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Mark Blundell's PacWest Racing Reynard 97i
Mercedes. (Image source: Bing.com images)
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Out of nowhere, Dominic Dobson re-energized his
Open Wheel Racing career by helping form the Pacific Northwest's most prolific
IndyCar team...
Team info
Name: PacWest Racing Group
Owners: Bruce McCaw, Tom Armstrong, Dominic Dobson
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Years: 1993-2002
Wins: 5
Whilst PacWest Racing Group's majority owner was
arguably Bruce McCaw, one of the four McCaw Brothers, with Craig, Bruce, John
Jr. and Keith making their fortunes initially upon selling their McCaw Cellular
business to AT&T for over $14 Billion dollars; Aye Karumba!
Nonetheless, the racing team was a
"Group" effort which I know for certain involved Issaquah's Tom Armstrong,
an avid Vintage Racer who owns one of the five revered Corvette Grand Sports!
And the team's initial driver, aka Dominic Dobson.
Yet for reasons unknown, I've mentally
Squirreled away the name of the fourth Musketeer of the ownership group
incorrectly!
Dominic Dobson
Birthplace: Stuttgart, Germany
DOB: September 14,
1957 (Age: 58)
Years at PacWest: 1993-98
Total Indy 500 starts: 7
Best I500 Finish: 12th
Years: 1988-94
Having lost his drive at Bayside Disposal
Racing at the end of 1990 in favour of Jeff Andretti, Dobson floated around
between the Daytona 24hrs race and a few other IMSA outings, albeit primarily
One-offs' at Mother Speedway with Burns Racing, who for 1993 took delivery of
the year-old ex-Galles Racing's Galmer G92 Chevrolet chassis which Dominic
qualified 27th and soldiered home in 23rd.
Following this outing at the Speedway, Dobson
and the Galmer became property of PacWest Racing Group which appropriately made
their debut at their symbolic racing ground, Vancouver, BC's Molson Indy where
Dobson finished 14. As the team would attend two more races that year: Mid-Ohio
where Dominic failed to qualify, and the season finale at Laguna Seca before
ramping up for a proper full season campaign in '94.
Dominic and rookie team-mate Scott Sharp,
this year's defending Rolex 24 and 12 Hours of Sebring winner would contest the
entire season aboard brand new Lola T94/00 Ford XB's, with Dobson scoring his
career best finish at that year's Marlboro 500, a fantastic third place result at
Michigan International Speedway behind winner Scott Goodyear and runner-up Arie
Luyendyk.
Yet the pair would be replaced by bigger
"Name" drivers in order to attract sponsors, showcase the team and
ultimately grow PacWest for the future. As Sharp would go off to the rival IRL,
becoming the series vice-champion in its inaugural season while Dominic would
return a year later for two further seasons as one of PacWest's two Works Dodge
Stratus NATCC chauffeurs...
Drivers
(Years/Name/Country)
1993-94 Dominic Dobson; Germany
1994 Scott Sharp; USA
1995 Juan Fangio II; Argentina (4
Races*)
1995-2001 Mauricio Gugelmin; Brazil
1995 Danny Sullivan; USA
1996-2000 Mark Blundell; UK
1996 Teo Fabi; Italy (3 Races*)
1999 Roberto Moreno; Brazil (8
Races*)
2001-02 Scott Dixon; New Zealand
2002 Oriol Servia; Spain
Notes
Juan Fangio II replaced Danny Sullivan for
end of season after 'Ol Hollywood (Sullivan) suffered a broken pelvis during
the Michigan 500, which effectively ended his IndyCar career.
Teo Fabi Deputized for Mark Blundell after
the Bloody Brit broke his foot & ankle during a high speed crash in the Rio
de Janeiro
race before returning to action for remainder of season beginning with that
year's U.S. 500. Then Roberto Moreno Deputized for Blundell from rounds 5-12 in
'99, who'd suffered another injury.
PacWest's breakout season came in 1997 when
the team's two former F1 Pilotes' came tantalizingly close to scoring the
team's maiden victory at Belle Isle, where both drivers ran dry of petrol; Err
Methanol, with Mark Blundell coming within one corner of victory!
Yet from the ashes of defeat, ironically, and
most Apropos, Blundell swept to victory off the final lap's drag race to Thy
chequered flag at most symbiotically Portland International Raceway, which in
theory could be deemed the team's Home track!
As that was a Wet 'N Wild race if I can
recall I-T correctly, since I was indeed there and Blundell swept to victory on
a drying track over a slower Gil de Ferran and eventual third place finisher
Raul Bam, Brama! Bosel in the closest ever 1-2-3 finish, a scant 0.027 seconds,
eclipsing 'lil Al's narrowest margin 'O victory in the '92 Indy 500!
Blundell would go onto record two further
victories at Toronto and Fontana, finishing a career best sixth place in the
overall points standings, which would be the team's high-water mark. Whilst
B-I-G' MO, aka Mauricio Gugelmin would score his lone IndyCar victory at the
team's other symbolic Home track Up North Eh! At Vancouver, BC's Pacific Place
temporary street course around Downtown's BC Place Stadium and Science World
venues.
With Mauricio's win, the team claimed four
wins for the season - and expected to continue their march upwards, perhaps
even audaciously challenging for the title? Yet it wasn't to be as three
further seasons would pass without victory.
The team began making changes in the new millennium,
most notably losing the services of highly respected team manager 'Ando, aka
John Anderson who left for rival Team kOOL Green. While a future star took over
Blundell's seat, upon the Englishman's retirement. Perhaps Y'all have heard of
him? He's called the "Iceman," or better known as Scott Ronald Dixon!
Dixon would score the team's final victory in
only his fourth race outing as a rookie at thee Andretti's home-track in
Nazareth, PA before the team went into decline with Bruce McCaw pulling the
plug just four races into the '02 campaign.
As I can only wonder what Oriol Servia felt
after thinking he'd secured a fulltime gig for the season? As the team would be
sold to some Catz' named "Smiley Face" and Craig Pollock, forming PK
Racing, which became PKV Racing when "Top Jimmy," aka Jimmy Vasser
joined Kevin Kalkoven first as the
team's driver before becoming a fulltime co-owner in what today's known as KVSH
Racing...