Road protester

Kilted demonstrator disrupts British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) -- A demonstrator wearing a Scottish kilt and brandishing protest placards risked death by running down the track during the British Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday.

Police arrested the 56-year-old man and charged him with "aggravated trespass." He will be interviewed by police later on Sunday in Northampton, central England.

The man wandered down the middle of the track on lap 12 as cars roared past at about 200 kph (about 125 mph) on the entrance to Hangar Straight, the fastest part of the circuit.

F1 eyes increased security SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) -- Formula One team chiefs called on Sunday for tighter trackside security to prevent protestors from staging potentially lethal demonstrations. But they also refrained from blaming the Silverstone circuit after an unidentified 56-year-old man ran on to the track during the British Grand Prix. "Anyone who does something like that has to be really severely punished," said Mercedes motorsport head Norbert Haug. "There could have been a mass pileup there and fans could have been hurt as well. Something has to be done. This simply can't happen again."  For rest of story, click here.

He was dragged off the circuit and bundled to the ground by a marshal as the safety car came out to slow the drivers. Track officials said they had launched an investigation.

"The safety people will have a look at it. It means that the security wasn't good," said Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

"I don't know how he actually got on, that's what we need to look at. When somebody does those sorts of things, I don't what you do about it."

Cars accelerate to a maximum of 300 kph (about 185 mph) on the Hangar Straight. The danger was that as the man got closer to the curve, the drivers had less time to react.

Silverstone, seen by many as the track with the poorest facilities in Europe, suffered an infamous track invasion in 1992 when thousands of fans swarmed on to the circuit after Briton Nigel Mansell won his home grand prix.

In 1977 British driver Tom Pryce was killed at the South African Grand Prix when he collided with a marshal who was running across the track with a fire extinguisher. The marshal also died.

The demonstrator's garb was a possible reference to Scot Jackie Stewart, president of the British Racing Drivers Club which owns the circuit.

War of words

The former world champion has been involved in a war of words with the sport's top officials over the suitability of Silverstone for Formula One.

Both Max Mosley, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), and Ecclestone have been critical of the circuit, with Ecclestone last year calling the British GP "a country fair masquerading as a world event."

Stewart said earlier this month that he was baffled by their criticism and portrayed the views of Ecclestone and Mosley as "vicious." Mosley counter-attacked last Thursday.

"We just want to see a proper circuit," he said. "I can't go along -- and nor can Bernie -- with the idea that so long as Silverstone isn't demonstrably the worst circuit in the world then everything is alright."

Ecclestone did not directly blame Sunday's incident on the organisers. "We haven't changed our problems (with the circuit). We're not complaining about what has been done -- we're complaining about what hasn't.

"They've spent the money in the wrong places."

At the 2000 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim a spectator wandered around the course and crossed the track in front of oncoming cars.

The man, an unidentified 47-year-old Frenchman, told police he was protesting his dismissal for health reasons by Mercedes-Benz after 20 years of service. The track filed trespassing charges against the Frenchman.

"Anyone who does something like that has to be really severely punished," said Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug on Sunday, recalling the 2000 German Grand Prix incident.

"Something has to be done. This simply can't happen again."

In May 2001, a marshal was killed at the Lausitzring in Germany after he crossed the track to remove debris and was hit by a car during testing.

 

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