Victory places Brack back in points lead.
Kenny Brack returned to the top of the CART FedEx points table after a two-race hiatus with his fourth oval race victory of the season in Saturday's sombre American Memorial event at the two-mile EuroSpeedway that will be remembered not for the great racing but for Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the US and the sickening accident that almost claimed the life of Alex Zanardi.
Kenny Brack returned to the top of the CART FedEx points table after a two-race hiatus with his fourth oval race victory of the season in Saturday's sombre American Memorial event at the two-mile EuroSpeedway that will be remembered not for the great racing but for Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the US and the sickening accident that almost claimed the life of Alex Zanardi.
Kenny Brack of Team Rahal regained the FedEx Championship Series championship lead while becoming the season's first four-time winner Saturday when he captured The American Memorial before a crowd of 87,689 at EuroSpeedway.
Brack's victory was tempered by a serious injury to two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi of Mo Nunn Racing, who was involved in a two-car accident with Alex Tagliani on the 142nd of 154 laps. According to Dr. Steve Olvey, CART Director of Medical Affairs, Zanardi was airlifted to Klinikum Berlin-Marzahn hospital, where he underwent a three-hour procedure that resulted in the traumatic amputation of both legs above the knee. He was in critical but stable condition in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, where he is expected to remain for the next several days.
Tagliani was awake and alert at Klinikum Berlin-Marzahn, where a CT scan and X-rays revealed no injuries. He was expected to remain under observation at the hospital for the next 24 to 48 hours.
Brack's victory Saturday gave him a series-high total of four, the previous three having come at Japan, Milwaukee and Chicago. He collected 21 points for the triumph and leading the most race laps, giving him 131 for the season and moving him past Gil de Ferran (Honda Reynard) of Team Penske and back into the FedEx Championship Series lead.
Through 16 of 21 completed events, Brack has 131 points, 11 ahead of de Ferran (120), Saturday's pole sitter, who collected five points for his eighth-place finish. Michael Andretti (Motorola Honda Reynard) moved from fourth to third place with 115 points after finishing fourth.
Brack averaged 155.319 miles per hour and finished 0.154 seconds ahead of Team Rahal teammate Max Papis (Miller Genuine Draft Ford Lola) under caution. Papis recorded his second podium result of the season, including a victory at Portland, and the one-two finish was the first in Team Rahal's 10-year FedEx Championship Series history.
Brack led the first 63 laps from the outside pole, and inherited the lead when Zanardi made his final pit stop on Lap 142 after leading 19 laps. Thanks to his victory, his fourth on an oval this season, Brack has now collected a series-high 100 points on oval tracks this season, including an additional podium finish of second at Nazareth.
Third place went to Patrick Carpentier (Player's/Indeck Ford Reynard) of Player's Forsythe Racing, whose podium finish was his fourth in the past six events, including his first career FedEx Championship Series victory at Michigan. The 14 points he earned for Saturday's effort moved Carpentier to seventh in the championship, with 83 points, and gave him 80 championship points in his past eight starts.
Rounding out the top five drivers were Andretti, whose fourth-place performance represented his seventh top-five effort of the season and his fourth in his past seven starts, including a victory at Toronto; and Oriol Servia (Sigma Autosport Ford Lola) of Sigma Autosport, whose second consecutive fifth-place finish matched a season-best established at Vancouver.
Saturday's crowd of 87,689 brought the three-day attendance for The American Memorial, CART's first-ever event conducted in Europe, to 148,853.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
KENNY BRACK, Shell Ford Lola: "We had a pretty good car all day, but we tried to make sure we didn't have to pit one more time, and that strategy paid off. It's very unfortunate with the incident that happened at the end. I just hope Alex [Zanardi] is okay. My condolences to everyone back in the United States, and also to Alessandro and his family."
MAX PAPIS, Miller Genuine Draft Ford Lola: "Racing today was very good. I think the Miller car was one of the fastest out there. I came from 16th to second and that's all there is to say. These last few days have been very difficult, that's for sure, but for people with hearts like me, it's even harder. Motor racing is not the most important thing in my life. I just pray for all of the people in the United States and that my friend Alessandro [Zanardi] is okay. I just hope Alex is okay."
PATRICK CARPENTIER, Player's/Indeck Ford Reynard: "It wasn't all good today. We had a good race, but our hearts are always with the people in the United States. It's unfortunate with the incident at the end with my teammate [Alex Tagliani], but I heard he's going to be okay. Hopefully, Zanardi is okay. I'm happy with a third-place finish."
