News Article

Source: IRS News
Date: March 5
Subject: Doubt on Imola track conditions


Lawyers defending Formula One chief Frank Williams, charged with manslaughter over the death of Ayrton Senna, raised doubts on Wednesday about conditions at the Imola racetrack. Defence lawyer Oreste Dominioni rejected charges that the crash that killed the triple world champion at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix was caused by faulty engineering by the Williams team in steering wheel modifications. Dominioni said the steering wheel of Senna's car was "practically identical" to that used by Briton Damon Hill. The British world champion is due to give evidence for the defence later in the trial. Dominioni said the prosecution had failed to investigate fully the possibility that Senna's death may have been due to possible "anomalies in the asphalt" which could have caused cars "to become unstable and leave the track".

However lawyers for accused Imola officials Federico Bendinelli and Giorgio Poggi told the court later that the track had been "absolutely normal". "All the world's circuits are like Imola," declared their defence lawyer Roberto Landi. Proscutor Maurizio Passarini, setting out the case against the six defendants, had said earlier that he believed a combination of mechanical failure and poor circuit design at the Tamburello bend had caused the tragedy.

Senna died when his Williams left the track and hurtled into a concrete wall at around 210 kph. Passarini said the Williams' steering wheel had snapped because it had been modified and lowered to give the driver more room for his hands. "Senna found a steering wheel that was dangling in his hands," he told the court. He said the champion had also been unable to brake because of a difference in height between the track and verge. "Senna paid the price of all these circumstances."

Williams' team technical director Patrick Head and designer Adrian Newey are on trial with Williams. None were present in court. The other defendants are Bendinelli, managing director of the company which runs Imola, Belgian international race director Roland Bruynseraede and Imola track director Poggi. All six deny the charges of manslaughter. Passarini, who spoke for 90 minutes, also explained why proceedings against five people investigated over the death of Austrian Roland Ratzenberger had been dropped.

Simtek driver Ratzenberger died at Imola the day before Senna after crashing at 300 kph in a qualifying session. The prosecutor said investigations had shown that Ratzenberger's death was caused by accidental damage to the front of his car. Passarini said the decision to proceed with the Senna trial while shelving the other one had nothing to do with the "different fame of the two drivers, as some have suggested. "Only in the case of Senna have the investigations demonstrated a case of manslaughter."

Prosecution witnesses are scheduled to start taking the stand at the next court session on March 11.