Moreno suffers practice crash setback

His Patrick Racing Reynard crashed into a tyrewall after a collision with Dario Franchitti at Turn Two caused him to spin to the inside of the ultra-quick oval circuit. Although he was stretchered away from his wrecked car, the Brazilian has been declared fit to race this weekend.

Moreno ran wheel-to-wheel with Franchitti through the first and second turns, with Patrick Carpentier passing both of them on the outside. As they powered down the backstraight Moreno appeared to lose downforce in Carpentier's turbulence and his car wobbled slightly.

"We were trying to simulate a race run in traffic," said Moreno. "Unfortunately, I got some turbulence from one car that was alongside me and another that was in front. That took the air from the wings and I started spinning. I almost got control, but I couldn't do it. Then the spin finished and I headed toward the inside wall."

The Brazilian's left rear wheel clipped Franchitti's right front and he spun to the inside before colliding with a new tyre barrier installed in front of the inner retaining wall along the backstraight. His visor popped open in the collision with the tyrewall as the front half of the car went into the barrier before bouncing out and coming to rest.

"The tyres were very important for cushioning the impact," said Moreno, "and I believe the HANS Device saved my neck. When I hit the tyre barrier, something hit me in the head very hard. There are tire marks all the way up my helmet and it's cracked on the inside."

Moreno was uninjured and, after an examination at CART's medical centre, he was released to drive later today. CART's medical director Dr Steve Olvey said he had never seen a helmet receive so much damage without the driver suffering any injuries.