Alessandro Zanardi is honoured at Laguna Seca with a sign at the Corkscrew (Photo: IndyCar)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe situation changed during the second stint. Zanardi began to struggle with tyre wear, allowing Herta to close in and take the lead on lap 43. Herta would ultimately lead 40 laps in the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A second caution, triggered when Stefan Johansson lost his rear wing and crashed on lap 52, bunched the field again. The first caution had come after Paul Tracy’s early-race accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With Herta controlling the race and Vasser safely ahead of his championship rivals, the finale appeared destined for an uneventful conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vasser was on course to deliver Ganassi its first CART championship, while Herta looked set to finally claim his first series victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zanardi, however, had other ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The move that became “The Pass”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Italian had not given up on victory and knew he needed something extraordinary to get back past Herta on a circuit where overtaking was notoriously difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the final lap, the two drivers negotiated the Andretti Hairpin before running through Turns 3, 4, 5 and 6. Herta remained ahead as they climbed toward Laguna Seca’s signature corner: the Corkscrew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The approach itself makes the corner unique. Drivers climb the hill with the apex largely hidden from view before the track suddenly drops away through a left-right sequence. The section features roughly 33 feet (10 metres) of elevation change, making it one of the most dramatic corners in motorsport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was where Zanardi made his move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Herta braked for the Corkscrew, Zanardi launched his Ganassi Honda down the inside from several car lengths back. Herta was completely surprised by the attack, while Zanardi’s braking point took him beyond the conventional racing line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Italian ran over the kerbs and briefly onto the dirt, bouncing the car through the corner as it appeared to be on the verge of going completely out of control. Somehow, however, Zanardi kept it moving in the right direction and returned to the track ahead of Herta. INDYCAR later described the move as one of the most unbelievable passes in the sport’s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zanardi held Herta off through the final corners and took the chequered flag to complete one of the most memorable victories in CART history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind them, Vasser did exactly what he needed to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scott Pruett passed Vasser for third late in the race, but fourth place was more than enough for the Ganassi driver to secure the championship. Andretti finished ninth, while Unser Jr. was 16th. Vasser therefore became the first CART champion for Chip Ganassi Racing, beginning a run of four consecutive titles for the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ganassi later described the day as a “storybook” occasion: the team’s first championship, its first title for Target and the beginning of an unprecedented four-championship run with four different drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet history remembers the day primarily because of Zanardi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A move that outlived the championship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
“The Pass” became one of the defining images of Zanardi’s career. INDYCAR continues to identify the 1996 Laguna Seca finish as one of the most remembered moments in the sport, while Zanardi himself later acknowledged that the move remained the moment most associated with him in the eyes of fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The manoeuvre was also controversial because Zanardi had effectively created his own line through the Corkscrew, using the inside of the track and dirt to complete the pass. Later accounts have noted that similar corner-cutting would not have been accepted under modern track-limit standards. Contemporary reporting also records that CART officials allowed the move to stand but indicated that manoeuvres of that nature would not be permitted going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That ruling, however, did little to diminish the legend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Herta’s first CART victory would have to wait until 1998, when he finally won at Laguna Seca. Zanardi, meanwhile, went on to win the 1996 Rookie of the Year award and finished third in the championship behind Vasser and Andretti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thirty years later, the championship itself is an important part of CART history. But the image everyone remembers is still the same: Zanardi diving inside Herta at the Corkscrew, bouncing over the kerbs and somehow emerging ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is why, even after three decades, “The Pass” remains bigger than the race it decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhat was “The Pass” by Alessandro Zanardi?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
“The Pass” was Alessandro Zanardi’s last-lap overtake of Bryan Herta at the Corkscrew during the 1996 CART season finale at Laguna Seca. Zanardi dived down the inside, ran across the kerbs and dirt and emerged ahead to win the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did Jimmy Vasser win the 1996 CART championship at Laguna Seca?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yes. Vasser entered the finale leading Michael Andretti by 14 points and only needed to finish fifth or better to secure the title. He finished fourth, while Andretti was ninth and Al Unser Jr. 16th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why is Laguna Seca’s Corkscrew so famous?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Corkscrew is famous for its blind uphill approach followed by a dramatic downhill left-right sequence with roughly 33 feet of elevation change. Zanardi’s 1996 overtake of Herta made the corner even more iconic in Indy car racing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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