Tasman Motorsports Explained

Tasman Motorsports Group is a former racing team that was owned by Steve Horne, a long-time motorsport figure who spent most of his career in the United States.

Previously the team was an American-based open-wheel racing team that competed in the Indy Lights series and, most notably, the CART series from 1995 to 1998. Tasman was one of the first teams to successfully field a Honda powered entry. Honda had entered CART the prior year with Rahal-Hogan Racing, with very little success.

In the team's first and only Indianapolis 500 in 1995, Tasman driver Scott Goodyear led the race with 10 laps to go, but was subsequently black-flagged for passing the pace car while it was still on the track at the end of a caution period and relegated to 14th place. André Ribeiro captured the team's first win and Honda's first in CART later that season at the New Hampshire International Speedway.

The following season, Ribeiro won a pair of races and teammate Adrian Fernández won once. They finished eleventh and twelfth in points respectively. However, in 1997, the team's Lola chassis were clearly off the pace and Ribeiro switched to Reynards midway through the season.

The team pared back to a single car in 1998 and hired rookie Tony Kanaan — who captured the Indy Lights championship for Tasman the previous season — to drive. Kanaan finished ninth in points with a best finish of third, winning the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year award. However, the team lost its LCI sponsorship and 1998 would be its last season in the US.

Former CART drivers

Racing results

CART FedEx Championship Series results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position) (results in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearChassisEngineTyresDriversNo.12345678910111213141516171819
1995SFRINDY
Reynard 95iHonda HRX V8t
Honda HRH V8t
Scott Goodyear2414121432nd1
André Ribeiro312123261211182518144132721*271*232617th38
1996MIARIOSFRLBHNAZ500MILDETTOR
Lola T96/00Honda HRH V8t André Ribeiro31161827124824720211*819211911th76
Adrián Fernández32111423610DNS11412612061381112th71
1997FON
Lola T97/00
Reynard 97i
Honda HRR V8t André Ribeiro311261426151026251314323102210417*14th45
Adrián Fernández321311112326824271017142623121923318th27
1998ROA
Reynard 98iHonda HRK V8t Tony Kanaan2118659272417841422118418337199th92

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