Fangio Wins Race, but Brabham Takes Title : Auto racing: Defending champion wins Camel Grand Prix of San Diego, but Brabham, despite injuries, hangs on to capture series championship.

Once again, the winner and still not champion here was Juan Manuel Fangio II.

In the final race of the International Motor Sports Assn. Camel GT circuit, Fangio--for the second consecutive year--won the fifth Camel Grand Prix of Greater San Diego. Driving his Toyota EGL MKIII, Fangio was the leader for much of the final half of the 92-lap race, run before a crowd of 35,000.

But for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time, Geoff Brabham won the series championship, overcoming injuries sustained in an accident seven weeks ago to finish third and earn enough points to edge Nissan teammate Chip Robinson. Robinson entered the race leading by three points but broke his drive shaft and lost six laps while getting repairs.

John Paul Jr. of West Palm Beach, Fla., finished second in a Pontiac Spice and won a $1,000 bonus for being selected the outstanding driver of the race by the media.

Davy Jones of Lake Tahoe, Nev., a close third in the points race at the start, had mechanical problems with his Jaguar and finished a disappointing 13th, running the last part of the race without his tail wing. Jaguar teammate Martin Brundle of Kings Lynn, England, was fourth.

Brabham, of Lantana, Fla., won a $150,000 bonus for winning the series championship. Though he had only one victory all year, Brabham finished with 175 points, to 170 for Robinson and 158 for Jones.

Fangio, a native of Balcarce, Argentina, hardly was hardly feeling like a bridesmaid. His second Del Mar victory was worth at least $130,000; he finished fifth in the points battle.

Fangio said he overcame a broken stick shift that made it painful--and difficult--to switch gears. “I tell you the truth, it was really, really tough (year) and this is like compensation for that,” he said. “I was trying to be safe and consistent, the only problem was the shifting. The top of the shift--wood was coming out and I couldn’t throw it out of the car.” Nissan won the manufacturers title with three victories and 222 points, while Jaguar was second with six victories and 188 points.

Brabham, who suffered broken ribs and compression fractures in his back in late August, said he was comfortable during the 1 hour 55 minute race. He was in a special seat and felt like he was in the running for the victory until the last 20 minutes, when he took a pit stop to get oil cleaned off his windshield, and Robinson suffered the drive shaft problem. Brabham said he drove cautiously after that.

“I came in to get my windshield clean, and after that I just didn’t want to take any chances,” he said. “At that point I realized how tired I was. I felt like the pain really didn’t bother me, it was more strength and stamina. When there’s so much at stake, mentally you tun out the pain. (The adrenaline) stopped when Chip went out. I still thought I could win the race, but Chip broke his shaft and I didn’t know if I wanted to push it because we have the same parts. That last 20 minutes felt like an hour.”

Early on, the race became a battle of attrition. Pole setter Wayne Taylor, in a Chevrolet Intrepid, set a blistering pace before Rocky Moran’s Toyota hit a concrete barrier and exploded. It was the only accident of the race and Moran walked away with only bruises, but damage to the barrier necessitated 11 laps with a caution flag.

Taylor quickly made a move, taking the first pit stop as soon as the yellow flag went up. But his luck wasn’t as good as his instincts. His car--the only one in the race that wasn’t turbo-charged--later had clutch problems, forcing Taylor to stop after 60 laps.

Brabham took the lead before his foot hit both the brake and accelerator, forcing him to lurch, and Robinson sneaked by him. Brabham regained the advantage by making a quicker pit stop, but once Fangio took the lead the drivers began to play it safer.

“The (thing) you learn in this sport is be very patient,” said Fangio, who took an extra pit stop.

Once Robinson had mechanical problems, Brabham said he knew he had the points title won unless he made a mistake. He took an extra pit stop to get his windshield cleared. “I felt like I had a chance to challenge Juan, but I got behind a Jag that was spewing oil or something, and I got behind him in a bad spot and had to follow for five or six laps. When I knew I had the championship won I kind of went downhill fast.

“It’s not the first time Chip and I’ve gone down to the wire for the championship. We have good chemistry on this team--we do our racing on the race track, not off it.”

And Brabham admitted he wasn’t sorry when his teammate had car problems. “It evens out,” Brabham said. “Chip got in position to challenge me because I wasn’t in the last race (because of injuries). If I’d driven and finished that race, I would’ve had a pretty good lead.”

Robinson said, “I thought I drove a good race, and to have the championship go away on a broke axle is tough. What went through my mind when it happened? Well, I was mad and I was swearing. I have a feeling it will sink in a little more tonight and tomorrow.”

Brabham also expects to feel it a lot more today, at least physically. “It’s been a hard seven weeks,” he said. “The last four years is history, you’re only as good as your next race, which is Daytona (next February). But I might think about this one a little. We definitely earned it this year.”