©1998 SpeedCenter Internet Publishing, Inc. Photos: Mike Levitt / Sutton USA Greg Moore of Player'sForsythe Racing was placed on probation Tuesday by CARTChief Steward Wally Dallenbach for an opening-lap incident inSunday's Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented byTexaco/Havoline at Portland International Raceway. Dallenbach cited Moore for unjustifiable risk, according toRule 8:13 of the CART Rule Book, for his opening-lap movethat resulted in a multi-car accident in the first turn of thepermanent road course. Moore (Player's/Indeck ReynardMercedes) made initial contact with Christian Fittipaldi (KmartSwift Ford) and wound up sideways in the opening turn thatcaused the multi-car pileup. "The biggest disappointment about this is that we dedicateda big portion of the drivers' meeting [Saturday] to maintainingdiscipline going through Turn 1 at the start," Dallenbach said."With this being a highly competitive series, his action alsotook out three potential winners [himself, Fittipaldi, Paul Tracy]– four if you count the damage he did to Mike [Andretti] – andto have it happen in the first turn was extremely disappointingfor everybody. Greg's record has been good prior to theincident and this is strike one. I am hopeful we will not have todo anything more, but we have to get the drivers' attention.The FedEx Championship Series is not made for figure-eightracing." Moore, second in the FedEx Championship Series title race,is the second driver in less than two weeks to be placed onprobation by Dallenbach. Paul Tracy of Team KOOL Green was placed on probationJune 11 for an incident with Fittipaldi at the June 7 ITTAutomotive Detroit Grand Prix and received additionalpenalties this past weekend in Portland. Tracy (KOOLReynard Honda) was fined $20,000 and excluded fromSaturday's qualifying for Friday's provisional qualifyingincident with Michel Jourdain Jr. (Herdez/Viva Mexico!Reynard Ford). Tracy remains on probation. The length of the probation periods for both drivers is at thediscretion of Dallenbach Source: CART News Service |
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