Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Vasser plans to be on podium in last 4 CART races

Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 | 9:40 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Jimmy Vasser hasn't had much to celebrate this season, his 10th in the CART FedEx Championship Series, but the 35-year-old Las Vegas resident plans to change that as the series enters its final four races.

After starting the year with four consecutive top-six finishes in the Patrick Racing Toyota/Reynard, Vasser has managed only two top-10 showings in the past 12 races. Despite his results over that stretch, Vasser said he has continued to see hope.

"I've got four races left (with Patrick Racing) and I would love to get a victory and some podiums," Vasser said as he prepared for Sunday's Houston Grand Prix. "We've had the speed and we've been really good this year ... the ball hasn't bounced our way.

"We've been in a position to do well on a few occasions and win races and it just hasn't happened."

Vasser has won at each of the four circuits remaining on the CART schedule, giving him hope that he can leave Patrick Racing with at least one win.

"I think we can certainly win any -- or even all -- of the last races," said Vasser, who is coming off a seventh-place finish in England.

"I have a good relationship with the team and my engineers and I think we certainly are a factor to win any of them, so that's our short-term goal."

Vasser's one-year stint with team owner Pat Patrick will come to an end after the season finale in Fontana, Calif. Patrick has been unable to find a primary sponsor for Vasser's car and made the decision not to renew Vasser's contract out of financial necessity.

"I really didn't have any issues about leaving the Patrick team," Vasser said. "I really feel we have a lot momentum there and the cars have been fairly fast. I really wasn't looking to leave the team but they had an option on me and they weren't really in a financial position to pick it up."

Although no official announcement has been made, it is rumored that Vasser has an agreement with CART team owner Bobby Rahal to replace Kenny Brack in the Shell-sponsored Ford/Lola for the 2002 season. Brack has driven the Shell car to four wins and is the series points leader going into Sunday's race.

According to Dr. Steve Olvey, CART's director of medical affairs, Zanardi has been requiring minor operative procedures on his left leg at the Krankenhaus Berlin-Marzahn hospital in Berlin. Olvey, who spoke with Zanardi, said he sounds upbeat and has been maneuvering his wheelchair around the hospital.

Fifteen of the series' 22 drivers already have made donations and the rest will make donations after the season finale in Japan, according to Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George. The speedway is collecting the items and will arrange for their sale or auction.

Mika Hakkinen, who won Sunday's U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis, donated his uniform, as did Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli, Jean Alesi, Juan Montoya, Olivier Panis, Jacques Villeneuve, Enrique Bernoldi, Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Raikkonen.

The speedway received helmets from Michael Schumacher, Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella and Jenson Button.

It will be the first time since the 1997 Indianapolis 500 that Infiniti has fielded more than three entrants in an IRL race.