The end of CART’s longest-ever season, 25 years ago today, marked a watershed moment in the series’ battle with the rival Indy Racing League, formed by a split five years earlier.

Cristiano da Matta won the 21st and final event of the 2001 campaign at the Fontana superspeedway. However the season was marked by rows over technology, the controversial cancellation of a race in Texas on safety grounds and the appalling Lausitzring crash which almost claimed the life of Alex Zanardi.

Significantly, the 2001 finale saw the last appearance of the powerhouse Penske team before it defected to the IRL. Over the coming years rival engine manufacturers followed them and CART fell into bankruptcy. The two series reunited in 2008 and Roger Penske’s organisation purchased the merged IndyCar series in 2019.

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