Drivers Brawl After Crash at San Jose Grand Prix

By Mark Hoerrner

Some guys call it chin music, some call it a knuckle sandwich. Regardless of the euphemism, what happened on the sidewalk after Sunday’s race was anything but racing.

Paul Tracy, a former series champion, had been having trouble the whole day. His initial start was illegal, originally putting him ahead of Sebastien Bourdais. Bourdais would finish first and take the wreath for the day while Tracy would skid off-track around Turn 6. Tracy, ever the competitor, threw his car into a tight and controlled 180 degree turn that gave him the ability to launch himself back onto the track.

The problem that presented itself for Tracy is that two cars can’t occupy the same space at the same time, so as he returned to the track, he ran into (literally) fellow driver Alex Tagliani. This shouldn’t have surprised Tracy, as Tagliani has had a consistent problem this season managing the laws of physics. This was his seventh accident of the season.

After the race, Tagliani switched from elite race car driver to street thug, chasing Tracy down and berating him through his barely-opened helmet. Tagliani grappled with Tracy, but Tracy pushed him off and continued down the sidewalk. When Tagliani made it clear he wasn’t going to relent, Tracy came swinging. It took several bystanders to pull the drivers apart.

"I pulled right out in front of him," Tracy told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "I went off into the runoff, got the car turned around and I thought I had enough room to leave before Tagliani got past me but obviously I didn't and as I was coming back on to the track we touched and that was it for both of us. He came up and confronted me. I said I was sorry, but he kept grabbing me and I told him to stop grabbing me. I had to defend myself."

Tagliani declined to comment about his attack on Tracy, though in a later interview, he later said that he was incredulous Tracy pulled out in front of him.

Tagliani’s fury stems from his placement in the race. With a strategy that would have put him in second place behind Bourdais, he was naturally upset about being knocked to a lower peg. He also lamented the repairs.

""This is a huge disappointment for our team and having the guys work hard like that again to rebuild the car," Tagliani said. "Everything was working as planned. I really think we had the car to finish right in front of Cristiano da Matta which was second place and Tracy hitting me took the podium away from us."