European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday april 18, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 23 motor race Unser or. Ricochets into Victory Lane . Harris a motors Mif 19 writer Long Beach. Calif. A what should have been a triumphant end to weekend of accomplishment became a trial for a Unser or. After he came face to face with he unexpected. Murphy s Law Hil me Square in the face Unser said after surviving a con Iron ursial collision Wilh Mario Andretti and winning he Long Beach grand Fri on sunday. Unser has won the race through the streets of downtown. Long Beach two straight years and has nine career indy car victories All on Road circuits. He Lona Beach started from the pole for the first time in his indy car career and obviously had the fastest car in the95-Lap. 15g.65-mi1c race. He Buill leads of up to 18.78 seconds Early in the race before scheduled pit stops and concern about fuel consumption brought him Back to Andretti. The car was working Unser said. The Only problem i had was fuel mileage. Fuel was critical today we did everything we could to conserve fuel. Reused higher gears and turned the Turbo Charger boost Down As far Down As we coul3. That let Mario Caich me Unser still Ted he Battle of Chevrolet powered Lolas by 3.18 seconds Oil the last Complete Lap around the 1.67-mile, i mum temporary circuit before his second and final scheduled pit Slop on Lap 75. He look on fuel and tour fresh tires while and Ritli who pitted on the nest Lap took Only fuel and got Back onto the track ahead of Jan scr still Wilh fresh tires Unser was catch ing his older adversary a i rec Lim Clong Beach indy car Winner when the incident came in turn three of Lap 84. We were coming Down into turn three and we caught Tom Snova on the entry to inc turn Unser said. Tom slowed Down Nile abruptly. Mario slowed Down quite fast and i hit Unser who Wai booed by the crowd in the area where the Accident occur cd As Betook the traditional Victory Lap on the Back of a pickup truck was embarrassed by the incident. In our profession the Driver should read what s going on and. React Accord inf Cly Unser said. You should expect the unix Pecich. H it a Feik to a ii Iii my i -. Potier Sillett Al Unwor or. 2 trails Mcnod Lus Lesi qual her Michael Nurett 6 into turn one in his Start of sunday s i Jinn Beach up. It was my fault. I hit him. To could have been anybody there a Back Marker and i d have run right into him. Murphy s Law Hil me Square in the face.". Murphy s. Law what can go wrong. Will go wrong was even More upper Cut to the angry Andrulli who was knocked out of a race he thought he could win Andretti who hitchhiked Back to the pits after the race on the his son Michael s car was hot i found livery Djit cull to congratulate him. Of course Andretti said. He just punted me oui of the Way. It s the second time in is months he s done that to me just like to play it that Way it s pretty Andretti loan incident1 last november in the Marlboro Chal Lenge at Miami when Unser Hil him from behind and spun him but of inc later crashed in thai event with winning. Mario said we both drive hard but there is absolutely no excuse for this. He made a mistake. It wis stupid Unser s car lost its left front Wing an suffered damage to the steering but the 27-year-old son of u four Lime Indiana Polis Soo Winner was Able to hang onto his Lead crossing line .12,177 seconds ahead of m Ichael andr Clit s Lola Chevrolet. The Winner Olio earned to 17,600, set a race record of 85.s03 Mph breaking Mario Andretti s i9s7 markof85.,130. Emerson filth Patti of Bra in driving year old Penske pci7-Chevrolel, was third followed a Lap behind by Bobby Rahal in a Lola cosy Orth and Phoenix Winner Rick . In a Punske pc in Chevrolet. There were no serious accidents land no full course caution flags in the race which was viewed by a crowd Testim plod Al about 85,000. Unser took the season Points Lead 38-. 33, Over Mears. The a Cal event in the 15 event cart pig series is the 1 Indiana Polis 500 on May 28. Cars a three Limric Indianapolis Soo Winner is the defending indy Champion. Rainey pods 500cc Lead with win at Laguna Seca Monterey Calif. A Wayne Ramey s first Victory of the year on the motorcycle grand prix circuit sunday was marred by a Victory Lap crash that felled Australia Kevin magic and Bubba snob cart of inc United Stales Rainey of Downey Calif., placed second in the first two rounds of the 14-Racc series by a total of less than a. Second but was never in trouble As he and his Yamaha left the entire Field. Far behind at Laguna Acca. Raceway. Shoben of Carmel Valley. Cali was taken by helicopter to san Jose Hospital in Santa Clara where listed in critical condition Wilh a head injury a nursing supervisor Aid. Nagee suffered an ankle injury. Witnesses said magic s Yamaha was almost slopped As Shiert s Honda approached on inc straight be tween turns 5 and 6. Shobert congrats . International plating Eddie Lawson for his third place finish As they Rode near each other suddenly looked up to find Mage directly in his path. The Colli Sion sent both of them off the track. Raincy increased his Lead so Ries As his closes competitor former world Champion Wayne Gardner of Australia Slid into the dirt at turn 5on Lap ii and was taken away in an ambulance with what appeared to be a leg injury.1 -. " second place went to Kevin sch anti or Houston who Rode his Suzuki to the first the season in Japan. Defending Champion Lawson who. Spent the race battling with Magee squeezed by him on Lap 3bcoming.out of turn 11 to take third place for Honda. Mage claimed. Fourth for Victory puts top Points standings North Wilkesboro . A Dale Earnhardt returned to Vilbry Lane and the top of the Lascar. Winston cup standings sunday by win Ning the. First Union 400, and tic said in was about limit s been frustrating noun have won lately because m c be , who Meads Geoff by line by three Points and Alan Kulwicki bar nine. In the Points standings. Earnhardt won for the first Lime in 16 Lascar Winston cup races pulling away from Kulwicki in the1 final four laps. In was Earnhardt s first Victor Psi Nee Bristol last a Pugusi Kulw Jecki making Alii j for his second career Victory was s. Bumper through much of the final 10 laps. He failed in his Effort to pass on lap394 and his Hopes ended laps Iofi when he the High Side of the second turn on his final attempt. Alan had caught me after i punished my tires a bit racing old Friend Rusty wallace5aiuea Ted Union 400 29fi of Fth race s 400 laps and won $51,225. Alan punished his too spun put and i was Able to pull away.". Kulwicki said Brake problems on his Ford hampered his effort.". problems with the brakes All. Day and i was trying to pump them i herbal the end. With about four laps to go i Here was nothing 1 could save so i gave it Al 1 had and just came up Short. It might have been a if i d had some brakes.". Earnhardt who started third in a Chevrolet finished about.25 car lengths ahead of Kulwicki who ripped. Third place Mark Martin at the finish Dick trickle finished fourth and Terry Lai. Montc who had won three of the last four Winston cup events at North Wilk Esbo to finished fifth rounding out the lop 10 were Ricky Rudd Groft iodine. Darrell Waltrip pole Winner Rusty Wallace and Ernie Irva n
