Williams: Fix Report Is Diversionary Ploy

The Williams-Renault team, accused of helping to fix the final Formula One race of the season, said Sunday the charges were a ploy by Ferrari to divert attention from an upcoming inquiry into the driving tactics of Michael Schumacher.

The two-time series champion’s reputation was soiled Oct. 26 when he seemed to intentionally crash into Jacques Villeneuve’s Williams car in Jerez, Spain, in an unsuccessful attempt to keep the Canadian from winning his first title.

The FIA, governing body for auto racing, has called Schumacher to appear before to answer for his conduct in the European Grand Prix on Tuesday. Reports suggest he could be suspended several races next season and fined as much as $1 million.

On Saturday, the London-based newspaper, The Times, published transcripts of Williams engineer Jock Clear telling Villeneuve over a radio to yield first place on the last few laps to McLaren-Mercedes driver Mika Hakkinen.

The newspaper said the deal was a payback for the McLaren cars staying out of Villeneuve’s way early in the race and apparently working together with Williams to defeat Ferrari. After Hakkinen passed Villeneuve on the final lap for his first Formula One victory, David Coulthard of McLaren-Mercedes also got by.

“We understand that the contents of the tapes have been distributed widely by Ferrari,” said Williams team owner Frank Williams. “I am very disappointed to discover that Ferrari is listening to other teams during the races, but not really surprised.”

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Joe Nemechek, racing at the track where his brother was killed, led 127 of 200 laps to win the Jiffy Lube Miami 300 at Homestead, Fla.

He won a battle of Chevrolets against NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie by leading the final 59 laps. The margin of victory was .397 seconds.

Joe’s brother John Nemechek died of injuries sustained in NASCAR truck series race.

Joe Ruttman won for the fifth time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season when Rick Carelli ran short of fuel with three laps to go at Las Vegas.

Carelli, winless since mid-June of last year, lost a five-second lead with the checkered flag in sight. The mistake was the result of an earlier pit stop in which his crew failed to fill his Chevrolet with enough gasoline.

Tennis

Third seed Lindsay Davenport claimed her sixth singles title of the year with a 6-0, 7-5, victory over Nathalie Tauziat of France in the final of the Ameritech Cup tennis tournament at Chicago.

Tauziat, who downed top seed Jana Novotna and French Open champion Iva Majoli to reach the final, was suffering the effects of too much tennis after playing a late doubles semifinal Saturday night after beating Majoli.

The 21-year-old Davenport, while still awaiting her first Grand Slam victory, is nevertheless enjoying a career year with titles in Oklahoma City, Indian Wells, Amelia Island, Atlanta, Zurich and Chicago.

Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Spain’s Sergi Bruguera claimed the final two spots Sunday in the eight-man ATP Tour World Championship in Hanover, Germany. Kafelnikov advanced with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 victory over Petr Korda in the final of the Kremlin Cup at Moscow.

Bruguera got in when Marcelo Rios lost to Julian Alonso 6-2, 6-1, in the final in Santiago, Chile. Rios needed to win to reach the season-ending championships and, by losing, he forfeited the spot to Bruguera.

Jonas Bjorkman rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the second set Sunday to defeat Jan Siemerink, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-4, before a sellout crowd at the Stockholm Open.

Miscellany

Texas basketball coach Tom Penders underwent heart surgery last week and will miss his team’s season opener Tuesday in New Jersey against Princeton.

Penders was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 1991 and decided to have a defibrillator installed Thursday as insurance against heart attacks. Tests showed signs that Penders was at risk.

The operation was performed at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston by surgeon Denton Cooley, a former Longhorns basketball player.

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Matt Alcone and Jerry Gilbreath won the Superboat class in Alcone Motorsports at the Key West World Championship at Key West, Fla.

Alcone, of Laguna Beach, and Gilbreath, of Priest River, Idaho, placed second in the final of two heats Sunday but, combined with a first-place finish in Wednesday’s first race, claimed their second world title.

UCLA guard Brandon Loyd broke his nose in an intrasquad scrimmage at Pauley Pavilion. He will be fitted with a mask this week.

A memorial service for Wojciechowiez S. Wojtkiewiez, the unofficial field manager for UCLA football better known as “Bow Wow,” will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Westwood. Wojtkiewiez died last Friday at the UCLA Medical Center.

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz used Irish music from the popular stage show “Riverdance” to win the Skate Canada International title for the fourth year in a row Sunday at Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Americans Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow of the United States were second,

Brian Pearson, who starred on Palmer High School’s state championship basketball teams and later played at Iowa State, died of brain cancer in Palmer, Iowa on Sunday. He was 27.

A former walk-on at Iowa, eventually earned a scholarship and won four letters under coach Johnny Orr. He died at his parents’ home near Palmer.

Pearson was stricken two years ago with brain tumors.