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PETIT LE MANS: Helio Castroneves to Race on Saturday
Written by: Marshall Pruett   
10/02/2008
Braselton, GA
 
Helio Castroneves will be a guest on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain this Sunday at 9pm, only on SPEED. (Photo: Porsche) » More Photos


Helio Castroneves was detained by IRS agents today who paid an unexpected visit to the Road Atlanta circuit via helicopter and snatched the Brazilian up for tax evasion in front of a startled crowd.

He was also taken away in a caravan of four SUVs by men that were described as 'looking like the guys from 'Men In Black'" and was placed in jail this evening.

He is also being hidden by Penske in an undisclosed location so the IRS can't detain him.

He will miss the Petit Le Mans race this Saturday as it is somewhat challenging to race while incarcerated.

And he's also riding on Elvis' UFO with Bigfoot as his co-pilot.

Want to pick from any of those juicy rumors that dominated the latter half of Thursday at Road Atlanta (OK, I made up the last one) and tell me which one is true?
According to rumors, Helio was in route to prison via helicopter at the same time he was seen on track preparing for Saturday's 10hr Petit Le Mans race. Apparently, dancing AND magic are his two greatest skills. (Photo: Marshall Pruett) » More Photos

The obvious answer is 'none of the above.'

Here are facts: Helio has been indicted on tax evasion. He will have his day in court. The facts of the indictment are on other websites that cater to voyeuristic tendencies rather than motorsports news and commentary. And contrary to the what the rumor mill had to offer today, he will be racing on Saturday in the #5 Penske Porsche RS Spyder at Petit Le Mans. Sportscar racing is generally lacking in tabloid journalism, but with a TMZ-worthy story gaining momentum, more than a few media types began frothing at the mouth when they heard of the indictment, published content that was not rooted in fact, and surely envisioned talking via satellite to Bill O'Reilly to share their timely scoop.

High comedy was on hand in pit lane when one media person made their way to the Penske pits during the afternoon practice session and demanded the truth on where Helio was being held. That person insisted that Helio had been taken away by the government, as they'd received a call from a friend (isn't that how these stories always go) insisting that they saw Helio being marched
away in handcuffs.

The comedy shifts into high gear when this person was notified that the #5 Penske car is driven by two people, one being Ryan Briscoe and the other Helio Castroneves...and that Ryan was standing five feet away at the time, which would mean Helio was driving on the race track and not in an SUV/helicopter/UFO on its way to deliver him to his prison cell. The same media person made very loud and assertive statements in the media center that Helio was property of the penal system, and even called out the ALMS media staff (who weren't present) for 'obviously being out trying to cover up this nightmare.'

With the next practice session only minutes away, the location of the ALMS media staff was likely on pit lane, but our rumor-loving friend refused to accept a reality that didn't include conspiracy theories.

For the sake of full disclosure, it's worth saying that I've known Helio since 1996, and worked on his CART team in 1999, but the comments above have no bearing on that association. I can't comment on his indictment as I don't know about it in detail, but I do know about his role Porsche's efforts to secure a manufacturers title and look forward to seeing him deliver his usual stellar performance on Saturday.

Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New MAZDA6 is the 10th round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series. The 1,000-mile/10-hour race is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Saturday, October 4 from Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. SPEED will televise the race live with online video available from 1 to 6:30 p.m. ET on americanlemans.com. XM Satellite Radio will air live race coverage throughout the day on XM Channel 166. Live coverage from American Le Mans Radio will be available at americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA’s Live Timing & Scoring.


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