Britian's Smith scores Indy Lights win
Posted: Sunday July 19, 1998 04:48 PM
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Japan's Naoki Hattori finished the 43-lap race just 1.411 seconds behind Smith (Zoran Milich/Allsport) |
TORONTO (AP) -- Pole-sitter Guy Smith of England went
wire-to-wire to clam the PPG/Dayton Indy Lights championship auto
race Sunday.
Smith, a rookie on the Indy Lights circuit this season, posted a
track-record speed of 92.511 miles mph (148.88 kilometers per hour) to claim his second win in three races Sunday. Still, Smith finished the
43-lap race just 1.411 seconds ahead of Japan's Naoki Hattori.
American Chris Simmons was third, 8.019 seconds back.
Smith was challenged for most of the race -- the ninth of 14 Indy Lights races this year -- by Hattori and Simmons, who qualified third and second, respectively.
"I knew I had to be leading on the first lap because it was
going to be a fast race," said Smith. "It was one of those races
where you couldn't afford to make mistakes. I had to work for it."
Smith earned $22,000 for the win, including a $1,000
bonus for emerging victorious from the pole. The rookie also moved
into second spot in the overall standings with 82 points, just 10
behind leader Cristano da Matta of Brazil, who finished a distant
15th.
Da Matta qualified sixth, but damaged the nose of his car in the
opening lap and fell behind after being forced to pit for a
replacement.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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