Ralf hits wall of memories

GERMAN Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher got an eerie reminder of his horrific crash in last year’s US Grand Prix when he hit the wall at almost the same spot in practice yesterday for the 2005 edition of the race.

Schumacher, who now races for Toyota, appeared unharmed as he exited his damaged car and was driven back to the pits after the incident, which brought the second free practice session for tomorrow’s race to a temporary halt.

Last year, Schumacher cracked two vertebrae when he crashed out here in a Williams-BMW and missed the following five Grands Prix.

He returned to competition in China at the end of September, and said earlier this week that he wouldn’t be approaching the race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway any differently from any other.

“The accident didn’t change my conception of racing. I’m going to race at Indy with the same professionalism that I show at the start of all Grands Prix,” he said.

“Moreover I’ve had other accidents in my career which have not affected my speed in a race.”

This season the younger brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher is eighth in the world championship standings, four points behind his older sibling who is sitting a modest fifth.

In the meantime, McLaren, looking for a North American Formula One double after Kimi Raikkonen’s victory in Canada, underlined their intentions with the top two times in yesterday’s delayed practice for the US Grand Prix.

Juan Pablo Montoya, still smarting from a disqualification for a pit-lane violation in Montreal, posted a time of 1min 11.118sec in the afternoon session, with teammate Raikkonen second-quickest in 1:11.228.

The Ferrari team, winless in eight races this season, saw Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher post the third and fourth-fastest times of the day, boosting hopes that they can end their drought.

They showed signs of life in Montreal, where Germany’s seven-time world champion Schumacher finished second ahead of his Brazilian team-mate.

Schumacher has had plenty of success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he has won three of the five Formula One races staged here, including the last two.

German Nick Heidfeld was fifth-fastst in a Williams-BMW, followed by Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard of Britain and McLaren test driver Pedro de la Rosa of Spain.

Red Bull test driver Scott Speed gave US fans a home driver to cheer as he grabbed eighth spot, edging ahead of world championship points leader Fernando Alonso of Spain. Alonso settled for the ninth-quickest time in his Renault, 1.147sec behind Montoya.

Alonso crashed out in Montreal last week to see his lead over Raikkonen in the drivers’ points standings whittled to 22, while his Renault team lead McLaren in the constructors’ championship 76-63.