Carpentier Sidelined by Crash

Alex Zanardi, CART’s newly crowned champion, may miss Sunday’s Marlboro 500 and Patrick Carpentier, who figures to be the series’ rookie of the year, definitely is out of the race because of accidents Friday at California Speedway.

Zanardi, who clinched the PPG CART title two weeks ago at Laguna Seca, crashed twice--once as a result of Carpentier’s accident--demolishing both of his Reynard-Hondas. Although he was not injured, the Italian driver said he would wait until this morning to decide if he will try to qualify teammate Jimmy Vasser’s backup car.

“I’ve got another [car] with No. 1 on it,” said Vasser, the 1996 champion. “But I thought that Alex would wait until next year to run with the No. 1 on his car.”

Carpentier, who missed the last two CART races because of a bicycle accident, spun as he was racing through the fourth turn, sending his Reynard-Mercedes into the outside wall, rear end first. Zanardi, following some distance behind, was unable to avoid a wheel that broke loose from Carpentier’s car. The impact broke Zanardi’s front suspension, sending his car into the wall.

Carpentier was knocked unconscious by the impact but regained consciousness before he was taken out of the car. He was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where X-rays showed no broken bones.

He remained in the hospital overnight, however, and Dr. Steve Olvey, CART’s director of medical affairs, said Carpentier would not be allowed to drive Sunday.

Even though the Canadian rookie will miss the season finale, he is virtually assured of being named rookie of the year. He has a 17-point lead over Brazilian Gualter Salles. To beat out Carpentier, Salles would need to either win the race, or win the pole, then lead the most laps and finish second.

Carpentier suffered a broken collarbone when he fell from his bicycle while riding near his home in Indianapolis. The injury kept him from driving at Vancouver and Laguna Seca.

Zanardi, who recorded a speed of 237.565 mph on the lap before he hit Carpentier’s wheel, complained of a bruise on his left foot, but he returned to the track later in his backup car.

“Michael [Andretti] and I were already started in [Turn 4] when the yellow came on,” Zanardi said of the first accident. “Michael slowed down and I had to go around him. I went up high but some debris [from Carpentier’s car] came raining down on me. I got hit in the right front suspension and that broke my steering. I had no control of the car and hit the wall.”

Zanardi posted 236.642 mph in the backup car shortly before he crashed a second time.

“I don’t know what happened the second time,” he said. “I drove into the corner, when all of a sudden, the rear end starting coming around. Before that, I was quite happy with the way the day was going.

“I just ran out of cars. I will see how I feel tomorrow before I decide to drive anymore this week.”

It was Zanardi’s fourth brush with the Turn 4 wall at California Speedway. When he was here last June for the International Race of Champions, he demolished two cars during the race.

The two accidents took some of the edge off Mauricio Gugelmin’s lap of 240.150 mph, the fastest in oval track history.

Although it is unofficial because it was made during practice, it was the first time on an oval track that any driver had gone four miles a minute.

“I felt like I was going three times faster than an airplane taking off,” the Brazilian veteran said. “I got a little bit of a tow from [Scott] Pruett on my 240 lap, but I did three other laps on my own over 238.”

The previous fastest speeds recorded were an unofficial 239.260 mph by Arie Luyendyk during practice for the 1996 Indianapolis 500, and an official 237.498, also by Luyendyk at Indy in 1996.

Gugelmin predicted the pole-sitter here will go “a little over 235,” the difference being that each car runs alone on the track, as opposed to running in traffic and picking up a draft during practice.

Rookie Clint Mears won the pole for today’s PPG Firestone Indy Lights race with a lap of 184.950 mph, but he had to survive a claim that he had an illegal spoiler wing before officials reinstated him as the pole sitter.

He will start the 100-mile race today alongside 1996 champion David Empringham, who ran 183.957.

Five cars were disqualified and moved to the rear of the field, but a second inspection of Mears’ car proved the wing legal.

It was Mears’ second pole in his first year with Team Mears, run by his father, Rick, a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, and his uncle, Roger Mears. He won his other pole at Milwaukee, the last previous Indy Lights oval race. At Milwaukee, he led all 90 laps for his first professional victory.