The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 32

D8 MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2003 isr J. Sports THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR WWW.INDYSTAR.COM AUTO RACING ifc .1 imiiMriTirrETi Vasser still seeks ride for Iiidy 500 7D iCinXSM inn tm 9 It' 'SHIM-) 14 CART NOTEBOOK Ml TOM ROUSH HAS THE PERFECT CAR FOR YOU! 1-806-BRIVE-RIIi (374-8363) ica Patrick was running sixth midway through the race when she missed a turn and crashed into a tire barrier. CART's top feeder series drew just 16 entrants, down 10 from last year and less than half what it had just a few years ago. Toyota Atlantic officials blamed the dropoff on the economy and the uncertainty surrounding CART's future. Notes CART is considering altering its qualifying format and mandatory pit-window rule before its next race May 5 at Brands Hatch, England Boris Said won the Trans-Am race that followed CART event Sunday.

Call Star reporter Steve Ballard at 1-317-444-6184. By Steve Ballard steve.ballardindystar.com LONG BEACH, Calif. The only way the Championship Auto Racing Teams series is going to be represented in the field at this year's Indianapolis 500 is if one of Jimmy Vasser's former employers is able to provide him with a car. Vasser is talking to Bobby Ra-hai, for whom he drove last season in CART, and Chip Ganassi, his boss for six years, about an Indy ride. Any firm commitment is held up by the teams' limited availability of spare cars and Vasser's limited availability of spare time.

The 1996 CART champion will be driving for Stefan Johansson's first-year CART team in things," Vasser said. "Bobby's thinking about it and I think Chip wants to see how things go the first weekend. That's OK. I'll just come back and see what the situation is." Another Indy hopeful faces even bleaker prospects. Unemployed Memo Gidley made the rounds of the teams at Long Beach and plans to do the same at Indianapolis.

"I'm wearing out more pairs of tennis shoes," he said with a grin. "But I'll be in Indy hanging around. There's always possibilities the second week." Atlantics not too deep A.J. Allmendinger went wire-to-wire to win the 32-lap Toyota Atlantic race Sunday. Dan- Germany on the first weekend of Indy qualifying.

That leaves only bump day May 18 for VSsser to try to put a car in the field. Rahal's primary concern is getting IRL regular Kenny Brack solidly into the race. Likewise, Ganassi doesn't want to take away from the efforts of Scott Dixon and Tomas Scheckter. Vasser, who came from 14th on the grid to finish fourth Sunday in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, said he might not know if he has an Indy opportunity until he gets back from Germany. "It's hard to plan for the second weekend when you don't know what's going to happen with cars and the weather and all the other Call Our Toil-Free 24-Hour jf71CJ' AUTOMATED HOTLINE -t-A Tom Roush UJf-0 COMMUNITIES' BEERfiftc ROSSMANN CART Mm www.beazer.com TJA ROYAL KYLANDS 1 AW ft Championship Golf In The Classic Tradition Royal Hylands Golf Club In Knightstown.

"These are the days when you shake your head and say, 'Why Rahal said. "I really feel for Michel because there was no doubt he was the class of the field." 1 Fernandez's excitement about his best finish after an injury-rid-! died 2002 season and first podium finish at Long Beach was tempered by the anguish felt by his friend and Mexican countryman. "I was hoping to celebrate with Michel," Fernandez said. "I would be the first man to congratulate him. That would make me very proud." By finishing third, Bruno Junqueira replaced Jourdain runner-up in each of the first two races in second place in the Champ Car World Series standings.

With 64 points, Tracy leads Junqueira by 26 and Jourdain by 30. The winner knew he got one Sunday that he probably didn't deserve, but in 13 years in the sport, Tracy has had his share of outcomes go the other way. The 2002 Indianapolis 500 comes to mind. So he'll take it and look ahead to going for four in a row in three weeks at Brands Hatch, England. "When good luck is shining upon you," he said, "if you don't take advantage of it, you're a Call Star reporter Steve Ballard at 1-317-444-6184.

GP of Long Beach (Top finishers) Driver Car 1. Paul Tracy L-F 2. Adrian Fernandez L-F 3. Bruno Junqueira L-F 4. Jimmy Vasser R-F 5.

Mario Dominguez L-F 6. Patrick Carpentier L-F 7. Ryan Hunter-Reay R-F 8. Darren Manning R-F 9. Mario Haberfeld R-F 10.

Alex Tagliani L-F Chassis: L-Lola, R-Reynard (all cars use Ford engines) Series points leaders: Tracy 64, Junqueira 38, Michel Jourdain Jr. 34, Fernandez 28, Vasser 20 Next race: May 5, Brands Hatch, England the outcome would be determined by how far ahead of the field they could get before stopping. Tracy pitted on lap 82 and returned to the track ahead of eventual runner-up Adrian Fernandez. Jourdain stopped a lap later, but when he was ready to go, his car wasn't. The team suspected a faulty clutch, but the reason mattered little to Rahal in the immediate aftermath as he consoled his driver.

1-70 East to Exit 115, Go South 1.2 Miles To Sign On Left 25 Minutes From 1-465 On 1-70 East Mechanical problem costs Jourdain Jr. 1st career win. From D1 you don't win. "Days like this don't happen very often. This is the first time it has happened in 123 races for me." Tracy, who started on the outside of the front row, snookered Jourdain on the start and led the first 26 laps.

But as the race wound down, the Canadian came to accept that he was racing for second place. "Michel had me covered. I was doing everything I could just to keep sight of him, but I don't think there was anything I was going to do to get by him," Tracy said. "When you're trying to get your first win, it's very difficult sometimes. He has been working a long time and it would have been nice to see him get his day today." Tracy said the pace of the race and the difficulty of the 11-turn, 1.968-mile downtown street course made it one of the most physically demanding days of his career.

So while admitting to extreme good fortune, neither he nor his Forsythe Racing team was about to give back the trophy after '0 il 1 Call 765.34S.212i For Tee Times And Information. I II I Green Fee, Cart Tax I iiii $33 Weekday S43 Weekend till WIH Lester Associated Press Disappointment: Team owner Bobby Rahal (top) consoles driver Michel Jourdain Jr. Tracy tied Emerson Fittipaldi for fifth on CART's all-time victory list with his 22nd. "I feel bad for Michel, but his time will come," owner Gerald Forsythe said. "A good team needs a good driver, and that's what we've got now." The race turned into a battle of pit strategies after three successive cautions fell following the mandatory first pit stops on lap 28.

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