The Vancouver Sun from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • 56

f-jr 1 SPORTS The Vancouver Sun, Friday, September 2, 1994 MOTORSPORT Death of illusions part of growing up on track for Moore D18 IAIN MaclNTYRE TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS 9 ajru Gates open a.m.: Incty Lights practice p.m IndyCar practice p.rru Atlantic Series practice p.m.: tndyCar qualifying pm: Indy Lights qualifying p.m.: Atlantic Series qualifying i Ail GLENN BAGLOVancouver Sun GREG MOORE: Young driver from Maple Ridge has earned success through hard work in second Indy Lights season. molson indy Tracv lookine to null into Newman-Haas nits Vancouver Sun He lost his idol this spring, but Greg Moore lost his illusions about racing a while before that The Maple Ridge teenager, whose speed in a car had been exceeded only by his rate of ascent through racing's ranks, hit the wall literally and figuratively for the first time in his life last year and realized stardom wasn't a Sunday drive. Ayrton Senna's death in May only drove home the realities of Moore's sport. Now, with his head out from the clouds, a wiser Moore is driving the way he thought he could when he joined the Indy Lights cir-- cuit two years ago. Moore, 19, won Aug.

21 at Loudon, N.H., and trails Indy Lights leader Steve Robertson by 33 points with three races remaining, including Sunday's Vancouver Molson Indy. "I had different setbacks last year that were really disappointing," Moore said Thursday. "We had such high goals, but we didn't know what to expect. We had so many goals set and didn't reach many of them. "To win a race, to be rookie of the year, to finish in the top-five in the championship a lot of goals we just didn't accomplish.

"I was wondering if I'd bitten off more than I could chew. It was tough to get used to because I'd had success all my life in racing." Finishing ninth in the standings hardly seems a disaster. But Moore, who had fast-tracked through Formula 1600 and Formula 2000 to enter Indy Lights two years removed from go-karts, expected better. So did a lot of others. "I think we were in over our heads as a team," father Ric Moore said.

"In the series he'd run before, a good driver could carry a (mediocre) car. The competition was so tough in Indy Lights, you had to have a great driver and a good car. "We'd never gone a season without winning a race. We looked at IAIN MaclNTYRE films, including the summer hit Speed. "I havent had time to see it yet" Johnstone said Thursday during a stop in IndyCar's paddock at Pacific Place.

"I was Frank, the taxi driver. It took three days to shoot and I guess in the movie it lasts about a second. Vancouver Sun Canadian driver Paul Tracy, known for his aggressiveness on the track, could make one of his boldest moves yet by leaving racing guru Roger Penske's stable to join the Paul Newman-Carl Haas IndyCar team what we thought was required, and what was required was probably a little more commitment from Greg as far as focus. And we committed to doubling test time." The team improved everything but its budget Ric Moore, who leaves race management to crew chief Steve Chal-lis of North Vancouver, bankrolled the team to start the season before Viper auto alarms guaranteed the final five races in the 12-event series. Greg Moore also has deals with Hugo Boss and Player's Ltd.

But the team's $300,000 budget is tiny compared to the $2.5 million of Indy Lights superteam Tasman Motorsports, whose stable includes Brazilian Andre Ribeiro and American Eddie Lawson in addition to England's Robertson. Robertson has 146 points, Ribeiro 111 and Lawson 109. Moore has 113 points and is the only non-Tasman driver to win a race, doing it twice. He won the season-opener April 10 at Phoenix. "It's a motivating factor to be the underdog," Challis said.

"We had one guy walk across the bridge (to the paddock) at 6:30 this morning so we could be first through technical inspection. The Tasman guys were second, third and fourth. We want to be first at everything. It's that kind of commitment from everyone that's made a difference. I II If The problem with doing stunts is you get run into 30 or 40 times, but your face is never recognizable." Johnstone, who came to Indy-Cars as the all-time wins leader in IMSA Camel Lights, has been driving in car commercials for about a decade.

"This is my career," he said of racing. "I do those other things for fun in my spare time." Vancouver sports mogul Arthur Griffiths is branching out next season. Tracy, one of racing's best young drivers, is believed to have agreed to a deal with Newman-Haas Racing, with the only hitch being Penske's option to keep the West Hill, Ont, native another season. But Penske is expected to release Tracy from the final year of his five-year contract, perhaps within a week, allowing the 25-year-old to join Michael Andret-ti next season at Newman-Haas. While gainfully employed VANCOUVER "There are practical realities: we don't have the budget they do.

We try to pinch pennies where we can, and once in a while we learn something. In Toronto, we bought a less expensive brake rotor and melted it We finished 12th. If we'd bought the expensive one, we'd have won the race. It's a tough way to learn." Moore is confident he can catch Robertson, who he says has become cautious, nursing his points lead. "Last year, I had some doubts," Moore said.

"I'm just glad we stuck it out We proved to everyone a little team from Vancouver can race with the best of them. Last year, our goal was to see how we could do in the championship. Right now, our goal is to win this race. It's not a 12-race series; it's this one race." DOBSON TRACY again. The governor of this city's pro basketball and hockey teams attended a paddock press conference to announce a one-race sponsorship arrangement with IndyCar driver Dominic Dobson.

The Vancouver Grizzlies' hoop logo, name and ticket number will be displayed on the car Dobson pilots for PacWest Racing. IndyCar drivers try to avoid crashes, rookie driver Parker Johnstone of Redmond, earns a little dough on the side for running into things. Johnstone, who drives for Comptech Racing, moonlights as a stunt driver for commercials and feature TENNIS HOCKEY Skiver wiped out by Davenport in changing of guard at U.S. Open TILLMAN: Comrie wants separate GM and coach Continued from D1 7 9 1 Associated Press Kariya succumbs to Duck call Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. Paul Kariya, the fourth over-all pick in the 1993 NHL entry draft, ended a 14-month holdout with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on Thursday, signing a three-year, $6.5 million contract.

"I feel ecstatic and I'm really excited about this," Kariya said during a conference call from his home in Vancouver. "I'm relieved the negotiation process is over and that I can finally get to play hockey." Kariya came to terms three days before the second-year expansion team was to open its training camp, enabling general manager Jack Fer-reira to get both of his No. 1 picks under contract in a span of 18 days. Defenceman Oleg Tverdovsky, the second over-all pick this year, inked a three-year pact on Aug. 15.

"We feel we have the two best players in the last two drafts," said Fer-reira, who described the lengthy negotiations with Kariya as an emotional roller coaster. The Ducks had until June 1 to sign him before he became a free agent. "We were prepared to go to June 1 and see what our options were," Ferreira said. "It was frustrating because we were anxious to get a player of his calibre signed. But it never got to the point where we to cry.

I don't think I made a fool of myself." She didn't cry and she didn't make a fool of herself. She whacked the court with her racket a couple of times to vent her anger, and got a little misty-eyed as she looked around before departing the stadium. She took off her glasses, stopped, and hesitated a few seconds. Unlike Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon, she couldnt reach down for a blade of grass. "I may have chipped out a chunk of the court," she said, smiling and wearing a Baltimore Orioles shirt with a bulky ice pack on her shoulder.

She's a minority owner of the team and has been wearing the shirt recently in protest of "the whole scene" that led to the baseball strike. "I caught myself a little bit by surprise," she said. "I was a little emotional. You know, I think it has been an emotional few days, in general." In other women's matches, Patricia Hy of Richmond Hill, Ont, Canada's lone singles survivor, beat Mexico's Angelic Gavaldon 6-3, 6-2, No. 7 Jana Novot-na beat Karina Habsudova 6-2, 6-3; No.

10 Zina Garrison Jackson beat Paola Suarez 6-4, 6-3; No. 11 Amanda Coetzer beat Eugenia Maniokova 6-2, 60; No. 15 Mag-dalena Maleeva beat Ruxandra Dragomir 7-5, 6-3 and No. 4 Mary Pierce, the French Open finalist had a stomach ailment and more trouble than expected but beat Katarina Studenikova 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. In men's matches, unseeded three-time champion Ivan Lendl retired with back pain while losing 64, 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 to Bernd Karbacher; No.

9 Todd Martin beat Andrei Chesnokov 6-3, 6-2, 7-5; No. 13 Thomas Muster beat Maurice Ruah 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; and No. 15 Marc Rosset beat Nicklas Kulti 64, 6-2, 6-7 0-2), 6-2. Richey Reneberg, who knocked out Boris Becker in the first round, kept up his fine play with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jordi Burillo. NEW YORK One came to say hello, the other to wave goodbye, Lindsay Davenport in her stadium court debut at the U.S.

Open, Pam Shriver in her likely farewell, both lingering to soak up the moment. There wasn't much time for sentimentality during their first match against each other, a 6-1, 6-2 second-round wipeout by Davenport that lasted only 53 minutes. But it was long enough to see the tremendous promise of Davenport at 18 and to feel a twinge of sorrow for Shriver, whose many injuries prevented her from topping her own splashy debut here at 16 in 1978 when she reached the final and lost a close match to Chris Evert. Shriver, a six-footer who seemed gigantic when she turned pro and introduced the oversized Prince racket to tennis, looked defenceless against the younger, taller, stronger Davenport after holding serve at love in the first game. "I will be surprised if I get out there again for singles," Shriver said.

"I was feeling very small, very vulnerable." Davenport pummeled groundstrokes into the corners and moved fluidly and efficiently, if not quickly, around the court as she won the next nine games. It got to the point where Shriver curtsied to the crowd when they applauded a routine volley winner midway through the second set. "I hate feeling like there is sympathy clapping and sarcastic cheers," Shriver said. "You have to have your pride. Part of you wants to run outside and finish the match on Court 22.

Then you try really hard to get back in the match whenever you can. I guess I want to try and keep my dignity, not get really mad. I didn't want But Comrie said he would be unlikely to consider Ritchie, who turns 56 on Saturday, for the dual responsibility. "I would rather have a coach and a GM separate. "It's very difficult for a coach to negotiate contracts and then tell a guy he's not good enough to play." Comrie, who occasionally clashed with his general manager last season, said he believes Tillman could make a good university administrator.

"When he first came here, he wasn't really ready for the job. He didn't understand budgets and other things. "In the last year and a half, he's come a long, long way. "He's improved 1,000 per cent. He was going through a sharp learning curve.

I think he's a much better football management person now." Comrie said he expects Tillman, if he does get the Ole Miss job, to continue to be a big help to the Lions in keeping tabs on college prospects. "If we help him achieve his dream, he's going to bend over backwards to help us." PAUL KARIYA: $6.5 million deal threw up our hands and said 'Take it or leave Kariya's contract includes a signing bonus of $4,775,000 and a yearly base salary of $575,000 all in U.S. dollars. It was not finalized until late Wednesday night after he and agent Don Baizley received clarification from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman as to Kariya's free-agent status if he had not signed. Jari Kurri, the NHL's lOth-lead-ing career goal-scorer, re-signed with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

He had 31 goals and 46 assists last season and was third on the team with 77 points. Kurri, a right winger who won five Stanley Cup titles with the Edmonton Oilers, signed a one-year contract with an option year. HOCKEY Hunter sniffs out new deal with the Canucks despite other offers Plavsic made $275,000 US last season so the 15 per cent will boost him to around $315,000, more than respectable for a part-time player. His goal, of course, is to take a regular shift, although that might be a formidable task considering the Canucks' depth on the blueline. "All I can go by is the fact they've offered me a new contract" said the 24-year-old, who spent the summer visiting relatives in Croatia.

"I love it here but my goal is to play regularly." Canuck captain Trevor Linden has signed his option papers as "a formality" while his agent, Don Meehan, and Canuck negotiator George McPhee attempt to cut a long-term deal. "Nothing's happening right now," said Linden, who is entering the final year on his contract Other than core defenceman Jyrki Lumme, McPhee has not been able to sign any high-profile Canucks over the summer. "We've got the fourth line re-signed and now we'll start to move up," quipped McPhee. The Canucks report for medicals Monday morning and then bus up to Kamloops later in the day. The team will pay for the bus ride and the hotel rooms but the players, under commissioner Gary Bettman's edict will have to buy their own meals.

ELLIOTT PAP Vancouver Sun Tim Hunter, the fourth most penalized player in NHL history, will be sticking his nose into the corners for another couple of seasons. The old warhorse has agreed to terms on a new two-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks, rejecting at least one other serious offer. Hunter said he agonized over the decision before finally opting for Vancouver late Wednesday night. "The other interest made it hard to say no but in the long run I felt loyal to the Canucks," Hunter said Thursday before the Jake Milford Invitational golf tournament. "I think there is a great foundation here to make another run at the Stanley Cup and that had a lot to do with it" Hunter, 34 on Sept.

10, also admitted he was reluctant to uproot his family again. He settled in Bellingham, last year with the thought his hockey career would be over by now. "I had moved my family four times in four years," said Hunter, who has two daughters. "Still, I was close to leaving. But the Canucks were willing to step up to the plate and the deal was good enough to make me happy." Hunter played on a termination contract last season and enjoyed a renaissance of sorts, skating on the fourth line and killing penalties.

He became an unrestricted free agent following the season. "Tim brings a lot of leadership to the team," said Canuck head coach Rick Ley. "He has experienced all the ups and downs of the game and he's a valuable guy in the lockerroom." With 2,769 career penalty minutes, Hunter trails only Dave (Tiger) Williams, Chris Nilan and Dale Hunter on the all-time bad boy list. Spare defenceman Adrien Plavsic said Thursday he is on the verge of signing a new two-year deal with the Canucks. Plavsic played out his option last season but his timing couldn't have been worse.

He hurt his knee the first day of training camp and never could crack the lineup as a regular. He was used at forward and on the blueline before sitting out the team's final 35 games, including playoffs. He finished the season as the ninth man on the blueline depth chart. "I had no bargaining power because of the year I had," shrugged Plavsic, who is a restricted Group Two free agent "I thought I might become unrestricted if they didn't offer me a 15 per cent raise. But they did, and I'm pretty sure I'll be signed before we start skating in Kamloops Tuesday." 1 RALPH BOWERVancouver Sun TIM HUNTER: Teeing off to another season with Canucks.