AUTO RACING

IndyCar changes made at tracks to improve safety in races

With IndyCar still recovering from Dan Wheldon’s death, series officials said Tuesday that double-file restarts will be scrapped at Indianapolis, Texas and Fontana, and more changes to improve safety could be announced before next month’s season opener at St. Petersburg.

“Oh yeah, there will be lots more to come,” IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard said.

Bernard didn’t provide hints about what other announcements are pending.

It’s all part of a plan to make courses safer and revamp IndyCar’s image after Wheldon, a two-time Indy 500 winner, was killed in an accident at last year’s season finale in Las Vegas.

TENNIS

BNP PAIBAS OPEN: Kim Clijsters announced she has withdrew from next month’s tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., because of an injury to her left ankle.

QATAR OPEN: Seeded players Sabine Lisicki and Daniela Hantuchova lost in the opening round after holding one-set leads at Doha, Qatar.

Angelique Kerber overcame a stomach bug to defeat the ninth-seeded Lisicki 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 in an all-German match, and Simona Halep downed the 15th-seeded Hantuchova 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) after 2 hours, 32 minutes.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: The Washington Mystics acquired center Ashley Robinson from the Seattle Storm in a trade for first-round draft pick Victoria Dunlap.

GOLF

PGA: Tiger Woods is returning to the Honda Classic for the first time since he was an amateur.

Woods announced on his website he would play the Match Play Championship next week in Arizona, followed by the Honda Classic and the Cadillac Championship at Doral.

The Honda Classic is March 1-4 at PGA National.

SOCCER

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: Carlos Tevez backed down in his long-running feud with Manchester City, returning to the league leaders after an unauthorized three-month absence spent at home in Argentina.

After arriving from Buenos Aires, Tevez was surrounded by police and photographers at Manchester Airport as he held one of his children.

At City’s training ground, Tevez underwent medical tests to determine when he will be fit enough to return to a team he has not played for since Sept. 21.

W-LEAGUE: The Seattle Sounders signed goaltender Hope Solo and forward Sydney Leroux for the 2012 season.

Solo, a native of Richland, Wash., who played collegiately at Washington, recently led the U.S. to the title in the CONCACAF women’s qualifying tournament.