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Hamilton quickest on first day of Spa F1 testing
LONDON: McLaren's Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton got over his British Grand Prix disappointment by setting the fastest time on the first day of testing at Spa on Tuesday.
The 22-year-old British rookie did 83 laps of the revamped Belgian circuit with a best time of one minute 46.613 seconds, four tenths quicker than Poland's Robert Kubica in a BMW Sauber.
Both Hamilton, who finished third at Silverstone on Sunday after starting on pole position in front of his home crowd, and Kubica were driving the circuit in a Formula One car for the first time.
Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa, whose Finnish team mate Kimi Raikkonen has won the last two races in France and Britain, was third quickest in 1:47.469.
Penguins sign star Crosby to five-year extension
NEW YORK: The Pittsburgh Penguins signed center Sidney Crosby to a five-year contract extension Tuesday, keeping the league MVP with the club through the 2012-13 season.
Financial terms of the deal were not released but local media were reporting the contract to be worth $43.5 million. The extension will go into effect in the 2008-09 season.
"Sidney has proven himself to be a dynamic player and team leader at a very young age, and it is exciting news for our franchise and our fans to have him under contract for the next six seasons," General Manager Ray Shero said in a statement.
The 5-foot-11, 193-pound Crosby completed his second season with the Penguins in 2006-07, leading the team to its first playoff berth since 2001. Crosby scored a league-leading 120 points, six more than runner-up Joe Thornton of San Jose.
Portland center Oden sidelined for rest of summer league
LOS ANGELES: Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden, the top pick of the 2007 draft, needs to have his tonsils removed and will miss the rest of the summer league, the NBA team said on Tuesday.
Oden, the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year for the NCAA Tournament runner-up Buckeyes, is scheduled to have his tonsils removed in Vancouver, Washington, on Saturday.
His recovery time is expected to be between two and three weeks.
"Greg felt that this was the right decision to make in the interests of his health, and we support that decision 100 percent," Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said in a statement.
"The sooner he gets the procedure done, the sooner he can get back on the court at full strength."
Oden, a 7ft (2.13 m) center from Ohio State, will also miss the US senior national team's training camp in Las Vegas from July 20 to 22.
(China Daily 07/12/2007 page23)
