Uneventful Day a Joy in Monte Carlo

Gerhard Berger had the best news Saturday at Monte Carlo as drivers finished practicing and qualifying for today’s Grand Prix of Monaco.

“Nothing happened today,” said Berger, who spoke openly of retiring after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger during the San Marino Grand Prix weekend two weeks ago.

That seemed to overshadow Michael Schumacher’s record-breaking qualifying run. Schumacher, in a Benetton-Ford, won his first pole, driving the 2.06-mile street course in 1 minute 18.56 seconds to set a record that might never be broken because new safety regulations, which take effect after today’s race, are expected to slow the cars.

The regulations were thrust upon the Formula One circuit when Austrian Karl Wendlinger received head injuries in a crash during practice Thursday. He remains in critical condition in Nice, France.

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Defending champion Geoff Bodine topped second-round time trials with a speed of 91.046 m.p.h. as the lineup was completed for today’s NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Sears Point in Sonoma. . . . Ken Schrader won the Budweiser 200 stock car race at Sears Point.

Miscellany

Mike Powell overcame three fouls to win the long jump with a wind-aided leap of 28 feet 4 1/4 inches at the Modesto Invitational track meet. . . . Suzy Powell of Downey High in Modesto threw the discus 184-3 at the meet to break the national high school record of 183-11 set by Leslie Deniz of Gridley, Calif., in 1983.

Manchester United became only the fourth team this century to win the English League and Football Assn. Cup in the same year, routing Chelsea, 4-0.

The Indianapolis Colts signed former Ram receiver Aaron Cox. The 5-foot-10, 187-pound Cox was drafted by the Rams from Arizona State in 1988 and played for them until he was waived in 1992. . . . Leodes Van Buren, the state’s leading high school wide receiver last season at Newbury Park, pleaded innocent to a felony charge of firing a shot into the home of his girlfriend last month.

Race leader Viatcheslav Ekimov of Russia increased his edge by one second in the 10th stage of the Tour DuPont.

Olympic champions Tommy Moe and Diann Roffe-Steinrotter have been honored by U.S. Skiing. . . . Vince Beall, an outfielder at Cal State Sacramento, died of cancer at 21 while on the road with his team in San Diego. . . . Dave Albritton, who won a silver medal in the high jump at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, died in Columbus, Ohio, at 82.