Villeneuve Prevails as World Champion

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve won his first world drivers’ championship Sunday in the European Grand Prix in Jerez, Spain, after German Michael Schumacher--who led from the start--ricocheted off the track when he collided with the challenger.

Mika Hakkinen in a McLaren Mercedes picked up his first Formula One victory in the race. Teammate David Coulthard was second.

Schumacher entered the season-ending European Grand Prix with a one-point edge over Villeneuve and needed only to finish ahead of the Canadian to win his third world title.

But after Schumacher’s Ferrari bounced off Villeneuve’s Williams Renault on the 48th lap as Villeneuve was passing on the inside, the 26-year-old French Canadian went on to finish third in the race, giving him the 1997 drivers’ championship.

Villeneuve said the stiff bump by Schumacher was intentional.

“I really wasn’t surprised when [Schumacher] tried to run into me. It was a little expected,” Villeneuve said. “I knew I was taking a big risk but when he turned in on me and we banged wheels and I jumped in the air, I really felt I’d broken the car. Luckily, he went off.”

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German drivers Bernd Schneider and Klaus Ludwig drove a Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR to victory in the 11th and final round of the FIA GT championship series at Monterey, Calif.

The victory at Laguna Seca Raceway gave Schneider the drivers’ championship.

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Rain soaked North Carolina Motor Speedway, forcing a one-day postponement of the ACDelco 400 and the championship duel involving Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett in Rockingham, N.C.

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Final eliminations for the NHRA Matco Tools SuperNationals were postponed because of rain. They will resume today at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.

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Final Formula One Standings

1. Jacques Villeneuve: 81

2. Michael Schumacher: 78

3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen : 42

4. David Coulthard: 36

5. Jean Alesi: 36

6. Gerhard Berger: 27

7. Mika Hakkinen: 27

8. Eddie Irvine : 24

9. Giancarlo Fisichella: 20

10. Olivier Panis: 16