Piquet Story: The Return of Indy Rookie

Nigel Mansell won’t be there to attract the attention of the world motor racing press when rookie orientation begins today for the May 30 Indianapolis 500, but another Formula One champion, Nelson Piquet of Brazil, will be among the 10 newcomers going to school.

Piquet’s presence might be even stranger than Mansell’s would have been. Mansell had to delay his orientation to undergo back surgery Wednesday for injuries suffered in a crash April 3 at Phoenix.

Piquet, a world Formula One champion in 1981, 1983 and 1987, attended the rookie orientation program last year and during the first week of practice was one of the fastest drivers at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with a fast lap of 228.571 m.p.h.--far faster than rookies are expected to go in their two-day orientation.

He crashed two days before qualifying started.

Rules of the United States Auto Club, governing body of the Indianapolis 500, decree that any driver who has never qualified for the race is a rookie--no matter how impressive his credentials might be.

The surprise is that the Brazilian driver is back at all.

After last year’s crash, in which he suffered multiple fractures of both lower legs and feet, Piquet said: “Racing is over for me. I had a wonderful career. Now I just want to be able to enjoy life, and walk again.”

After weeks in the Indianapolis Methodist Hospital, a series of operations and months in rehabilitation, he was able to walk again. Then John Menard, the Wisconsin businessman who lured him to Indianapolis a year ago, said he had a car ready for him this year. Surprisingly, he accepted.

Piquet and teammate Gary Bettenhausen have been testing the new Lola-Menards at Indianapolis recently, and Piquet recently said he is looking forward to another crack at the 500. A Menard engine is the new name for last year’s Buick. After Buick formally withdrew its support of an Indy car engine program, Menard took it over.

Mansell, after receiving permission to delay his orientation, said he expects to be on the track in his Lola-Ford Cosworth for the first time next Wednesday or Thursday. Pole qualifying is May 15, but Mansell probably won’t make an attempt until the final weekend, May 22-23.

John Capels, USAC competition director, said the decision on Mansell was based on “recognition of Nigel’s accomplished status in the racing world and his recent demonstration of skill in Indy car competition.”

Mansell, in his first Indy car race after switching from Formula One, won at Surfers Paradise, Australia, and after missing Phoenix, finished third at a week ago at Long Beach, despite driving with great pain.

The other nine members of the rookie cast include four Americans--Robby Gordon of Orange, John Morton of El Segundo, Mark Smith of McMinnville, Ore., and Robbie Buhl of Detroit--and five foreigners: Ross Bentley of Canada, Stephan Johansson of Sweden, Marco Greco of Brazil and Stephan Gregoire and Olivier Grouillard of France.

Gordon, who drives for A.J. Foyt and placed third in Australia; and Buhl, last year’s Indy Lights champion, are the leading candidates to challenge Mansell.

“I’m going for rookie of the year, even if Nigel is, too,” Gordon said before leaving for Indianapolis. “It’s kind of weird, though, Nigel having 108 open-wheel races in Formula One and me having nine in Indy cars and both considered rookies.

“I’m one step ahead of him, though. I have seen Indy. I didn’t want to go there until I was going to race, but the Ford people told me to go last year, so I went. I sat up in the stands and watched Junior (Al Unser Jr.) win by hanging in there. After watching him, I know what it takes to win there. Now I’d just like to do it myself.”

Smith is the 1989 Super Vee champion who drives for Frank Arciero of Anaheim; Bentley is a four-time Formula Atlantic champion and Gregorie is the 1990 French Formula 3 champion.

The most intriguing rookie is Morton, a 51-year-old sports car driver who attended his first driving school at Riverside International Raceway in 1962 and 25 years later won the last International Motor Sports Assn. race held on the Riverside road course. Morton has won 13 IMSA GT races, including two at Riverside.

If he makes the race, Morton will be the oldest rookie ever to qualify. Lyn St. James, 44, became the oldest when she drove in last year’s 500. Morton is entered in a ’91 Lola-Buick owned by McCormack Motorsports of Indianapolis.

Motor Racing Notes

STOCK CARS--Saugus Speedway will conduct Winston Racing Series competition for sportsman cars Saturday night, along with pro, mini and modified stocks. . . . Cajon Speedway in El Cajon will also feature sportsman cars Saturday night. . . . Saturday night shows are also scheduled at Santa Maria, Blythe and Imperial (El Centro) tracks.

MIDGETS--Ventura Raceway will play host to United States Auto Club three-quarter midgets in a 30-lap main event Saturday night, along with a California Dwarf Car Assn. race. The full midgets conduct a USAC western regional program the same night at Kings Speedway in Hanford.

SPRINT CARS--California Racing Assn. cars will run Saturday night at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix and then head east for a race Tuesday night at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kan. Nine races are scheduled in Kansas, Pennsylvania and Indiana before they return west for a May 30 race at Tucson.

MOTORCYCLES--Grand National dirt bike riders of the American Motorcyclist Assn., headed by defending champion Chris Carr, Scott Parker and Ricky Graham, continue their western swing Saturday night at Sacramento with a 25-lap race on the Cal-Expo Fairgrounds’ mile oval. After Sacramento, they head for Pomona and a May 8 date at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds’ half-mile track.

OFF ROAD--The Mickey Thompson Stadium Series will be at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday and the Rose Bowl on Saturday night, May 8. . . . The Spangler 200, a La Rana Desert Racing event, will be run Saturday near Ridgecrest. The start is at Tagle Wash, off Trona Road.

DRAG BOATS--Ron Braaksma of San Bernardino ran a record 222.22 m.p.h. in his top fuel hydro boat Madness to win the International Hot Boat Assn.’s West Coast Nationals last Sunday at Lake Ming before 19,878. Tim Capaldi of Canoga Park set blown alcohol hydro records of 5.76 seconds elapsed time and 204.54 m.p.h., although he lost his class to Cliff Bingham of Huntington Beach.

MISCELLANY--Los Angeles Trade Tech, which has produced several motor racing mechanics and crewmen, will host an alumni open house Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Featured will be demonstrations by students and displays of their work.