Tracy’s Ride Is Good to the Last Drop in Rio 400

Bobby Rahal had that empty feeling.

Paul Tracy’s car also was running out of fuel, but he nursed his fumes to win the Rio 400 at Rio de Janeiro on Sunday for his second consecutive victory on the PPG CART World Series circuit.

Tracy took the lead when Rahal pitted with two laps remaining at Emerson Fittipaldi Speedway.

“I knew we were close on fuel,” Tracy said. “I had to push him to make him run out of fuel.”

Tracy, who drove a Penske-Mercedes, averaged 113.721 mph for 133 laps.

Rahal grabbed an early lead in his Reynard-Ford and seemed headed for his first victory since 1992 before he ran dry.

“I’m numb,” Rahal said. “My fuel meter said I had more fuel, but it coughed coming out of the curve and I just ran out.”

Greg Moore took second, finishing 1.8 seconds behind Tracy in a Reynard-Mercedes. Scott Pruett was third in a Reynard-Ford.

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A half-hour before the Monaco Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher switched to a backup car set up to race in the rain that was falling.

It was so well set up that Schumacher gave Ferrari its first win at Monaco in 16 years.

The victory was his first of the year and 23rd of his career. He finished 53 seconds over Rubens Barrichello in a Stewart-Ford.

Schumacher’s principal rivals, the Williams-Renault team of pole winner Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Jacques Villeneuve, stayed with cars they had qualified under dry conditions.

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Jeff Emig of Riverside extended his points lead in the AMA National Motocross Series after winning both 250cc motos in the third round of the series at Glen Helen Raceway. Emig leads Jeremy McGrath by 36 points.