EVEL KNIEVEL DIES.(Competition)

Robert Craig "Evel'' Knievel, 69, died Nov. 30 in St. Petersburg, Florida, of pulmonary fibrosis-a disease that slowly turns lungs into scar tissue. The disease succeeded where several strokes, diabetes, liver disease that resulted in a transplant, severe arthritis, gambling, women ("More than 1000,'' he said earlier this year), Michelob Ultra and countless motorcycle crashes failed.

Knievel was born on Oct. 17, 1938, in Butte, Montana. He became well known around town for his adventurous spirit, which periodically landed him in front of a local judge, who Knievel claimed dubbed him "Evil.'' Reportedly, Knievel later changed the spelling to "Evel'' to make himself sound less, well, evil. He sold insurance until, in 1965, he formed a traveling stunt show called Evel Knievel's Motorcycle Daredevils.

In 1968, Knievel jumped his motorcycle over the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and immediately became a household name. He was not immediately aware of it, though, as he crashed on landing and spent 31 days in a coma. His fame peaked in September 1974, when he tried to launch his rocket-powered "Skycycle'' over the Snake River Canyon for $6 million, his biggest payday. The Skycycle launched, climbed, wobbled and floated to the canyon floor suspended by a parachute.

Knievel leaped until 1976, when he crashed after clearing a tank containing 13 sharks, breaking both arms and his collarbone and striking a cameraman, who lost an eye. Knievel went into semiretirement, figuring that a lifetime total of 40 broken bones was enough.

Since the late 1990s, Knievel lived in a modest condominium in Clearwater, Florida, with his wife, Krystal Kennedy-Knievel, and a pair of Maltese dogs. He leaves four children, including son Robbie, a renowned stuntman in his own right, and 15 grandchildren.

AUDI WAITS ON RULES

Audi will not commit to an American Le Mans Series return until it knows if the ALMS will impose a 50-kilogram (110-pound) weight penalty-mandated for the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans-on LMP2-class cars.