Motor Racing Roundup : Laffite Injured; Mansell Wins in Backup Car

Jacques Laffite of France broke both legs and his pelvis during a nine-car pile-up seconds after the start of Sunday’s Formula One British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, England.

The 42-year-old driver, who was making a record-tying 176th Grand Prix appearance, was trapped in his Ligier Renault for 10 minutes, and the restart of the race was delayed 85 minutes.

During the delay, Britain’s Nigel Mansell switched cars since the transmission on his car broke during the original start as he surged from second place in an effort to catch pole-sitter Nelson Piquet, his teammate.

Mansell ended up winning the race in his spare car.

Mansell led from the 23rd lap of the 75-lap race and was challenged only by Piquet, who had held the early lead and finished second.

“On the first start I actually got the jump on Nelson, but then I lost second gear,” Mansell said. “The rear drive-shaft coupling was blown.

“I was very happy when the race was stopped because I was saying ‘I’m out of the race, I’m out of the race’ to my pit (over the radio.)”

The starters at the front of the field raced past Mansell, but the tailenders tangled as Thierry Boutsen’s Arrow bounced across the track and rebounded back into the traffic. Several cars were badly damaged and Laffite’s Ligier plunged headlong into the guard rail.

After being freed, Laffite was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition.

After the race, the 31-year-old Mansell said: “This was the fastest race I’ve ever driven in my life. It was a very, very fast race.”

He averaged 129.775 m.p.h. for the 196.02-mile race.

Mansell is the first Briton to win the British Grand Prix since John Watson did it in 1981.

The victory lifted Mansell, winner of four of the last five Grand Prix races, to the top of the world championship driver standings with 47 points. Defending champion Alain Prost of France, who finished third behind Piquet Sunday, is second with 43. Ayrton Senna of Brazil, who retired his Lotus, stayed in third place with 36 points. Piquet, with 29 points, is in fourth.

Mike Baldwin, beaten by Randy Mamola in the first heat of the two-heat final, came back to win the second and win the Nissan 200 Formula One motorcycle race at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey.

Under American Motorcyclist Assn. rules, the winner of the second heat takes the overall title.

Baldwin, of Darien, Conn., driving for the Yamaha factory team, swapped the lead with Mamola, of Woodside, Calif., through most of the second half of the final heat. Mamola, riding a Yamaha for the Kenny Roberts team, made a desperate bid to beat Baldwin to the finish line but failed by about a bike length.