Tracy out 3 months

UPDATE #4 We are told by the team that Tracy's impact with the Turn 1 barrier was just 13 Gs so this is not what broke his back. It's thought that when the car came down out of the air and hit the track surface that the vertical force compression force is what did the damage.

04/14/07 According to Paul Tracy the doctors told him that the kind of injury he has will take time to heal and he will be out of the car 2.5 to 3.5 months

04/14/07 Forsythe Championship Racing driver Paul Tracy suffered compression fracture to his first lumbar vertebrae during an accident in the Saturday morning practice session at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach which will prevent him from getting back in his #3 INDECK Cosworth/Bridgestone/DP01 this weekend. Right, Tracy returns to track from St. Mary's hospital and is transported by cart to his Forsythe pit. His mother Vivian and wife Patti ride on the back of the cart.

Oriol Servia will take over the driving duties for the # 3 Champ Car, and will participate in the second qualifying session and race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Further information regarding Paul Tracy’s condition will follow. Forsythe Racing PR

Champ Car superstar and America’s leading active open-wheel driver in terms of starts, wins and laps led, Paul Tracy, has suffered a compression fracture to his first lumbar vertebrae and will miss this weekend’s Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Tracy suffered a frontal impact in Turn One during Saturday morning’s Champ Car World Series practice at Long Beach. He was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital after reporting back pain, where x-rays and further MRI examinations confirmed the injury. No immediate timetable was given for Tracy’s return. Tracy will be replaced in the Forsythe Championship Racing #3 entry by 2005 Champ Car World Series runner-up Oriol Servia. Champ Car PR

04/14/07 Tracy is complaining of pain in his lower back and he is being transported to a local hospital for X-Rays. We do not yet know whether he will be able to drive the remainder of the weekend and the team has not made a decision as to whether they would put another driver in the car if Paul is out for the weekend. Further updates as we get them.

04/14/07 Veteran Paul Tracy lost control of his Forsythe Champ Car in Turn 1 this morning in practice at Long Beach. Although the accident did not look bad the Safety Crew reported a code 3 and Tracy has been taken to the medical center with a neck brace on. The front wing of the car is gone and the nose is damaged on the car so it appears to be fixable. More later…..