F1 race returns to KL with new champion<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (AP): For a race only one year old, the Malaysian
\nGrand Prix already has a lot of history.<\/p>\n
Last year, Michael Schumacher made a spectacular return to the
\nFormula One season after a three-month break to recover from a
\nbroken leg. He won pole position, gave up the race lead to then-
\nFerrari-teammate Eddie Irvine, was disqualified after the race,
\nthen reinstated.<\/p>\n
Now, he returns to the Sepang course near Kuala Lumpur as the
\nnewly crowned world champion. His manager says new souvenirs,
\nlabeled \"World Champion 2000,\" are already being prepared,
\npossibly for sale by Sunday's season-ending race.<\/p>\n
Schumacher clinched his third Formula One title by winning the
\nJapanese Grand Prix on Oct. 8, moving past two-time champion Mika
\nHakkinen on the second pit stop.<\/p>\n
It gave Schumacher a 12-point lead in the season standings and
\na third world driving title to go with the pair he earned with
\nBenetton in 1994 and 1995.<\/p>\n
He had pursued a third crown for Ferrari, coming close twice.
\nAfter starting the season brilliantly - winning five of the first
\neight races - he slumped, allowing Hakkinen to overtake him.<\/p>\n
Then Schumacher recovered to win in three continents as he won
\nthe Italian, U.S. and Japanese races.<\/p>\n
He returns to Malaysia in triumph. Last year, after missing
\nsix races following a crash at the British Grand Prix in July, he
\nreturned to racing in Sepang.<\/p>\n
He had the pole position and then led the race before moving
\naside to allow Irvine to go ahead. The Ferraris finished first
\nand second and gave Irvine a temporary lead in the standings.<\/p>\n
Then, the Ferraris were disqualified for a technical
\nviolation. Less than a week later, the decision was overturned
\nand Ferraris' 1-2 finish was reinstated. But Hakkinen snatched
\nthe driver's title from Irvine in the Japan.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Grand Prix officials hoped this season would go down
\nto the wire and maneuvered to have their race as the final one.
\nBut while the race should be as exciting as any Formula One
\ncontest, for Schumacher, win or lose, it will still amount to a
\nvictory lap.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a racing enthusiast, was a
\ndriving force to bring Formula One to his country. The track, 70
\nkilometers south of Kuala Lumpur near the airport, was built for
\n280 million ringgit (about US$80 million).<\/p>\n
Malaysia spent 30 million ringgit giving the track and
\nsurrounding area a face lift since last season. More than 100,000
\nfans attending in 1999, and it was telecast to more than 150
\ncountries according to racing officials.<\/p>\n
This year, race organizers improved the stands and safety
\nfeatures around the circuit. Even if it rains Sunday, a new
\ndrainage system would quickly help improve conditions.<\/p>\n
Schumacher's victory in Japan thrilled Ferrari fans all over
\nthe world. But a bit of suspense hangs in the Sepang air, to see
\nwhether a bizarre set of circumstances could rob the venerable
\nItalian stable of the constructors championship.<\/p>\n
Ferrari leads archrival McLaren by 13 points. Hakkinen and
\nMcLaren teammate David Coulthard need to finish at least first
\nand third and to shut Ferrari out of the points to snatch the
\nconstructors title.<\/p>\n
However, if Schumacher and teammate Rubens Barrichello score
\nat least three points, or if a McLaren doesn't win the race,
\nFerrari will have the constructor and driving double for the
\nfirst time since 1979, when Jody Scheckter paced Ferrari to both
\nvictories.<\/p>\n
Ferrari won the constructors title in 1982, 1983 and 1999, but
\nScheckter was the last Ferrari champion driver until this year.<\/p>",
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