Fittipaldi Returns to Racing

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Fittipaldi Returns to Racing
©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc.
Optimistic after successful test at Mid Ohio
Following a successful return to the cockpit of his Kmart/Budweiser Swift Ford Cosworth at last week's CART open test session at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Christian Fittipaldi is looking forward to racing at this weekend's Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 at Portland International Raceway, Sunday, June 22 (ESPN 5:00 p.m. ET).
"It looks like Portland will be my comeback," said Fittipaldi who is recovering from a broken lower right leg suffered in accident in April's Sunbelt IndyCarnival Australia. "I really like the event for a couple of reasons. First, because it's the Budweiser race, presented by Texaco. It's nice to have a lot of fans cheering you on at the races. Also, I've done well in my two races at Portland. My first year, I was up to second place and then made a small mistake and spun. Last year, we finished third."
Fittipaldi spent two productive days at the Mid-Ohio test, June 10 & 11. Despite a blown engine on the second day, he completed 107 laps on the 2.25-mile track during the test. His times on both days cracked the top ten of the 19-car testing field.
"The engine let go so we couldn't finish the test," Fittipaldi said. "Everything went better than expected. I couldn't be happier given the circumstances.
"It's great to drive again. I'm very surprised that I haven't been more tired after driving. I have been swimming laps for 45 minutes a day to keep my upper body strong. It's definitely helped because I'm not as tired as I thought I'd be after testing at Mid-Ohio."
Fittipaldi reports he does experience some pain while driving, but the discomfort is not enough to keep him out of the race car.
"The doctors said the only thing that was going to limit me was the amount of pain I could take," Fittipaldi said. "I knew it was going to hurt. If I can stand the pain, I'll drive in the next race. So far, it's bearable. It hurts at first but it doesn't get any worse from that point. I actually feel pretty good relative to not driving for two months. It just feels like I went to Brazil for a long vacation. There isn't any pain where I broke my right leg, but there is some pain in my right ankle. They just took the screws (lower screws near his ankle) out of my home so now my bone is healing and getting stronger."
Source: CART News Service


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		Fittipaldi Returns to Racing ©1997 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Optimistic after successful test at Mid Ohio Following a successful return to the cockpit of his Kmart/Budweiser Swift Ford Cosworth at last week's CART open test session at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Christian Fittipaldi is looking forward to racing at this weekend's Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 at Portland International Raceway, Sunday, June 22 (ESPN 5:00 p.m. ET). "It looks like Portland will be my comeback," said Fittipaldi who is recovering from a broken lower right leg suffered in accident in April's Sunbelt IndyCarnival Australia. "I really like the event for a couple of reasons. First, because it's the Budweiser race, presented by Texaco. It's nice to have a lot of fans cheering you on at the races. Also, I've done well in my two races at Portland. My first year, I was up to second place and then made a small mistake and spun. Last year, we finished third." Fittipaldi spent two productive days at the Mid-Ohio test, June 10 & 11. Despite a blown engine on the second day, he completed 107 laps on the 2.25-mile track during the test. His times on both days cracked the top ten of the 19-car testing field. "The engine let go so we couldn't finish the test," Fittipaldi said. "Everything went better than expected. I couldn't be happier given the circumstances. "It's great to drive again. I'm very surprised that I haven't been more tired after driving. I have been swimming laps for 45 minutes a day to keep my upper body strong. It's definitely helped because I'm not as tired as I thought I'd be after testing at Mid-Ohio." Fittipaldi reports he does experience some pain while driving, but the discomfort is not enough to keep him out of the race car. "The doctors said the only thing that was going to limit me was the amount of pain I could take," Fittipaldi said. "I knew it was going to hurt. If I can stand the pain, I'll drive in the next race. So far, it's bearable. It hurts at first but it doesn't get any worse from that point. I actually feel pretty good relative to not driving for two months. It just feels like I went to Brazil for a long vacation. There isn't any pain where I broke my right leg, but there is some pain in my right ankle. They just took the screws (lower screws near his ankle) out of my home so now my bone is healing and getting stronger." Source: CART News Service