Unser Is Ready to Fasten His Seat Belt

The roar of 750-horsepower turbocharged engines a few yards away shattered the quiet inside the Team Penske motor home. For Al Unser Jr., though, it was a tonic. His eyes lit up at the sound, masking for a moment the discomfort of having to keep his right leg elevated over a tabletop.

Unser is recuperating from a severely broken ankle. The sounds were from the cars in the CART FedEx series running last week at Long Beach. One of those cars was his, but inside it was Roger Penske’s Brazilian rookie, Tarso Marques.

“It was very difficult to watch the race in Japan [April 10] on TV and it was harder to be here and not be able to do anything but sit,” Unser said. “Except for one thing. I sat in the car, with my driving uniform on, when it was in the garage. I wanted to find out if I can handle the situation with my foot next week.”

Unser plans a test drive next Monday at Gateway Raceway, near St. Louis, then hopes to race May 2 at Nazareth, Pa.

“I worked the throttle. I can lift my ankle up and down, but I can’t have any sideways motion,” he said. “And they want me to sit with my leg up as much as I can. I’ll have a carbon-fiber wrap around my ankle to keep it from twisting if I hit anything.”

When Unser was in the car, he looked at team advisor Rick Mears, and said, “I’m home,” then added, “A little taste is better than no taste at all.”

Although he will be driving a race car Monday, the 37-year-old, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner cannot resume walking for seven more weeks.

“I broke my ankle in 1985 and was back driving in 10 days and never missed a race, but this one was different,” he said. “That time I broke the inside of my ankle. This time I broke both the inside and outside.”

Dr. Steve Olvey, CART’s director of medical services, said he did not want Unser to put any stress or weight on the ankle for 12 weeks. The accident occurred March 21 at Homestead, Fla., on the first lap of the first race of the season.

Unser and rookie Naoki Hattori crashed into each other and Unser’s car was pinched into the wall between the first and second turns at Homestead-Miami Raceway.

“The weight of his car squeezed me against the wall,” Unser said. “I was like the meat between slices of a sandwich.”

Only once before in his 18-year CART career has Unser missed a race--and that was because he failed to qualify for the 1995 Indy 500, after having won the year before.

“That time it was really tougher on me,” he said. “It was worse because in ’85 I was not hurt or anything, except for my feelings. I couldn’t stand it when the cars were running without me.”

Marques, who had been doing some testing for Penske, was rushed into the No. 2 Penske-Mercedes after Unser was injured. He finished 14th in Japan and 25th at Long Beach, continuing a team trend. Unser has been unable to win in 54 consecutive races and Penske has been stuck on 99 victories as a car owner since early in the 1997 season.

“What makes it extra tough on me is that Roger went to a one-car team this year, so all the work we did was mine--just the way I wanted it,” Unser said. “We tested so much over the winter and we felt the car would be more competitive this year. One of our problems is that the series got so darned competitive.

“Look at the podiums in the first three races. There were three different winners [Greg Moore, Adrian Fernandez and Juan Montoya] and eight different guys on the podium. It’s the toughest series there is.

“The engine war between Ford, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota, and the tire war between Goodyear and Firestone has raised the standards.

“We were a little short on tires last year and a little down on power with Goodyear and the Mercedes Ilmor, but we were looking for a change for the better this year.

“We bought a Reynard and I tested it along with the PC28 Penske and I felt the PC was every bit as good.”

“When I get back in the car, Tarso will do most of the testing, to keep me from working the ankle too hard. The team really likes him. He gives good feedback. He says everything I said about the way the car handles.”

Unser’s other concern is his 12-year-old daughter Cody, who is paralyzed from the waist down after collapsing while playing basketball last February. She was found to have transverse myelitis, a condition that damaged her spinal cord.

“My little girl is a trouper,” he said. “She’s coming along fine, in one respect, but not physically. Her spine is improving, she’s back home in Albuquerque now, taking rehab three days a week, but she’s still paralyzed.

“They say it will take two to three years of rehabilitation. It happened so fast. At 3 p.m. Friday she complained of numbness in her legs and by Saturday morning she was paralyzed.”

Surprisingly, her 16-year-old brother, Alfred, is not following the Unser legacy of racing, which has produced nine Indianapolis 500 winners and 10 Indy car champions.

“He’s into girls right now,” Unser said. “He doesn’t have any interest in racing, which is fine. He did a little karting when he was younger and he felt a lot of pressure from other kids because of his name. If his heart and soul isn’t in it, it’s best he not get involved.”

MOTORCYCLES

Kenny Roberts Jr., son of Grand Prix legend Kenny Roberts, rode a Suzuki to his first world championship Grand Prix victory last Sunday at Sepang, Malaysia. It was the first American win since Kevin Schwantz won at Donington Park, England, in 1994. Kenny Sr. was world champion in 1978-80.

“My goal for this year is to try and win the championship and be the best rider in the world. And today I was,” the 25-year-old Californian said after winning. World champion Mick Doohan of Australia finished fourth.

The AMA Superbike series moves to Sears Point Raceway this weekend after a successful outing at Willow Springs Raceway last week. Larry Pegram, a former Grand National dirt track rider, won his first AMA Superbike national. He rode a Ferracci Ducati and took the lead from fellow Ducati rider Ben Bostrom with four laps remaining. Bostrom, of Granada Hills, is reigning Superbike champion, not former champion Doug Chandler, as reported last week.

Aussie Mat Mladin, who was fourth, continues to lead in series points with 92. Bostrom closed to within three and Pegram is third with 82.

Daytona 200 winner Miguel Duhamel, who suffered a spectacular crash while battling for the lead, is expected to be back on his Honda at Sears Point. He won the last two races there.

Supercross, which got its start in the Coliseum in 1972, will return there July 10 under a new name: Summercross. Jeremy McGrath, who already has clinched his sixth Supercross championship, will be among the riders. . . . With the AMA stadium series ending May 1 in Las Vegas, the outdoor season will open May 9 with the Shoei Nationals at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino.

LAST LAPS

Matt Alcone of Irvine, who had to travel to the East Coast to win three world offshore power boat championships, will make a rare Southland appearance May 2 when he pilots his US 1 in the Pacific Offshore Power Boat Racing Assn.’s Grand Prix off Dana Point. . . . Two racing fans bid $110,000 each for the right to drive a Celica in the 2000 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach pro-celebrity race. Jon Shirley of Seattle and Don Simons of Glendale were the high bidders at the Toyota Grand Prix Charity Ball. . . . Late-night TV host Jay Leno will drive the 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo pace car for this year’s Indianapolis 500 on May 30. . . . All 86,450 reserved grandstand tickets for the California 500 May 2 at the California Speedway have been sold, as have all infield RV and vehicle parking places.

NECROLOGY

Bill Loadvine, builder and owner of Culver City Speedway from 1945 to 1954 and a longtime motor racing enthusiast, died at his home in La Canada after a short illness. He was 85. Loadvine was a pioneer racer in the 1930s at Muroc Dry Lake and later worked with Al Gordon and Ernie Triplett on their Indianapolis 500 cars. Survivors include a son, Bill Jr., daughter Cathy and three grandchildren.

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This Week’s Races

WINSTON CUP, DIEHARD 500

* When: Today, first-round qualifying (ESPN, 4 p.m.). Saturday, second-round qualifying, 1 p.m. Sunday, race (ABC, 1 p.m.).

* Where: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles, 33 degrees banking in turns), Talladega, Ala.

* Race distance: 500.08 miles, 188 laps.

* Last year: Bobby Labonte took the lead with two laps remaining, then held off Jimmy Spencer to win by a few car-lengths for his seventh career victory.

* Last week: John Andretti led for the first time with four laps to go and held on to win the Goody’s 500 in Martinsville, Va.

* Fast facts: Andretti became the sixth different winner in eight races this season. . . . Last week was the first Pontiac victory. . . . Dale Earnhardt leads all drivers with seven victories at Talladega. . . . Earnhardt has only one win in the last 100 events, the 1998 Daytona 500, and has not led a lap since November. . . . Dick Brooks made up the most ground to win at Talladega when he came from 24th position on the grid in 1973.

* Next race: California 500, May 2, Fontana.

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BUSCH GRAND NATIONAL, TOUCHSTONE ENERGY 300

* When: Today, second-round qualifying, 11:30 a.m. Saturday, race (ABC, 3:30 p.m.).

* Where: Talladega Superspeedway (tri-oval, 2.66 miles, 33 degrees banking in turns), Talladega, Ala.

* Race distance: 300.58 miles, 113 laps.

* Last year: Joe Nemechek won, avoiding four multicar crashes and holding off Phil Parsons by .171 seconds.

* Last week: No event scheduled.

* Fast facts: Nemechek has won the last three poles at Talladega and holds the qualifying record of 193.517 mph. . . . Elton Sawyer competed in his 300th series event in Bristol, Tenn., two weeks ago. Only Tommy Houston (417) and Dale Jarrett (323) have more career starts. . . . Sawyer leads the point standings by one over Dale Earnhardt Jr.

* Next race: Kenwood 300, May 1, Fontana.

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NHRA, CASTROL LONE STAR NATIONALS

* When: Today, qualifying, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, qualifying, 12:30 p.m. Sunday, final eliminations, noon.

* Where: Texas Motorplex, Ennis, Texas.

* Last year: Joe Amato won the Top Fuel title, beating Doug Kalitta in the final with a quarter-mile run of 4.695 seconds at 313.58 mph. Ron Capps took the Funny Car title and Mike Edwards won the Pro Stock competition.

* Last week: At the O’Reilly Auto Parts Nationals in Baytown, Texas, Doug Herbert outran Tony Schumacher in the Top Fuel finals and became the first NHRA driver to win the $100,000 sponsor bonus. John Force (Funny Car), Kurt Johnson (Pro Stock) and Mark Osborne (Pro Stock Truck) won their divisions.

* Fast facts: Mike Dunn leads the Top Fuel standings, 345-313, over Doug Herbert. . . . John Force has a big lead in the Funny Car standings over Tony Pedregon. . . . In Pro Stock, Kurt Johnson easily leads his father, Warren.

* Next race: Pennzoil Nationals, Thursday-May 2, Richmond, Va.