti

| Newman/Haas Racing

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| 2:00:45.451

| 7

| 20

2

| 6

| 11

| {{flagicon|BRA}} Christian Fittipaldi

| Newman/Haas Racing

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| +1.409

| 64

| 17

3

| 7

| 8

| {{flagicon|BRA}} Gil de Ferran

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| +4.282

| 0

| 14

4

| 3

| 32

| {{flagicon|MEX}} Adrián Fernández

| Tasman Motorsports

| {{Firestone}}

| 72

| +7.428

| 0

| 12

5

| 15

| 21

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Mark Blundell

| PacWest Racing

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| +9.207

| 0

| 10

6

| 23

| 10

| {{flagicon|USA}} Eddie Lawson

| Galles Racing

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| +9.630

| 0

| 8

7

| 22

| 16

| {{flagicon|SWE}} Stefan Johansson

| Bettenhausen Motorsports

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| +9.867

| 0

| 6

8

| 18

| 1

| {{flagicon|BRA}} Raul Boesel

| Brahma Sports Team

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| +11.170

| 0

| 5

9

| 25

| 98

| {{flagicon|USA}} P. J. Jones

| All American Racers

| Eagle Mk-V

| {{Goodyear}}

| 72

| +15.840

| 0

| 4

10

| 1

| 20

| {{flagicon|USA}} Scott Pruett

| Patrick Racing

| {{Firestone}}

| 72

| +25.192

| 1

| 4

11

| 5

| 4

| {{flagicon|ITA}} Alex Zanardi

| Chip Ganassi Racing

| {{Firestone}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 2

12

| 20

| 12

| {{flagicon|USA}} Jimmy Vasser

| Chip Ganassi Racing

| {{Firestone}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 1

13

| 16

| 28

| {{flagicon|USA}} Bryan Herta

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Goodyear}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 0

14

| 4

| 49

| {{flagicon|USA}} Parker Johnstone

| Brix Comptech Racing

| {{Firestone}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 0

15

| 21

| 25

| {{flagicon|USA}} Jeff Krosnoff

| Arciero-Wells Racing

| {{Firestone}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 0

16

| 19

| 17

| {{flagicon|BRA}} Maurício Gugelmin

| PacWest Racing

| {{Goodyear}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 0

17

| 11

| 3

| {{flagicon|CAN}} Paul Tracy

| Marlboro Team Penske

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Goodyear}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 0

18

| 24

| 36

| {{flagicon|ARG}} Juan Manuel Fangio II

| All American Racers

| Eagle Mk-V

| {{Goodyear}}

| 71

| +1 Lap

| 0

| 0

19

| 26

| 19

| {{flagicon|JPN}} Hiro Matsushita

| Payton-Coyne Racing

| {{Firestone}}

| 69

| +3 Laps

| 0

| 0

20

| 14

| 99

| {{flagicon|CAN}} Greg Moore

| Forsythe Racing

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Firestone}}

| 67

| +5 Laps

| 0

| 0

21

| 8

| 18

| {{flagicon|USA}} Bobby Rahal

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Goodyear}}

| 60

| Crash

| 0

| 0

22

| 12

| 2

| {{flagicon|USA}} Al Unser Jr.

| Marlboro Team Penske

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Goodyear}}

| 46

| Crash

| 0

| 0

23

| 13

| 34

| {{flagicon|BRA}} Roberto Moreno

| Payton-Coyne Racing

| {{Firestone}}

| 41

| Exhaust

| 0

| 0

24

| 2

| 31

| {{flagicon|BRA}} André Ribeiro

| Tasman Motorsports

| {{Firestone}}

| 37

| Crash

| 0

| 0

25

| 17

| 9

| {{flagicon|BRA}} Emerson Fittipaldi

| Hogan-Penske Racing

| Mercedes-Benz

| {{Goodyear}}

| 36

| Crash

| 0

| 0

26

| 10

| 5

| {{flagicon|USA}} Robby Gordon

| Walker Racing

| {{Goodyear}}

| 3

| Crash

| 0

| 0

colspan=12| Source:[https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/1996_ITT_Automotive_Grand_Prix_of_Detroit/R 1996 ITT Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit][https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/database/races/1996-detroit-grand-prix/ 1996 Detroit Grand Prix]

=Failed to qualify=

{{flagicon|MEX}} Michel Jourdain Jr. (#22) - too slow

=Race statistics=

{{col-begin}}

{{col-break}}

Laps ! Leader
class="wikitable" !colspan=2\|Lap Leaders
1	Scott Pruett
2–65	Christian Fittipaldi
66–72	Michael Andretti

{{col-break}}

Laps ! Reason
class="wikitable" !colspan=2\|Cautions: 6 for 24 laps
4–9	Robby Gordon crash turn 8
24–30	André Ribeiro and Greg Moore crash turn 13
47–52	Al Unser Jr. crash turn 4
62–65	Bobby Rahal crash turn 13
67	Paul Tracy and Scott Pruett crash turn 7
69–70	Scott Pruett crash turn 4

{{col-end}}

Point standings

After 8 of 16 races

Jimmy Vasser 98 points
Al Unser Jr. 75 points
Michael Andretti 71 points
Christian Fittipaldi 58 points
Gil de Ferran 55 points
Scott Pruett 54 points

References

{{reflist}}

{{Coord|42.343254|N|82.974349|W|format=dms|display=title}}

Category:Detroit Indy Grand Prix

Detroit Grand Prix

ITT Automotive Grand Prix

Category:1996 in Detroit

Category:June 1996 sports events in the United States