Kerryman risks death at Grand Prix

A 56-YEAR-OLD kilted Kerryman was being questioned by British police last night after risking death by running down the track during the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone yesterday.

Speaking from Northampton police station last night, Inspector Bob Michelmore said the man, now based in London, had been arrested in connection with an offence for aggravated trespass.

His antics brought a halt to the race after he appeared on lap 12 and started running down the Hanger Straight, the fastest part of the circuit, as cars accelerated towards him at 150mph.

Several drivers had to swerve to avoid hitting the man who was carrying a banner proclaiming: Read the bible: the bible is always right. He was finally brought to ground by a rugby-tackling race marshall, before being led away by the police.

Track officials said yesterday 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 sort of things, I don’t know what you can do about it,” he said.

The incident could not have come at a worse time for the Silverstone authorities who have been fighting to hang onto the British Grand Prix in the face of severe criticism from the world governing body which has attacked the state of its facilities and traffic access.

However, it seemed to act as a good omen for eventual race winner Rubens Barrichello. Ironically, it was the second time in his career that he benefited from such a bizarre incident.

He won his first career grand prix in a race at Hockenheim in 2000 where a man walked onto the German track.

He denied even seeing the man on the track this time round.

“If I tell you I never saw him, would you believe me? I just heard someone on the radio say ‘safety car, safety car’ and I was so concentrated that I never saw anyone,” he said.

Similar incidents have happened in other grand prix. In 1971, the Mexican Grand Prix was banned after fans got on to the circuit the previous year while, in 1975, a crash killed a number of spectators who were in a prohibited area at the Spanish Grand Prix.

In 1996, the organizers of the San Marino Grand Prix were fined $1 million for a track invasion.