INDYCAR: Magnussen to drive for Penske in 1996 


>From IndyCar media relations


Jan Magnussen To Substitute For Paul Tracy At Mid-Ohio


Penske Racing today announced that Jan Magnussen will drive the #3
Marlboro Penske Mercedes, substituting for the injured Paul Tracy, in
the Miller 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Mansfield, Ohio (August
8-11).


Tracy, who suffered a chip fracture of the sixth vertebra following an
accident at Michigan International Speedway on July 27, is recuperating
at home in Paradise Valley, Arizona and will continue to be evaluated on
a week-to-week basis by Dr. Terry Trammel, IndyCar Director of Medical
Affairs and Services.


Following the Mid-Ohio event, plans call for Magnussen to transfer to
Hogan Penske Racing for the remainder of the 1996 PPG Indy Car World
Series. Replacing the injured Emerson Fittipaldi, Magnussen will pilot
the #9 Marlboro Penske Mercedes in the Elkhart Lake, Vancouver and
Laguna Seca events.


In a joint statement, Roger Penske and Carl Hogan said, "Since the
incidents at the Marlboro 500, we've had time to meet as a Team and
formulate a plan to move forward. We are fortunate to have someone of
Jan's caliber to fill in for our drivers. Jan has extensive road racing
experience and we look forward to working with him for the remainder of
the season."


The 23 year-old Magnussen currently drives for AMG in the International
Touring Car Championship (ITC) and is a test driver for Marlboro McLaren
Mercedes on the Formula One circuit. He won the ITC opening race in
Hockenheim earlier this year and finished second in the ITC Driver's
Championship in 1995. He competed in his only Formula One race in 1995
when he filled in for McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen in the Pacific Grand
Prix (Aida, Japan) and finished tenth. In 1994, Jan drove for Paul
Stewart Racing and won the British Formula Three Championship. The
Danish-born driver is a member of the Mercedes-Benz Junior Team which
was formed in 1989 to develop young talent.


Magnussen was fitted for the car on Monday at the Team's Reading-based
race shop before participating in today's scheduled test with Al Unser
Jr. at Sebring, Florida.


Fittipaldi, who underwent surgery on July 29 at the University of
Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami to repair a fracture of his
seventh cervical vertebra suffered in an opening-lap accident at the
Marlboro 500, was released on August 1 to begin his recuperation which
is expected to take approximately three months.
All information courtesy of MNI - Motorsport News International
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