JUNE 9, 2003

Takagi in trouble

Former F1 driver Tora Takagi has been doing well in the Indy Racing League this year, particularly at the recent Indianapolis 500 but the Japanese driver was in trouble at the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway where he was blamed for a spectacular three-car accident.

Former F1 driver Tora Takagi has been doing well in the Indy Racing League this year, particularly at the recent Indianapolis 500 but the Japanese driver was in trouble at the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway where he was blamed for a spectacular three-car accident while fighting for third place with nine laps to go. Scott Sharp and Takagi's own team mate Felipe Giaffone were side-by-side in Turn Three when Takagi decided that he would try to go inside the pair of them. The car was so low that it went over the white line at the bottom of the track and as a result was deflected back up the banking and into Sharp, who then crashed into Giaffone.

The crash was narrowly avoided by cars immediately behind, including Kenny Brack.

"I don't know what Takagi was thinking," the Swede said. "He tried to go from the banking to the apron and inside of Sharp. That was stupid."

Sharp's team owner Tom Kelley was also very unhappy.

"It was idiotic for Takagi to pass below the white line," he said. "There's just not room to pass there."