Disqualifications, Appeal Throw Formula One Racing Into a Mess

Controversial disqualifications of two Ferrari drivers after Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix have thrown Formula One racing into a turmoil and mean this year’s series champion will be decided off the track.

Eddie Irvine, battling two-time series champion Mika Hakkinen for the title, won the race, but Irvine and teammate Michael Schumacher, who finished second, were disqualified by track officials because a side deflector panel on their cars was found to violate regulations by a fraction of an inch.

The disqualifications gave Hakkinen, a Finnish driver for McLaren, the victory as well as the series title for the second consecutive year.

However, Ferrari filed an appeal, which will result in auto racing’s governing body reviewing the ruling Friday in Paris. A decision is expected Saturday.

In an usual twist, Hakkinen and McLaren boss Ron Dennis are supporting their rival’s appeal. “They won the race fair and square on the track,” Hakkinen told the London Evening Standard.

Dennis said, “This is not the way to win a championship. It is bad for the sport.”

Formula One President Bernie Ecclestone echoed that sentiment, calling the whole thing “nonsense.”

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Sam Schmidt, who sustained severe injuries to his feet in the Indy Racing League’s Mall.com 500 on Sunday, was flown from Dallas to Indianapolis for additional surgery. Schmidt, 34, broke his feet in a collision with Scott Sharp at the Texas Motor Speedway. Part of his right big toe was amputated during a first operation that night. . . . Mike Bliss, a regular in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, will race in the Winston Cup series next season.

Pro Basketball

Boston Celtic forward Danny Fortson, a third-year pro, will sit out eight to 12 weeks because of a stress fracture in his right foot. Fortson was acquired in an off-season trade that sent Ron Mercer to Denver. . . . Philadelphia 76er forward-center Theo Ratliff, the team leader in rebounds and blocked shots last season, is expected to miss at least the first week of the regular season because of a stress fracture in his left ankle. The 76ers signed 29-year-old Stanley Roberts, the often-injured former Clipper, to a one-year contract worth $725,000. Roberts played for Houston last season. . . . Charlotte Hornet reserve guard Ricky Davis, a first-round draft choice in 1998, could be out up to four months because of torn cartilage in his right knee. . . . Mark West, a 16-year NBA veteran center who was a reserve for Atlanta last season, signed with the Phoenix Suns.

Dan Hughes, 12-12 as interim coach of the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting last season, was hired as coach of the Cleveland Rockers. Hughes replaces Linda Hill-McDonald.

Tennis

Chris Woodruff upset No. 4-seeded Alex Corretja of Spain, 7-5, 7-6 (7-0), to advance to the quarterfinals of the $725,000 Lyon Grand Prix in France. Also advancing were Jim Courier, who defeated No. 9 Mark Philippoussis of Australia, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, and Jeff Tarango, who beat Mark Knowles of the Bahamas, 6-4, 6-1.

Nadejda Petrova, a 17-year-old Russian ranked 123rd in the world, upset sixth-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain, 6-1, 6-4, to advance to the second round of the $1.05-million Kremlin Cup at Moscow.

Soccer

Olympique Marseille stunned European Champions League defending champion Manchester United, 1-0, as defender William Gallas scored in the 69th minute. United’s hadn’t lost in 18 Cup games. Elsewhere, Barcelona defeated England’s Arsenal, 4-1, and Italy’s Lazio beat Slovenia’s Maribor, 4-0, to become the first two clubs to make the final 16.

Jaime Moreno of Washington D.C. United, seventh on Major League Soccer’s career goal list, re-signed with the league through the 2002 World Cup. About five to 10 key players remain unsigned for next season, including Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and New England forward Joe-Max Moore.

Miscellany

The Avengers, Los Angeles’ new Arena Football League team, have signed their first player--former USC defensive back Ken Haslip, who also was used sparingly as a wide receiver during his four-year college career. Haslip, from Altadena, played in three exhibition games for the Kansas City Chiefs this year before being released during the final cut.

The Avengers, who begin their inaugural season in April, are expected to name a coach soon.

Dennis Conner won both of his America’s Cup challenger series races, and San Francisco’s America True also had a notable victory after an intense tacking duel with Hawaii’s Abracadabra 2000 off Auckland, New Zealand.

Making up for a rocky start, Tonya Harding skated a near-perfect routine to finish as the runner-up to Surya Bonaly of France at the Pro Skating Championships at Huntington, W.Va..

Dave Kamanski, longtime football official and Cerritos College track and field coach, died of cancer Saturday. He was 75. Funeral services will be Thursday at 1 p.m. at Waverley Church at Fairhaven Memorial Park and Mortuary in Santa Ana.

Julie Foudy, co-captain of the World Cup champion U.S. women’s soccer team, was elected president of the Women’s Sports Foundation Board of Trustees. Foudy’s term begins Jan. 1 and will last for two years. She succeeds Nancy Lieberman-Cline.

Tamir Goodman, an Orthodox Jew who came close to committing to play basketball at Maryland, is expected to enroll at Towson University in Baltimore, Goodman’s former coach and friend said. Goodman believed the Terrapin coaching staff was uncomfortable with his refusal to play on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath.

Elfi Eder, 29, Austria’s 1996 slalom World Cup champion who competed for the Caribbean island of Grenada last winter, has retired from Alpine skiing, citing financial and physical reasons. Eder changed her nationality over a coaching dispute.

Fifteen members of Kansas’ Olathe East High School football team were suspended for one game for taking a dietary supplement, Ripped Fuel, that was blamed for one player’s collapse last week.