User:Thebronzes

San Marino

 * Murray Walker: [piece to camera] Here at Imola, at the conclusion of this afternoon's final qualifying session for tomorrow's San Marino Grand Prix, I sadly have to report that the news is bad. Twenty minutes into the one-hour session, the very popular Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger unaccountably went off the circuit at some 190 miles an hour, straight into a concrete barrier at the side of the track. His car disintegrated and, by the time it had stopped, Roland was not only very clearly unconscious, but even more clearly, in a very sick condition indeed. Now, the medical facilities here are superb and doctors, Professer Sid Watkins, the FIA's doctor in charge, were on the scene immediately, applying cardiac massage and other resuscitation techniques. Ratzenberger was taken to Bologna hospital by helicopter, and we have just had the very sad news that he has succumbed to his injuries.


 * This confirms the fact that nobody had any doubt of: that Grand Prix racing is a dangerous sport. It now requires the drivers who have qualified for tomorrow's event to examine themselves and decide what they want to do about it. Gerhard Berger, an Austrian countryman of Roland Ratzenberger, has just issued a very moving statement to the media in the press centre, the gist of which is: "I had to decide, not whether I was going out to complete practice this afternoon, but whether I was going to race tomorrow. I think that if I did not race tomorrow, it wouldn't help Roland, so I am going to race."


 * I suspect, believe and hope that the other drivers will adopt a similar attitude. But, whatever, it is a tragic start to the European Grand Prix season of 1994.


 * [voiceover] It was with enormous relief that this morning Rubens Barrichello was greeted at a press conference after an almost equally horrific accident yesterday. Entering a corner at some 150 miles an hour, he lost control of his Jordan car, was launched into the barrier and horrifically cartwheelled to a standstill, but his car withstood the impact magnificently. Today, after a night's rest in hospital, Rubens was able to view his accident and say that, for him as for all his rivals, the passion is worth the risk.


 * And tomorrow, the San Marino Grand Prix starts with Formula One's only racing world champion, Ayrton Senna, in pole position for the 65th time - a mere three tenths of a second faster than his main rival, Michael Schumacher. Senna's time was established yesterday, Schumacher's today. A brave Gerhard Berger, countryman of Roland Ratzenberger is third at Ferrari's home track with Damon Hill fourth, Grand Prix returnee JJ Lehto fifth for Benetton and Ferrari's Nicola Larini an excellent sixth. Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle are 12th and 13th, and Johnny Herbert is 20th.


 * Tomorrow is another day, but it's a day when everyone here will be thinking, with affection and respect, of Roland Ratzenberger.