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A closer eye On-track protester prompts need for tighter securityPosted: Sunday July 20, 2003 12:41 PMSILVERSTONE, 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." The incident recalled the 2000 German Grand Prix when a disgruntled former Mercedes employee walked on to the track. With cars approaching the kilted man, who was also wearing a Scottish tam o'shanter cap, at the fastest part of the track and at speeds well in excess of 200 kph (125 mph), Formula One was lucky not to have a live television tragedy on its hands. "How do you defend against a nutter that's determined to do it?," said Renault technical director Mike Gascoyne, whose Italian driver Jarno Trulli was leading at the time. "They need to look at it and tighten up security but it's very difficult."
No blame"I hope Silverstone don't get blamed for it, that's the first point," said Minardi owner Paul Stoddart. "It could happen almost anywhere. "I don't think these people realise the danger they put themselves in and the danger they put the drivers in. "We had the misfortune to be the closest driver, I believe, in collecting him. When he turned and ran towards Jos (Verstappen) that looked mighty dangerous from what I saw on television. "If we hit someone at that speed, not only are they dead but the potential damage that they do to the driver as well is just not a lot of fun," added the Australian. Television and radio reports said that the man -- rugby-tackled by a marshal after being bundled off the track -- was carrying a placard declaring "Read The Bible, The Bible is always right." "Let's just say one thing, he came awful close to meeting his maker," said Stoddart. McLaren head Ron Dennis also said Silverstone, whose owners are embroiled in a war of words with Formula One bosses Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, should not be blamed. "I think it is an impossible task. There should be a proper assessment of what happened...but it can happen anywhere, any time. A guy can step in front of a train, an underground, a double-decker bus. "If you've got an event in which there is television, and that spectacle has with it inherent danger coming from speed, then you are exposed to this. "You don't see security fencing at horse racing and I can assure you that a horse travelling at speed is going to do just as much damage to an individual as a car." "This was a great motor race and you should not detract from it," added Dennis. "An idiot or fanatic can do it any time, anywhere and in many different ways. "If you have a live television audience of this size you are going to be more prone to this eccentric and extremist behaviour."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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