Race Resumes, and So Does Wells' Run of Bad Luck

Race Resumes, and So Does Wells’ Run of Bad Luck

By MARTIN HENDERSON

Oct. 31, 2000 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

FONTANA — Cal Wells III could hardly believe it.

“I must have offended God in some way,” said the owner of PPI Motorsports of Rancho Santa Margarita. “I just don’t get it.”

If Monday’s resumption of the Marlboro 500 was Wells’ final race in the CART Championship Series, he might have hoped for a better send-off. Instead, PPI driver Oriol Servia was knocked from the race on Lap 89 with some unfortunate racing luck.

This came one day after Wells’ other driver, Cristiano da Matta, crashed after his suspension was broken by a piece of debris from Paul Tracy’s car, sending da Matta into the wall.

“I think we had a very good opportunity today with Oriol, and I’m just shocked,” Wells said after watching Servia crash into the wall while running in seventh place.

Servia, a rookie, had no chance. Amid a plume of blinding smoke from Tony Kanaan’s blown engine, Michael Andretti lost control when he lost traction on the oil from Kanaan’s engine and touched wheels with Servia, and both shot into the Turn 1 wall. Servia was going about 180 mph when he made contact with the wall.

“I was just thinking, please don’t let anyone be near me,” Servia said.

Neither was hurt by the crash.

Andretti narrowly missed with series champion Gil de Ferran before making contact with the wall. De Ferran went on to finish third.

Only six cars survived the full 500 miles, and Servia finished 20th. Da Matta finished 25th out of 26 starters.

For the season, da Matta finished 10th and Servia 15th.

“I really think we had a car that could finish on the podium,” said Servia, who felt bad for his team and owner. “They deserved a good race, and we had the car to do it.”

Servia qualified 16th and was 12th when the race was red-flagged on Sunday after 33 laps because of rain. He had improved five places when misfortune found him.

“He was running up front and it wasn’t through the default of others,” said Servia’s spotter, Nick Harvey. “He was driving a perfect race. In a 500-mile race, you don’t want to wear out the machinery and you want to stay up front. He was doing that.

“He was perfect. He was cruising, taking no risks, passing people when the opportunity was presented, just biding his time.”

Wells may not have much time left as a CART owner. His return to the series next year is in question. If Telefonica, a Spanish telecommunications company, chooses to continue its sponsorship of Servia, the Spaniard will be Wells’ driver in 2001.

But if Telefonica pulls out, it’s Wells’ back that will be against the wall.

“I’m going to keep digging and see what we can do,” Wells said. “We have such a great opportunity now. I’ve never run this competitively in anything in my life, except off-road, and I own that.

“Particularly, to have it wrap up like this. . . . Oriol could have won this race just as easily as he crashed out.”