| | Associated Press
SURFERS PARADISE, Australia -- Adrian Fernandez of Mexico
picked his way through a course strewn with accidents on Sunday to
win the Honda Indy 300.
|  | | Juan Montoya and Gil de Ferran knocked each other out after one lap. |
Fernandez came from 17th place to win a CART race marked by five caution flags for 19 of the 59 laps that were completed before a two-hour time limit took effect. The race ended six laps short of its planned distance.
Only 13 of 25 starters finished -- seven of those hitting the wall or other cars, including a first-turn collision between Juan Moreno and points leader Gil de Ferran.
The 20 points for the win and another point for leading for the most laps Sunday moved Fernandez into second place in the CART FedEx championship standings, five behind de Ferran going into the final race on Oct. 29 at Fontana, Calif.
"We struggled all week in qualifying, but I knew if we could just stay out on the course, we'd have a chance of winning," Fernandez said. "We didn't have the best car but we managed to stay out there."
Before a crowd of more than 107,000, Swedish rookie Kenny Brack was second, .324 seconds behind Fernandez, followed by Jimmy Vasser and Cristiano da Matta.
Vasser, who won last week's Houston Grand Prix, was distressed at the way some drivers handled the 2.8-mile Surfers Paradise street circuit.
"They drive like they don't want to finish, so they don't," he
said.
De Ferran has 153 points going into the final race while
Fernandez has 148.
Brack moves up to third with 134, tied with Paul Tracy. Tracy
was second behind de Ferran going into the Gold Coast race but
crashed on the 48th lap and finished 17th.
De Ferran appeared to tap Juan Montoya's car on the first curve
shortly after the start. Montoya spun into the wall, and his car
then bounced back and hit de Ferran.
Montoya, who started next to de Ferran in the front row, lost
his front left tire, putting him out the race.
De Ferran had severe damage to his left front and tried to
repair his car in the pits, but he had to quit after completing
only one lap.
"I was braking really hard to give him as much room as I could,
but unfortunately it was a racing incident," de Ferran said. "I
don't know if I misjudged it a little bit, I actually think I
touched the wall first."
Montoya and de Ferran chatted briefly in pit lane and there
appeared to be no animosity between them.
The first-lap collision forced 1999 Gold Coast champion Dario
Franchitti from the race. He was bumped slightly by Vasser, who
later apologized to Franchitti.
Moments after Franchitti returned to his pit garage, he was
joined by girlfriend and actress Ashley Judd. When Franchitti
objected to having his picture taken, he grabbed a photographer by
the shirt.
| |
ALSO SEE
Honda Indy 300 results
Honda Indy 300 marshal dies during qualifying
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Adrian Fernandez's victory moves him to second place in the championship.
avi: 1600 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Juan Montoya crash takes out Gil de Ferran and his chance to grab the CART championship.
avi: 1640 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Paul Tracy gets knocked out of the race after being hit from behind.
avi: 1290 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Adrian Fernandez is excited about the win and his sudden boost to second in the points race.
wav: 172 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
After grabbing second, Kenny Brack had to thank his team for their efforts.
wav: 150 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Third place finisher Jimmy Vasser comments on the bizarre events in Australia.
wav: 289 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
A frustrated Paul Tracy battled through several problems before getting knocked out of the race.
wav: 226 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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