Tracy to return for Portland

Paul Tracy is riding his bicycle again despite a back injury and hopes to be back in the driver's seat in about six weeks, a spokesman for Forsythe Racing said Wednesday.

The veteran Champ Car driver from Toronto suffered a fractured vertebra in a crash during a practice run Saturday at Long Beach, Calif. "They're not sure of a timeline yet, but he'll try to be back in his car for Portland (June 10)," said Forsythe spokesman Tony Calderon. "It's at least six weeks for a broken bone to heal.

"It doesn't keep him from training. Mostly, he's riding his bike around the hills in Las Vegas."

A copy of an MRI taken on Tracy after the crash was sent to Terry Trammell, an orthopedic surgeon who has treated other drivers for major injuries, but there was no change in the original diagnosis, Calderon said.

It was feared Tracy would be out for several months, which would erase any chance of competing for the championship.

This weekend's race in Houston is the only event until Portland. The three Canadian stops are in Mont-Tremblant, Que., on July 1, Toronto on July 8 and Edmonton on July 22.

Veteran Oriol Servia replaced Tracy in Long Beach and finished second. The Spaniard will be back in the seat in Houston.

Tracy's car slammed into a concrete barrier in Long Beach, flew up into the air and came down hard on all four tires, giving his back a major jolt.

He was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital, but said this week he was sore, but fine. Canadian Press