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©2000 SpeedCenter Publishing Indianapolis, Indiana, May 4, 2000 Team Player’s driver Patrick Carpentier, who has been out of action for the last three weeks because of a slight fracture in his left wrist, will miss one more FedEx CART Championship race in Japan on May 13. Carpentier’s return to the track was delayed after CART’s Chief Orthopedic Consultant, Dr. Terry Trammell examined the wrist in Indianapolis on Tuesday night. "I really expected that I’d get the go-ahead from the doctor because I didn’t have any trouble when I moved my wrist and there was no pain when I lifted weights during my rehabilitation," said Carpentier, who will have to wait until May 27 the rescheduled date of the postponed Grand Prix of Nazareth to get back behind the wheel. "My wrist did feel a bit different when the doctor removed my cast on Tuesday night, but when he told me he couldn’t clear me to come back right away, it caught me off guard," added Carpentier. "I’m extremely disappointed, but all I can do is abide by his judgment. He simply didn’t want me to take some unnecessary risks that might aggravate the injury and delay my return even longer. "With the cast being taken off, it will make the rehabilitation even faster and I’m going to continue my extensive workouts to restore strength and flexibility to the wrist by the time I’m back with the Player’s team for the race in Nazareth." American driver Memo Gidley, who has replaced Carpentier in the last two races, will do likewise in Japan. Gidley is coming off an impressive eighth-place finish at the Rio 200 last weekend. Neil Micklewright, vice-president of operations for Team Player’s, said he had hoped Carpentier would receive medical clearance to return for the race in Japan, but he endorsed Dr. Trammell’s decision. "I know that Patrick is anxious to get back out there and it’s never easy for a driver to be on the sidelines, but I would much prefer that he be 100 %, than come back too soon with a nagging injury that might hamper him the entire season," stated Micklewright. "We are fortunate in that we have a top-notch replacement in Memo Gidley and we’re confident that the Player’s drivers will be in contention in Japan." The Firestone Firehawk 500, which is run on the Twin Ring oval in Motegi, Japan, is the fourth race of the season in the CART Championship.
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