Bourdais' fiery cash mars Indy 500 qualifying

INDIANAPOLIS - Sebastien Bourdais will undergo surgery to repair a fractured pelvis after a fiery crash in Indianapolis 500 qualifying on Saturday.

Indiana University Methodist Hospital doctors told track officials the 38-year-old Frenchman sustained multiple fractures in his pelvis and a fractured right hip.

He slammed head-on into the wall on the second turn after completing two laps at over 231 mph, the fastest laps of the day.

As the image of the crash - the car flipping over and flames and smoke billowing out - appeared on video boards around the track, drivers were stunned as safety team members spent about 10 minutes trying to extricate Bourdais from the wreckage.

He was transported by ambulance to the hospital, and track officials said he never lost consciousness.

"You see big numbers during the week and people that are fast, the one that obviously stood out for me during the whole week was Bourdais," Scott Dixon said.

"I'm thinking of him, hoping he's OK. It was definitely a big hit."

Other drivers also expressed concern.

Ed Carpenter, who grew up around the track, called it one of the hardest hits he's ever seen in 500 qualifying. He said it took his breath away.

Two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso also said he was hoping for Bourdais to have a quick recovery.

"I know him from F1 time, and also yesterday we were talking in the casino about our cars, about how he feels here, how fast he was on Friday," Alonso said. "He was still very fast today."

Bourdais, a four-time Champ Car champion, won the IndyCar season opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, after starting 21st. He followed that with finishes of second at Long Beach, California, and eighth at Alabama before a crash at Phoenix dropped him to 19th.

Last weekend at the IndyCar Grand Prix, a bad engine forced him to drop out after only a few laps.

After another engine change on Thursday night, Bourdais suddenly jumped to the top of the 500 speed chart on Friday - giving him hope of winning the pole.

"It's what this season has been for us so far," Bourdais said on Friday.

"We've had some really good days and some really pretty terrible days. But the good thing is, when we're given the opportunity, we seem to make the best of it."

With the final day of qualifying for the starting grid set for Sunday and the race scheduled for May 28, Dale Coyne Racing will need a replacement driver soon.

Because only 33 cars are entered for the 500, any that do not qualify Sunday will start from of the field and will be arranged based on entrant's points.

There are always willing drivers around the speedway in May, and one intriguing name could be Stefan Wilson, who got out of his Andretti Autosport car so Alonso could race.

But the only thing on Coyne's mind on Saturday night was Bourdais.

"Sebastien is in good hands here at IU Methodist Hospital with the staff and now we just wait for him to recover," Coyne said in a statement.

Bourdais raced in Formula One in 2008-09.

He's sits sixth on IndyCar's career victory list with 35.

Associated Press