CART heads "down under" to the gold coast of Australia for the 12th consecutive season source: ford The CART FedEx Championship Series begins the final portion of its 2002 season this weekend with the Honda Indy 300 in Surfer's Paradise, Australia. With the championship battle having been decided three weeks ago in Miami after Cristiano da Matta claimed the title, a competitive fight still remains for the coveted runner-up position and the $500,000 payout that goes with it. Ford drivers Patrick Carpentier and Michel Jourdain Jr., currently fourth and sixth, respectively in the standings, are among several drivers who can still clinch second place in the championship with strong finishes in the final three events of the 2002 season. FORD-COSWORTH HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA Ford and Cosworth have enjoyed quite a bit of success in Surfer's Paradise track since 1991 with three pole positions and five victories. Nigel Mansell started consecutive races from the pole in 1993 and 1994 before Michael Andretti scored his second career Australian pole position in 1995 [inaugural polesitter in 1991]. Mansell would win the race from pole in '93 with Andretti savoring victory a year later in 1994. Andretti's teammate at the time, Paul Tracy, was victorious following season in 1995, while Scott Pruett won two years later in 1997 to give Ford-Cosworth its fourth victory in five years at Surfer's. Adrian Fernandez was Ford-Cosworth's most recent Australian race champion when qualified 17th but worked his way through the field to claim the victory.
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