Grapevine: Yoong Second as Sato Crashes in Monaco

Both driving a vintage Lotus, two of Formula One's rookies ended today's Monaco Historic GP with different fates - while Minardi's Alex Yoong finished the race in second, Jordan's Takuma Sato crashed out during qualifying, wrecking his Lotus 49B.

Yoong had an impressive run - the Malaysian was leading the race until his Lotus 72/R6 was stuck in 5th gear for the last four laps of the 10-lap race. Yoong was leading all the way until the final lap.

"I had a good start and was leading the race up to the halfway mark when the safety car came out for the marshals to clear a car," Yoong recalled later. "Inexplicably, I couldn't get out of fifth gear while touring around behind the safety car. I tried my best to stay in front after the safety car pulled in with four laps to run but couldn't do anything to stop being taken by the Tyrrell in the last lap."

Sato failed to competed in the race after he crashed in the swimming pool section of the tricky Monte Carlo street course. The young Japanese, who survived a high-speed crash in last week's Austrian Grand Prix, was unscathed, but the vintage car was badly damaged.

"It was very, very slippery where it occurred," Sato said. "I was really enjoying it and the power was OK, but there was just so much oil and I was perhaps carrying too much speed into the corner. Unfortunately Lotus don't have any spare parts here. It's such a shame but whenever I race I drive hard and want to do well. The only way to learn a circuit is to drive to the maximum."

The race was won by Martin Stretton, driving a 1977 Tyrrell P34. Third place was taken by Christopher Perkins third in a 1974 Surtees TS16.