The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 67

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR.rnM Sports MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 R7 U.S. GRAND PRIX "I would like to see him going to do lots of other things the world could offer him, because he's got a wonderful name and a good brain." Racing legend Jackie Stewart's advice to Michael Schumacher ii OUT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP HUNT Montoya has little to say about race -JV' 7. with more race victories. Shell JuniMxiHiit IAMDl 1 4 1 .1 6th-place finish isn't satisfactory for Williams-BMW driver seeking series title. By Sekou Smith sekou.smithindystar.com Juan Pablo Montoya's most poignant gifts, his bubbling intensity and his maniacal determination to dethrone five-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher, have nothing on his ability to escape a sticky situatioa The cocky Colombian, revered for his driving skills and blunt nature, left Indianapolis Motor Speedway faster than he drove around the rain-soaked course at Sunday's U.S.

Grand Prix. Montoya bolted from his garage shaking his head as an awaiting media throng inquired about the specifics of his disappointing sixth-place finish, which eliminated him from the race for the series championship. He needed to finish fifth or better to stay in the hunt "I'm not talking, thank you very much," Montoya said while leaving a trail of reporters and photographers in his wake, not to mention a female companion who had to sprint to catch up with him. In just his third F-l season, Montoya has "I'm not thank much." Juan Pablo following sixth-place in the USGP Matt Krygar The Star Trapped: Rubens Barrichello steps out of his Ferrari after getting caught in the sand. He and Juan Pablo Montoya made contact on the third lap, leaving Barrichello in last place and forcing a penalty against Montoya, who finished sixth.

2 big names go out early talking, you very Montoya, his finish jmilMiMlUWIIIi.llWHi.i .1 111 I.I i carved a spot among the sport's elite with his dogged pursuit of Schumacher. The former Cham' pionship Auto Racing Teams and Indianapolis 500 champion trailed Schumacher by just three points for the series championship entering Sunday's race. But he got off to a shaky start, falling from his fourth-place starting spot on the grid to seventh on the opening lap, and endured a day filled with one disastrous turn after another. Schumacher, meanwhile, moved up from his seventh-place start to fourth by the back straightaway on the first lap en route to victory. Montoya has 82 points, 10 behind Schumacher and one behind Kimi Raikkonen.

Montoya could win the season-ending Japan Grand Prix in two weeks and Schumacher finish out of the points to tie at Schumacher would win the tiebreaker 4r I'. la'- 1 Jfe 1 My day's done: Jenson Button led the engine on his Honda expired of the points. He has scored just made for a wash in the tight constructors' points standings. But Michael Schumacher's win compared to Montoya's sixth-place finish allowed Ferrari to move back on top, 147-144, with one race remaining. Stewart offers advice Three-time Formula One champion Jackie Stewart retired 30 years ago, at age 34, and suggests Michael Schumacher should consider it now Kelly WHklnwn The Star 1 I 'r pfSK 1 0' 19 r.

1:1 On the third lap, Montoya was back in the thick of chaos. He coir lided with Ferrari's Rubens Barri4 chello while trying to take sixth place with an inside pass in the second turn. It ended Barrichel' lo's day and Montoya eventually received a drive-through penalty from race stewards for the move. "I thought I had given him enough space, but obviously it wasn't," Barrichello said. "I went into the corner, and all of a sudden, I felt a bang." Montoya moved up to second on lap 16.

He made his first pit stop on lap 17, stopped again on lap 22 for the drive-through penalty, then pitted again one lap later to get rain tires. "A very disappointing race, basically decided by the penalty was given for the accident with Rubens and the moment I had to pay it," Montoya said in a statement released by the Williams team. "Due to the changeable weather conditions, in fact, it started to rain hard just when I was given my (drive-through) penalty, which forced me to delay by one lap my pit-stop to change onto wet tires. "It's sad to lose my drivers' champions ship chances this way, especially knowing that I just needed to finish fifth today to keep my hopes Montoya had already made his fourth pit stop halfway through the race, an indication there was more to his troubles than just the; penalty. ij He spun off the track in turn eight on both lap 23 and lap 34i Making matters worse, he was lapped by Schumacher on lap 29, r.

i Mario Theissen, Williams men torsport director, said the weathei) decided the fate for the team Rajf Schumacher's day ended after 21 laps when he backed into a tirfe Darner. "When the rain came, the ordi got mixed up and changed again when the track dried out," Theis-sen said. "Due to this, Ralf spun and damaged the rear suspension Juan Pablo dropped far behind when he served his drive-through; penalty and had a fuel rig prob lem. Call Star reporter Sekou Smith at 1-317-444-6053. r.

4 Henzler his first Supercup title. "I can't describe it," Henzler said after his crew carried him on their shoulders across the yard of bricks following the race. "First time the champion It was a happy day for me. The team worked very hard and very good the whole season to give me the perfect car for the last race." Three-time Indianapolis 500 entrant Alessandro Zampedri was fourth after starting fifth. "I lived here for four years, and it's always special to come back," Zampedri said.

"The people, the fans are so nice. I have a lot of fans and a lot of good memories. It's really a special race." Call Star reporter Jeff Rabjohns at 1-317-444-6183. by same. "I would like to see him going to do lots of other things the world could offer him," Stewart said, "because he's got a wonderful name and a good brain." Schumacher has given no indication he is considering retirement anytime sooa Contact made A gearbox problem knocked out McLaren's David Coulth-ard midway through the race, but not before the Scotsman put a tire mark on the side of Schumacher's winning car.

They made contact in a turn. "I was basically through and he just closed the door. I could have easily lost my nose," Schumacher said. "I don't know what went through him." Notes The U.S. Grand Prix narrowly missed out on crowning the F-l champion and now won't get another chance in the foreseeable future.

The race is moving to June starting next year. The last F-l champ crowned on U.S. soil was Keke Rosberg after the 1982 season finale in Watkins Glen, N.Y. Six drivers led Sunday, the most for any of the four F-l races in Indianapolis. But just 11 of the 20 starters finished, a low for Indy.

Among those to lead was BAR-Honda's Jenson Button, but like teammate Jacques Villeneuve, his engine failed to get him to the finish Brazilian Cristiano da Matta, the 2002 CART champion, placed ninth, two laps down, in his first U.S. Grand Prix. Montoya will be joined by drivers from F-l, CART and the Indy Racing League for a charity go-kart race Nov. 15 on the streets of Cartagena, Colombia. Proceeds go to the Formula Smiles Foundation, headed by Montoya and his wife, Connie, to aid disadvantaged children in his native country.

Call Star reporter Steve Ballard at 1-317-444-6184 or e-mail steve.ballardindystar.com PIT PASS Steve Ballard Two drivers who believed they were fully capable of winning the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday didn't stay in the race long enough to find out. Michael Schumacher's path to the victory podium at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was made much easier with his teammate and his brother out of the way. Front-row starter Rubens Barrichello got off to a poor start and then lasted only two laps before a collision with Juan Pablo Montoya sent the Brazilian's Ferrari into a sand trap and out of the race. Ralf Schumacher, who started his Williams-BMW fifth and jumped to third on the opening lap, lasted 21 laps before sliding into a tire barrier on the rain-slicked track.

The German placed 19th, ahead of only Barrichello. After checking a taped replay of his run-in with Montoya, Barrichello was even more convinced the incident was avoidable and not his fault. Montoya was assessed a drive-through penalty, but that didn't help Barrichello. "I didn't want anything bad to happen for anyone," the defending race champion said. "I can only watch the incident as it went.

I had nowhere else to go. That was my line." Ralf Schumacher said a mis-communication with his crew kept him from making a pit stop to put on rain tires. "It was the wrong decision to' stay out because the rain was so heavy," he said. "It was a understanding and that's why we stayed out. Racing in the rain is great fun, so it's obviously disappointing what happened to us." One Ferrari and one Williams-BMW going out early Victory lane: Driver Wolf Henzler (right) laughs with his crew, including mechanic Hubert Eimer after winning the Porsche Miche-lin Supercup event at the Indianapolis Mo-; tor Speedway.

The German driver also clinched the" series title, depending on the outcome of an appeal. Matt Kryger The Star early in the U.S. Grand Prix, but on the 42nd lap, leaving him out 12 points this year. J7v 1 that the German star has reached the same age. "He has to retire sometime.

There's nothing worse than a falling star," said Stewart, who drove a ceremonial lap commemorating his retirement before Sunday's race. "He's made enough money. You've got to move on in life, develop yourself." Stewart said he never regretted leaving as a champion and hopes to see Schumacher do. the GrojGrlffo The Star See ya later: Juan Pablo Montoya (right) simply wants to forget about his sixth-place U.S. Grand Prix effort.

PORSCHE MICHELIN SUPERCUP Henzler comes away with win, title for now, pack. Kim Wolfkill of Newport Beach, was 16th Travis Pastrana, a motocross star, had minor contact on the first lap, then was black flagged after eight laps with damage to his right fender. Pastrana is hoping to move from motocross to auto racing. "Obviously I have a lot to learn, and if I could finish one of these races it would be a lot better," Pastrana said. "The lap times are there.

I'm just having fun with it "The guys at Panther Racing said they might be willing to put me in an (IRL car). It would be just for a test, just a few laps." Henzler, who averaged 94.456 mph Sunday, won seven of the Supercup races this seasoa Stippler took five. Sunday's win gave By Jeff Rabjohns jeff.rabjohnsindystar.com The Formula One support series ended its season Sunday, but not without protests and complaints. Wolf Henzler of Germany won the Porsche Michelin Supercup race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in doing so captured the title of the 12-race series, at least for now. Henzler led the entire 16-lap race, and finished the year with 176 points, six more than runner-up Frank Stippler, who finished second, .616 seconds behind.

Henzler's title wont become official until resolution of an appeal by Pierre Kaffer, whose finish was excluded from Saturday's Results: Order of finish. D15 race. Race stewards determined he caused a seventh-lap wreck. A more crucial exclusion involved Stippler. He finished fifth Saturday, but was stripped of his 12 points when stewards upheld a rough driving protest.

Had Stippler kept the points, he would be the series champion. "I'm not at all pleased with the finish because I think I am the champion," Stippler said, "I lost all the points (Saturday). And the race before, there were some strange things going on. I don't want to give any other comment." The two Americans invited to participate finished back in the.