European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 20, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday March 20 2007 stars and stripes Page 27 a Little Luck leads Burton to second straight Busch win the associated press Hampton a Jeff Burton didst need any last Lap heroics this time but he did need a Little Luck the longtime Lascar Star made it two Busch series Victo Ries in a Row saturday easily hold ing off Richard Chidress racing teammate and reigning Busch Champion Kevin Harvick to win the Nicomette 300 at Atlanta motor Speedway a week ago in Las vegas Bur ton made a late charge to catch Kyle Busch colliding with the Leader and sending Busch crash ing into the Wall As he zoomed past just before the Check ered Flag Busch Slid backward across the finish line in second Busch again appeared to be on the Way to a Victory saturday building leads of a full straight away before the last of six caution flags came out on Lap 167 of the 195lap race when Todd Kluever hit the Wall after being hit from behind by open wheel Star Sam Hornish or All the leaders pitted and Busch easily led everyone Back onto the track but a Lascar offi Cial spotted a missing lug nut on bus chs left front wheel and called him Back into the pits the Hendrick motor sports Driver fell All the Way to 15th for the restart the race restarted on Lap 174 facing Roundup and Busch charged through the Field he got All the Way to third before running out of laps series Points Leader Carl Edwards finished fourth followed by Casey Mears Clint Bowyer in the third scr car Kasey Kahne Rookie Juan Montoya the former formula one stars Best Stock car finish on an Kenseth and Tony Stewart All cup regulars who will also race on the 15mile Oval in sundays kobalt tools 500 Raikkonen wins australian up in his Ferrari debut Melbourne Australia Kimi Raikkonen won in his first race for Ferrari dominating the season opening australian grand prix on sunday for his 10th for Mula one Victory Raikkonen started from pole position and led almost throughout the race to Edge world Champion Fernando Alonso who was Mak ing his Mclaren debut it is a special moment with a new team everything is new new to win in the first race to win Straightaway Raikkonen said i am really Happy with the team and the Way things Are Rob Ferrari Driver Kimi Raikkonen in action during the australian grand prix in Melbourne on sunday Raikkonen won the season opening race with Mclaren Drivers Fernando Alonso second and Lewis Hamilton third going it  be any better than it is now Mclaren teammate Lewis Hamilton Fly first Black Driver finished third Raikkonen Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa finished sixth after starting the race from the Back of the Grid Raikkonen ensured Ferrari maintained its momentum after leading Winter testing the finn who previously drove for Mclaren joined Ferrari to re place seven time world Champion Michael Schumacher who re tired after finishing second on the Drivers standings last year Raikkonen completed the 58 laps of the 3295mile Albert Park circuit 72 seconds ahead of Alon so with the Rookie Hamilton 185 seconds Back Hamilton became the first Rookie to make the podium in his debut since Canadian Jacques Villeneuve took second at the 1996 australian up the next race is the malaysian up on april 8 Svindal Hosp win skiing world cup crowns the associated press Lenzer Heide Switzerland after a six month season Askel Lund Svindal needed his final seven hundredths of a Sec Ond advantage in the finale to earn the world cup Overall title Svindal finished 15th in the Sla Lom sunday in edging Martin Hansson of Sweden Only the top 15 finishers earn Points so Svindal would have lost the title if he had finished further Back i was so nervous at the finish line said Svindal the first norwegian to win the Overall title in eight years american Ted Ligety was 14th and Bode Miller didst finish his first run Miller placed fourth in the Overall standings Nicole Hosp of Austria won the giant slalom to earn the discipline title and hold off teammate mar lies Schild for the Overall Crown american Julia Mancuso who fell out of Contention for the Over All title saturday finished Lith in the giant slalom and third in the Overall standings Mancuso is the first american woman to finish third Overall since Tamara Mckinney in 1984 i think that it was really Cool to be a contender to the end Mancuso said sports briefs Svindal Defeated defending Overall Champion Benjamin Raich by 13 Points Raich won the slalom in 1 minute 3978 seconds but it want enough to overcome Svindal Mario Matt of Austria was second in the slalom in and Manfred Moe log of Italy was third in Hosp had two flawless runs in the giant slalom on the Silvano Beltrametti course to win in a stunning 142 seconds faster than Kathrin Hoelzl of Ger Many Aba fines Jordan for comments on Durant Charlotte no Michael Jordan Doest speak often to the Media but apparently he spoke a bit too openly last week Jordan part owner of the Char Lotte bobcats praised the versatility of Texas freshman Kevin Durant in a tuesday interview with the Charlotte observer that was sufficient for the Aba to Levy a Fine on the bobcats according to league spokesman Tim Frank league officials Are generally Alessandro Nicole Hosp celebrates after win Ning the world cup finals in Lenzer Heide Switzerland sunday barred from discussing College underclassmen on the logic that might influence their decisions whether to turn pro Early Jordan oversees the bobcats basketball operation Durant a 6foot10 Small for Ward is generally considered one of the top prospects in College basketball in the observer interview Jor Dan was saying How much he values versatility he said the kid who May present that is the kid in Texas May have that because he has All the right signs la june signs with bucs Tampa Fla free agent linebacker Cato june signed a contract with the Tampa Bay buccaneers on saturday terms of the Deal were not Dis closed the fifth year pro spent his first four seasons with India Napolis a sixth round draft pick in 2003 june had five interceptions in 2005 and was picked to play in the pro bowl for the first time he started All 20 games for the super bowl champions last season Canada Downs us in Curling Aomori Japan Canada scored three in the fifth end Sun Day on its Way to an 84 Victory Over the United states at the Wom ens world Curling championship the United states scored a Point in the ninth and then conceded to the canadians who improved to 40 in the round Robin draw Canada which Defeated defend ing Champion Sweden 75 earlier sunday took control in the fifth with a three that opened up a 52 Lead the United states which won this tournament in 2003 under Mccormick dropped to 21 and will face Sweden later sunday Taylor rallies to take 2shot Lead in Palmer invitational the associated press Orlando Fla Vaughn Taylor was losing ground and try ing not to lose his temper when he saw a Leader Board on the sixth tee that showed him seven shots behind saturday in the Arnold Palmer invitational imagine his Surprise when he walked off the 18th with a hard earned Par and a two shot Lead on a wild Day of shifting weather and Chang ing fortunes Taylor shot a 3under 67 to seize control and set him self up for a Chance to win a tournament where All the stars have come out to play the Tough part is that most of them Are still in the mix Ben Curtis the former British open who usually wins whenever he gets near the Lead had a 69 and will play with Taylor in the final group sunday Avyay Singh 67 was another shot Back along with Tom Lehman the former Ryder cup Captain who benched Taylor the first Day of matches and now has to try to Chase him Down fifteen players were within five shots of the Lead a group that includes Tiger Woods As badly As he played Friday Woods figured he had no Busi Ness being in Contention As Well As he hit the Ball saturday he Fig ured there was no Way he  have been around the Lead he had to Settle for 16 pars and a 70 leaving him five shots Back and facing Odds of having never won at amies place when he want in the Lead Taylor was at 8under 202 and will have to overcome two glaring statistics he ranks 166th on the pea tour in final round scoring average and his Only two Victo Ries came at the Reno Tahoe open the same week the top play ers were gathered at Firestone for a world Golf championship champions tour at Santa Clar Ita Calif Hale Iriri shot a 1under 71 to take a on stroke Lead in the champions Tours champions classic the 61yearold Irwin the 1998 and 2002 tournament Champion who won the season opening Mastercard championship for his tour record 45th Victory had a 9under 135 total on the Valencia country club course he shot a 64 in the first round Friday Andy bean 66 and Bobby Wadkins 67 were tied for Sec Ond at 8 under and three time tournament Champion Gil mor Gan 68 was another stroke Back along with Loren Roberts Tim Simpson Jim Thorpe 71 and Morris Hatalsky asian tour at Sanya China Chatchai Zirat of Thailand shot a 1under 71 sunday to win the Tel classic and claim his first Victory in a major tournament the 23yearold led from the Start and finished with a 22under 266 at the Yalong Bay Golf club on Hainan Island