The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 67

THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR INDYSTAR.COM MONDAY, MAY 26, 2003 fi1 MONTI RACE REPORT SECTION De Ferran wins, followed by 2-time champ Castroneves IT 1.1 v- 13 quite lucky for owner Gil de Ferran gives Roger Penske his 13th Indy 500 title, but spoils teammate Helio Castroneves' bid for an unprecedented threepeat. R2 By Curt Cavin curtcavinndystar.com Gil de Ferran, the methodical son of an automotive engineer, did what came unnaturally Sunday after winning the Indianapolis 500, the defining moment of his career. He acted like rambunctious teammate Helio Castroneves. The 35-year-old Brazilian ended a victory lap in front of 300,000 fans at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a kiss of the famous yard of bricks. Then, with Castroneves in tow, de Ferran scaled the same fence his longtime friend made famous in climbs after winning the past two 500s.

For an exclamation point to a second 1-2 finish for Team Penske in three years, the countrymen ex-, changed high-fives for car owner Roger Penske's record-extending 13th win at the Brickyard. "I try to keep myself as unemotional as I can," said de Ferran, who held off Castroneves by 0.2990 seconds for the third-closest finish in race history. "But when I let go, everything comes flooding in and it's a real mess." De Ferran, the consummate family man, spent an hour trying to describe the emotions bubbling within him. He couldn't. The tears of joy in victory circle, the hug of his wife, Angela, and their two young children, and the celebration with Castroneves had to suffice.

"It's overwhelming, it really is overwhelming," he said. "You always think that if that happens to me it will be a great opportunity for me to say something interesting and intelligent. "But I'm afraid everything (in the brain) shuts off." Studious de Ferran knew what to do in the No. 6 ForceToyota, however. Fast all day, he kept within reach of the other seven leaders and was sizing up Castroneves as they approached traffic on lap 170.

As Castroneves got bogged down in the second turn by the lapped car See Penske, Page R14 0 it 0 4I Not the way to finish Michael Andretti runs at the front but bows out with a throttle linkage problem less than halfway through his final race as a driver. R10-11 Big crash, no problem rw WW V'A Rookie Dan Wheldon walks away from late- 5i fc race accident when his car flips upside down. R2 Another short day on track Sarah Fisher, driving in her fourth 500, suffers blown engine, hits the wall and finishes 31st for third time. R4 Bob Kravitz Understated driver breaks into spotlight The racing cognoscenti have always known about Gil de Ferran. They've known he was a back-to-back CART champion, a second-place finisher to Helio Castroneves here in 2001, and a man universally viewed as one of the most accomplished and classy drivers in the business.

But outside the circle of motor-sports junkies those are people who don't know a Force from a G-string he was another faceless name, another one of those dime-a-dozen Brazilian drivers, like Emerson What's-His-Name and that wacko Spiderman guy. That's how this race and this place change everything. "If there's one guy here that deserves to win the race, it was the guy that won (Sunday)," said Tim Cindric, Team Penske's president. "It's an exclamation point to his career. He's a class act.

He's great for the sport." We're not talking about validating a career or cementing a legacy or any of that other specious highbrow nonsense. We're simply talking about taking one of the sport's most accomplished athletes and introducing him to a wider audience. He's been among the best in his See Kravitz, Page R14 jBaammmaapmrnmammmmmi Thumbs up: Gil de Ferran gets into the spirit of winning the Indianapolis 500. The new champion is less demonstrative than his teammate and two-time race champ, Helio Castroneves, but he recognizes the enormity of his achievement It never gets old: Team owner Roger Penske (right) leads the race-winning effort for the third year in a row and 13th time in his Stave Heaiey Tne btar The Captain's winners Team owner Roger Penske has fielded 13 winners in the Indianapolis 500. They are: Year Driver 2003 Gil de Ferran 2002 Helio Castroneves 2001 Helio Castroneves 1994 AlUnserJr.

1993 Emerson Fittipaldi 1991 Rick Mears 1988 Rick Mears 1987 Al Unser Sr. 1985 Danny Sullivan 1984 Rick Mears 1981 Bobby Unser 1979 Rick Mears 1972 Mark Donohue iit i in ji l- fm Strattman Associated Press rmm.