The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 41

D2 THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WEDNESDAY, MAY 26. 1993 Fastest '500' rookie lets speed do talking French qualifier knocks out Lendl Indianapolis 500 important dates CARBURETION DAY: Thursday. General admission $5. Gates open at 8 a.m. Practice from 11 a.m.to1 p.m.; pit stop competition 1-3 p.m.

RACE DAY: Sunday. General admission $20. Gates open at 5 a.m. Race starts at 11 a.m. i 1 V' I ft XA- it i if 1 1 I UA7 --Q Three-time champ is four-set loser to unknown in first round.

By Stephen Wilson ASSOCIATED PRESS Paris In case there were any doubts, the verdict on Ivan Lendl iS brutally clear: He's no longer a player to be feared. Signs of Lendl's demise were 1 confirmed Tuesday when the three-time champion lost in the first round of the French Open to a French qualifier playing only his tour match. Stephane Huet, ranked No. 297 lh the world, shocked the seventh-; seeded Lendl in four sets 3-6, 7-5, 6-0, 7-6 (7-2) to register the first upset of the tournament. It was Lendl's second straight first-round loss In a Grand Slam event.

I "I'm not very happy," Lendl said. "That's a nice way of saying it." Lendl is the only seed to lose in the first two days of competition. Top-seeded Pete Sampras, No. 5 Goran Ivanisevic and No. 8 Mi-: chael Chang were among the men I advancing Tuesday.

Of the top women, No. 3 Ga-'; briela Sabatlni, No. 5 Mary Joe Fernandez and No. 6 Jennifer Ca-; priati all won easily. The 33-year-old Lendl held the No.

1 ranking for much of the 1980s and has eight Grand Slam titles. He started the year with a first-round loss at the Australian Open. Recently, he suffered what ie described as among his worst 1 josses straight-set defeats to Bruguera in Monte Carlo and 'lo Marcelo Filippini in Rome. Lendl, though, refused to char- -eiterize his loss to the 22-year-old liuet, who's not even listed in the OTP Tour media guide, as a sign that his competitive days are over. "You can't just give up after one day." Lendl said.

"You have good days and you have bad days. When I was 25 or something and I had a bad day like this, nobody ever questioned it. 1 don't think there's any reason to question It now." At least Bruguera and Filippini were established players. Huet played in his first tour event In Marseille as a qualifier in February, losing to Goran Prplc in the first round. "The idea of playing him was magic," he said.

"1 just told myself not to waste the chance. "I've had trouble eating the last three days because 1 was so nervous. I had a hard time believing I had qualified. Now to have beaten Lendl The match was played on Court One before a raucous partisan crowd. Both players looked tired in the fourth set, with Huet suffering from cramps and Lendl limping after hurting his right foot going for a shot at 4-4.

Asked whether the Injury affected the outcome, Lendl said, "It's hard to say. There were a couple of drop shots 1 think 1 could have had otherwise. Whether that would have changed things, 1 don't know." In the tiebreaker, the two were even at 2-2 before Huet won the next five points to close out the match. After Huet scored with a backhand drop shot and backhand cross-court winner for 4-2, Lendl committed three straight errors and ended the match by sailing a backhand long. "I felt if I could pull through the fourth set that 1 could be OK," Lendl said.

"Of the two of us, I think I was the fresher The other matches went according to form. Sampras, playing his first Grand Slam tournament as the Associated Press FRENCH FIGHTER: Stephane Huet reacts to knocking off seventh-seeded Ivan Lendl in four sets. Stephan Gre-goire has been in the United States for less than a month, but he's already learned plenty about a lot of things. Like: Turning left; Running fast; Speaking English; and Pit Pass Curt Cavin Losing money. It's been some kind of May.

The rookie Frenchman celebrated his 24th birthday two days before qualifying for the 1993 Indianapolis 500. Having not seen much of oval race tracks OK, none Gregoire took his time, listened to his team owner and countryman (Emmanuel Lupe) and put a fast number on fellow Indy rookies Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Stephan Johansson and Robby Gordon, a virtual who's who of racing hot shots. Gregoire will start Sunday's "500" from the Inside of Row 6 and Tuesday he was honored by the American Dairy Association as Indy's fastest rookie (220.851 mph). "Hello, nice to meet you. Sorry, I don't speak English," he told some of the dignitaries at the Speedway Motel.

So much for the Interviews. No matter. Gregoire, whom the French racing community honored in 1987 as Its great young hope, has spoken with his speed. He has maintained his mindset, his smile and his car, though he didn't recognize Rick Mears during an April pace car ride around the track. "I did not know I'd be in front like that in front of him (Man-sell)," Gregoire said through Lupe, the interpreter.

"I'm very proud. Fantastic" Gregoire, who took a trip to the West Coast over the weekend with a stopover in casino-filled Las Vegas, said how much he has enjoyed America and how much his participation at Indy has meant to his country's interest in auto racing. "It is very simple, very easy to meet people," Lupe relayed. "No big (heads). Very nice." French television last ran the "500" live in 1983.

Lupe, who brought rookie Philippe Gache here last year as part of the Formula Projects team, said replays of accidents are shown after each race, but there is little more news aside from who won. "They're bringing a big (TV) crew and they'll shoot the race. It is fantastic for us," said Lupe, a partner with Dick Simon this month. "All of the headlines have Indy 500 and Stephan. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is becoming more popular in France." something that's really Important to me.

I wouldn't say anything negative about anyone." Ivanisevic overcame stomach problems to down Franco Davin 7-5. 6-3, 6-4. Chang, the 1989 champion, looked sharp in beating French qualifier Frederic Vitoux 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Also advancing were No. 9 Michael Stich, No.

10 Sergl Bruguera and No. 11 Andrei Med-vedev. Capriati needed 45 minutes to beat Nathalie Herreman, France. 6-0, 6-1. Sabatinl blanked Radka Zrubakova 6-0, 6-0, while Fernandez downed Nancy Feber 6-2, 6-3.

i Price will have to be right ito nab golf courses at auction Simon steaming Simon had trouble swallowing his morning coffee Tuesday when he read that Star columnist Bill Benner relayed sentiment of some around the Speedway that Bobby Rahal "certainly had more of a right to be (in the than, say, Lyn St. James or one of those qualified-but-unqualified children foreigners, mostly of Sugar Daddies who, In effect, bought their way In simply by buying the right equipment." Simon came out verbally swinging at Tuesday's rookie luncheon. "Doesn't belong In the race?" he said of St. James and 24-year-old Gregoire (two of his drivers) whlle'scanning the front page of The Star's sports section. "Bobby Rahal had five attempts, two cars and one of the biggest budgets out here.

"That's bull Notes It looks as though Bobby Rahal will be in the booth with ABC-TV for the race broadcast. A seat is open because Bobby Unser will be positioned in the Turn 2 suites to offer commentary on the altered racing groove By missing the show, Rahal's sponsor, Miller Genuine Draft, will lose its in-car camera (with decal). It is expected the camera will be moved to Danny Sullivan's car since the Phillip Morris company also owns Mol-son, Sully's primary sponsor Rahal's luck has been bad in many ways this month. Earlier, someone bumped into the Borg-Warner trophy and knocked the glasses off Rahal's likeness on the trophy. Kirles Jewelers had to fix the 1986 champ's likeness Eddie Cheever gave Gary Betten-hausen his watch Sunday after Bettenhausen helped him qualify.

Nelson Piquet did the same for Bettenhausen last year The fifth annual Jonathan's Front Row Party will be held tonight at Jonathon's Restaurant. Rick Mears, a virtual regular on Indy's front row, has confirmed to attend along with this year's pack leaders, Arte Luyendyk, Mario Andretti and Raul Boesel. An auction to benefit fqrmer driver Jan Opperman and the wife of midget king Mel Kenyon will be held afterward. "Todd improved his ballhan-dling and made all-around progress," Keady said. "If we played a game today, he could start." Jennings (6-6 forward) av-'e a ge 11 points and 4.9 rebounds.

Dove (6-4 guard) averaged 9.9 points and Roberts (6-3 point guard) was right behind with a 9.6 average. Todd Foster "Justin is learning how to play hard and he was really good offensively," Keady said. "He got a lot of good rebounds. I really liked his progress. Herb was aggressive and did a good job getting after folks." Keady also witnessed improvement from his older players, nota-' bly 6-9 center Kenny Williams, 6-7 forward-center Ian Stanback and 6-4 guard Matt Waddell.

"Kenny Williams made vast improvement," Keady said. "Ian and Matt both played well." Williams averaged 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds. The Junior college transfer averaged only 2.4 points and 1 1 boards for Purdue last season. Stanback averaged 7.8 points and 5.8 rebounds. Waddell was third on the trip with a 13.1 scoring mark.

The 11 players averaged 11 minutes or better. Ten of the players averaged 6. 1 points or better. Center Cornelius McNary, a fifth-year senior, averaged 2.1 points in 11.0 minutes but grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game. Now Keady hopes his players will continue their progress by working hard in the weight room.

"We're looking forward to next season with a lot of anticipation," said Keady, whose team opens the season at the Great Alaska Shootout in November. "Our hopes are Just as high or higher than everybody else's. I told the kids, 'Be determined to bt 1 1 'j lion. They will be auctioned individually as well as in groups. Landmark Land Companies, a subsidiary of failed Oak Tree Savings Bank of New Orleans, was placed into bankruptcy, and the RTC was appointed conservator In 1991.

The RTC took management control in 1992, and a bankruptcy court has approved the auction. The courses up for auction have played host to golf events ranging from the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah to the Skins Game at PGA West and the annual LPGA Dinah Shore at Mission Hills, one of the LPGA major championships. Oak Tree Country Club In Edmond, site of the 1988 PGAXham-pionshlp, is not Included in the auction. I EAST IV i- ZJLrULJLjLJu Keady describes Boilers' trip to Europe smashing top seed, beat clay-court specialist Andrei Cherkasov 6-1. 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Most of the questions at the post-match interview focused on Andre Agassi's weekend wisecrack about Sampras: "Nobody should be ranked No. 1 who looks like he Just swung from a tree." "It's best for me not to get into any verbal words with Andre," Sampras said. "I was a bit surprised. I consider Andre a pretty good friend. When I heard about it, my feelings were't really that hurt.

Maybe he didn't mean It. 1 try to play with class and that's MILLER Continued from Page 1 but not enough to notice. The real scream would come from downtown, Since Interest Is going to shrink faster than May ever will, I think it's time the Speedway generated some. Give the paying customers something to get enthused about instead of hours of stagnant space and public address monotones. Follow the lead of other tracks and bring In some support races.

Fill the second weekend with an 1ROC show, or maybe an Indy Lights, or even a qualifying race for the final three slots in the race. IROC makes the most sense. I think more people would turn out to watch Earnhardt, Petty and Wallace battle Unser, Fittlpaldl and Andretti, instead of looking at Marco Greco run 100 laps at the GROUSE LL RUM: 750ML 1.75LT BACARDI $8.99 $15.99 CASTILLO 6.99 11.99 RONRICO 7.99 12.99 CPT. MORGAN 8.99 15.99 MALIBU 9.99 17.99 MYERS DARK 11.99 27.99 VODKA: 750ML 1.75LT ABSOLUT $12.99 $23.99 ABSOLUT CITRON 13.99 27.99 DARK EYES 80 5.49 10.99 McCORMICKS 5.49 8.99 POPOV 5.99 9.99 SKOL 5.49 8.99 SMIRNOFF 80 7.99 13.99 STOLICHNAYA 1 1 .99 22.99 TANQUERAY 12.99 TEQUILA: 7soml uslt ARANDAS $6.99 $13.99 CUERVO GOLD 9.99 22.99 DOMESTIC BEER: Warm REG-LIGHT DRY DRAFT 24 can BUDWEISER $11.49 BUSCH 8.99 COLT 45 11.49 COORS 11.49 DRUMMOND BROS 6.99 HAMMS 6.99 MEISTER BRAU 6.99 MICHELOB BTLS ONLY 12.99 MILLER 11.49 NATURAL LIGHT 6.99 OLD MILWAUKEE 7.99 PABST 8.99 SCHAEFER ....6.99 STROHS 9.99 (ALL RETURNABLE BOTTLES $11.99) (PLUS DEPOSIT SOUTH IL WEEK SUPER SPECIALS same slow speed all day. Bringing back the old USAC hooligans (qualifying races) could also spark some Interesting situations, and attendance.

Running the Indy Lights Is a natural, since several of these drivers wind up making It to Indianapolis, A few years ago there supposedly existed a proposal to qualify the fastest nine cars on each of the first three days and save the final six slots for the last day. Drivers could qualify as many times as they wanted and each round could probably be sponsored for big bucks. One thing is for sure: Tony George has shown a lot of vision during the past couple years and I know he's not blind. May needs to be either shorter or more exciting. I believe the Speedway president has an Idea of how much action and how many people you can cram into three days.

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With the right-sized you could buy one of Land's properties in a Resolution Trust Corp. auction. The bidding will be heavy as the RTC has reportedly received more than 1,000 inquiries. PGA West, Mission Hills Country Club, La guinta Hotel Golf and Tennis Club and Carmel Valley Ranch Resort in California, Palm Beach Polo and Country Club in Florida and Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina will be made available for auction July 14 in Dallas. The six properties are worth approximately $740 mil NORTH CASH ONLY ON THESE SFAfiRAMS I 750ML JACK $00 99 YO.

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"As our driver would say, we thought it was wonderfully smashing," Keady said. "The kids never complained. They worked hard and they played hard. I think It brought us closer together. We had great camaraderie." The Boilermakers, who returned Sunday night, built a 7-2 record on the trip through England, France and Belgium.

Emphasizing an up-tempo offensive attack, Purdue averaged 120.6 points per game. "The international rules dictate more offense," Keady said. "As a coaching staff, we let them a few things we won't let them do next year. I think it was two factors our kids are better and the defenses weren't as tough as here in the NCAA." Purdue All-American forward Glenn Robinson led the Boilermakers in scoring (28.4) and rebounding (10.2), above his team-high averages of 24.1 points and 9.2 rebound for 18-10 Purdue last season. Fellow forward Cuonzo Martin was second on the team in scoring on the trip, averaging 18 points considerably higher than his season average of 11.9.

Those two were locks as starters before the trip, but other Boilermakers have made significant progress. "All four freshmen made great strides," Keady said. "I was particularly pleased with Todd Foster, but Herb Dove, Justin Jennings and Porter Roberts made ample Improvement, too." Foster, who played sparingly as a redshlrt freshman, was fifth on the trip in scoring, averaging 10.4 points on 49.2 percent shooting. The 6-1 shooting guard canned 15 of 34 3-point attempts. Gold or Silver I I GIN: 750ML 175LT BEEFEATER $11.99 $22.99 BOMBAY (DRY) 12.99 27.99 BOMBAY (sapphire) 1 3.99 29.99 BOODLES 12.99 BOOTHS 7.99 13.99 BURNETTS ...6.99 11.99 CALVERT 6.99 11.99 FLEISCHMANN'S 6.49 1 1 .99 GILBEY'S 6.99 12.99 GORDON'S :6.99 12.99 SEAGRAMS 6.99 12.99 TANQUERAY 11.99 25.99 LIQUEURS: 7soml uslt Di SARONNO $15.99 BAILEYS 15.99 LIQUEUR 24.99 DEKY.

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