Andretti Restarts His Way Past Fittipaldi

Experience and reflexes gave Michael Andretti the winning edge Sunday in the ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix.

Andretti squeezed past teammate Christian Fittipaldi on a restart with six laps left to win the rain-marred event--the 33rd victory for Andretti, 33.

With the two-hour time limit allotted to the race running out, Andretti feinted outside, then drove hard to the inside. He steered his Ford-powered Lola past Fittipaldi’s on lap 66 of what turned out to be a 72-lap event.

Fittipaldi had a lead of almost three seconds before the caution flag set up the decisive restart.

“There’s not a lot to say,” Fittipaldi said. “Mike has won the most Indy-car races of anybody out here. He put a lot of pressure on me and I braked a little late.”

The 25-year-old Brazilian, still seeking his first Indy-car victory, finished about six car-lengths behind. He was followed by Gil de Ferran, Adrian Fernandez and Mark Blundell.

The race, which had been scheduled to go 77 laps, began with the entire 26-car field on rain tires.

It was the second race in a row in which Andretti has used a late restart to make a pass that carried him to victory. Last week, at Milwaukee, he passed Al Unser Jr., one of several drivers to crash Sunday on the wet track.

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Australian Michael Doohan won the French 500cc motorcycling Grand Prix ahead of Spanish teammate Alex Criville at Le Castellet, France.

Doohan overtook Criville on the 15th lap and went on to win his 30th Grand Prix--one shy of American Eddie Lawson’s record 31.

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Inclement weather forced the postponement of final eliminations in the 32nd annual Pontiac Excitement Nationals at Hebron, Ohio. The eighth stop in the 19-race NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series, has been rescheduled for Saturday. . . . Alessandro Gramigni of Italy rode an Italian-made Ducati to victory in the AMA Superbike final at Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Soccer

Bulgaria and Spain tied, 1-1, Germany downed the Czech Republic, 2-0, and defending champion Denmark tied Portugal, 1-1, in the European Championship at London. The Czech Republic did not have to face striker Juergen Klinsmann, who sat out the game because of a suspension. The Germans lost defender Juergen Kohler for the rest of the tournament. Kohler twisted knee ligaments during a challenger in the 10th minute and will have to fly to Germany for an operation.

Miscellany

The Philadelphia 76ers have scheduled a news conference for today, and Portland assistant Johnny Davis is expected to be named coach. The 76ers are looking to replace John Lucas, who was fired.

Marvin “Lonny” Lee, a UCLA basketball center during the early 1940s and father of UCLA and NBA guard Greg Lee, died of heart failure, a family friend said.

Lee, 74, died Saturday night at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach.

Born and raised in Torrance, Lee played for UCLA in 1942 and 1943. His career, however, was interrupted by service as an infantry officer in World War II. He later served in the Korean War, in which he was wounded. His son Greg was a starting guard on the 1972 and 1973 UCLA teams that won NCAA championships.

Marvin Lee coached basketball and taught history at Reseda High for 31 years until his retirement in 1980.

At Lee’s request, there will be no services.

Despite winning only one of 22 stages, Pavel Tonkov won the Tour of Italy at Milan, capitalizing on powerful climbing in the cycling race’s mountainous passes.

Aaron Pryor, who dominated the junior welterweight ranks from 1980-1984, was one of 13 former boxers and ring personalities inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame at Canastota, N.Y. Also enshrined were Wilfred Benitez, the youngest fighter to ever win a world title, lightweight champion Joe Brown, bantamweight champion Manuel Ortiz, and trainer-manager Emanuel Steward.