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PARIS -- Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen will replace Kimi Raikkonen for Lotus in the final two Formula One races of the season. Brandon Spikes Black Jersey . Raikkonen will miss the United States Grand Prix and Brazilian GP to undergo back surgery. He is joining Ferrari next season. The 32-year-old Kovalainen has raced in 109 GPs for Renault, McLaren and Caterham, securing one win at the Hungarian GP in 2008 and three other podium finishes. He has been a test driver for Caterham this year. "Jumping into a car so late in the year when you have not been competing in the races all season will be a challenge, but I know the team at Enstone well so I have no concerns about getting up to speed," Kovalainen said. "This is a great opportunity for me, so I would like to thank Tony Fernandes and Caterham F1 team for allowing me to take advantage of it." His appointment comes after seven-time champion Michael Schumacher turned down Lotus offer to drive in the final two races. "We had to move quickly following the news of Kimis non-participation in the final two races of this season, and we found ourselves facing a difficult decision," Lotus team principal Eric Boullier said. "On the one hand we had our reserve driver Davide Valsecchi -- who is a talented young driver that has shown a great deal of promise -- and on the other we had the opportunity to bring in a seasoned Formula 1 competitor." Before making his decision to have surgery, the 34-year-old Raikkonen had criticized the team for not paying his salary this season and threatened to pull out of the final two races in protest. He had to be persuaded to race in Abu Dhabi but skipped his media obligations on the Thursday before the race. He pulled out of the race on the first lap because of suspension damage after a minor collision. Before that, tensions had surfaced within the team at the Indian GP. Raikkonen was upset when he was ordered by the teams trackside operations director, Alan Permane, not to hold up teammate Romain Grosjean. Brandon Spikes Authentic Jersey . - Lengthy games dont bother Tony Sanchez. Leodis McKelvin Black Jersey . -- Scott Kosmachuk scored four times and added an assist as the Guelph Storm downed the visiting Ottawa 67s 7-3 on Sunday afternoon in Ontario Hockey League play.CLEVELAND -- Trevor Smith and Jerry DAmigo scored in the shootout as the Toronto Marlies edged the Lake Erie Monsters 4-3 on Wednesday in American Hockey League action. Smith had a power-play goal in the second period for Toronto (37-19-5), which tied the game 3-3 on Korbinian Holzers goal at the 17:30 mark of the third period. Josh Leivo also scored for the Marlies, while Garret Sparks made 30 saves and turned aside four skaters in the shootout to earn the win in net. C.J. Spiller Elite Jersey. Michael Schumacher, Stefan Elliott and Brett Clark supplied the offence for Lake Erie (26-28-7), while Calvin Pickard stopped 30 shots. Smiths power-play goal was the only score on Torontos three man advantages. The Monsters went 0 for 4 on the power play. The Marlies are on a five game point streak, having won four and lost once in the shootout. ' ' ' |
