Hill Wins Japanese Race, Clinches Formula One Title

Damon Hill of England won Sunday’s season-ending Japanese Grand Prix to clinch his first Formula One championship.

“I feel as though I am on a rocket that is just about to take off,” said Hill, whose father, Graham, won two Formula One championships. “It’s a tremendous relief to have finally won the championship.”

Jacques Villeneuve, of Canada, the only driver with a chance to overtake Hill for the season title, spun off the track on the 37th lap.

Hill, starting from the second grid, already had overtaken pole-sitter Villeneuve in the first turn.

“Out there up front, I was telling myself, ‘This is all very well, Hill, but now you’ve got to stay calm and see it through to the finish,’ ” he said.

After his pit crew messaged Hill that Williams-Renault teammate Villeneuve was out, he went on to beat two-time defending champion Michael Schumacher of Germany by 1.883 seconds. It was Hill’s eighth victory this season, and the 21st of his career.

Hill completed the 52 laps around the 3.636-mile Suzuka Circuit in one hour, 32 minutes, 33.791 seconds.

Schumacher finished in 1:32:35.674 in his Ferrari and Finland’s Mika Hakkinen, in a McLaren-Mercedes, was third in 1:32:37.003.

Kenny Bernstein became the only NHRA driver ever to claim titles in the Top Fuel and Funny Car divisions despite losing the Top Fuel semifinals at the Chief Auto Parts Nationals in Ennis, Texas.

Jim Yates won the Pro Stock title with his victory at the Texas Motorplex.

Tennis

Martina Hingis, the 16-year-old Swiss teen-ager who has become one of tennis’ rising stars, won her first WTA tournament title, beating Anke Huber, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the Porsche Grand Prix at Filderstadt, Germany.

Boris Becker won his first tournament since June, defeating unseeded Dutchman Jan Siemerink, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2, 6-3, to take the $800,000 CA Trophy at Vienna.

Greg Rusedski of England beat Martin Damm of the Czech Republic, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, in the final of the Beijing Open.

Miscellany

Heavyweight boxer Peter McNeeley was listed in stable condition at a hospital in Natick, Mass., with pneumonia after collapsing outside a sandwich shop.

McNeeley, who gained fame by losing to Mike Tyson last year in 89 seconds, had been battling flu for about a week, manager Vinny Vecchione said.

Vecchione said he expects McNeeley will take a week off before resuming training for his Dec. 8 fight against Eric (Butterbean) Esch.

Johan Museeuw of Belgium edged Switzerland’s Mauro Gianetti to win the men’s road race at the world cycling championships aty Lugano, Switzerland.

Museeuw covered the 157-mile course in 6 hours, 23 minutes 49 seconds. Gianetti was just one second behind.

New Zealand America’s Cup hero Russell Coutts and his Team Magic crew won the Brut Gold Cup of Bermuda on Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda.

Coutts’ team trailed Australian Peter Gilmour, 2-0, in the best-of-five final before winning three straight.