| | Associated Press
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Gil de Ferran was perhaps the unluckiest driver in Sunday's Michigan 500.
The Brazilian ran with the leaders until a piece of debris from the only multicar crash in the race at Michigan Speedway came into the cockpit of his open-wheel car and fractured his left index finger.
The accident took place on lap 98 of the 250-lap event when Christian Fittipaldi squeezed Kenny Brack into the wall, sending debris flying. Pieces also hit the cockpit of eventual winner Juan Montoya, who was not injured.
De Ferran, who drives for Marlboro Team Penske, continued racing
until he was hit by Michel Jourdain Jr. on lap 138, breaking his
car's right front suspension.
"We had a good start to the race and overall the car was
running well," said de Ferran, who started from the fifth position
and finished 18th. "Our goal was to stay with the lead pack which
we were able to do.
"When Brack had his accident, debris flew into the cockpit and
hit my left index finger and broke it," he said. "The car was
handling well so I decided to stick with it and keep running.
However, (Jourdain) went to pass me high going into turn one then
dropped down and hit my right front suspension."
Unwelcome back
Tony Kanaan's attempt to win consecutive
500-mile races here ended 69 laps in.
Kanaan, who missed the last three CART races after he broke his
left forearm and four ribs in a crash June 17 at Detroit, was
forced out when his engine developed water temperature problems.
"I was having a really good time out there," said Kanaan, who
finished last in the 24-car field. "I had a good race car and I
was moving my way up in the order pretty steadily. But once I got
into the top 10, our water temperature got a little high and we
just couldn't seem to fix the problem. We didn't want to risk
anything happening out there on the track so we retired the car."
But the 24-year-old Brazilian still took something positive from the race.
"Ten days ago I couldn't drive at all," he said. "A week ago,
I was driving a go-kart. And today, I'm here defending my
championship in the Michigan 500."
The next Brit
Like countrymen Nigel Mansell and Mark Blundell before him, Johnny Herbert is hoping to move from Formula One to CART.
The 36-year-old Englishman, who will retire from F1 at the
end of this season, was at Michigan Speedway Saturday and Sunday as
a guest of Ford, which owns the Jaguar Racing team for which he
currently races.
"I want another challenge," Herbert said. "I want to win races again. In Formula One you've got to drive the car up to the next level to beat McLaren and Ferrari, and that's hard to do.
"Alex (Zanardi) and Kenny (Brack) and Max (Papis) have all come over and done very well. It doesn't matter where they qualify, you've always got a chance to win here."
Although Herbert, winner of three Formula One races as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991, has a longtime association with Ford, he said that will not
limit his options in CART.
"I would hope I could carry that association on because I've had a good relationship, but I'm not limited to Ford teams," he said.
Kurosawa update
Dale Coyne Racing rookie Takuya Kurosawa,
injured in a crash during qualifying Saturday, was released from
the hospital Sunday.
Dr. Steve Olvey, CART director of medical affairs, said Kurosawa
suffered a minor concussion, sore neck and bruised left foot in the
crash.
He said he will examine Kurosawa later this week to determine
whether the Japanese driver can participate in the Target Grand
Prix next Sunday at Chicago Motor Speedway.
Earlier this season, Kurosawa missed races at Nazareth and
Milwaukee when he sustained a concussion during a crash in the
warmup prior to the race at Nazareth on May 27.
Da Matta retained by PPI
PPI Motorsports announced Sunday it has extended its agreement with driver Cristiano da Matta through the 2001 season.
"Cristiano is undeniably one of the most talented race car
drivers in the CART paddock today," said team owner Cal Wells III.
"He has helped make this our most competitive season yet, and
we're looking forward to delivering a consistent winning program
with him through this season and next."
Da Matta, in his second year as a Champ car driver, is enjoying
his most successful season with five top-five finishes. However,
Sunday he was forced out on lap 142 and wound up 17th when his car
caught on fire while taking on fuel during a pit stop.
"I had some miscommunication with my crew chief," said da
Matta, who pulled away with the fuel hose still attached to the
car. "I thought he was telling me to go. Before I knew it, I knew
we were on fire. This is racing, and unfortunately we had
miscommunication."
One of da Matta's crewmen was slightly injured. He was treated
and released at the infield medical center.
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