Suzuka Special

Pictures from Peter Grooff and Robin Day

For 5 years in a row from 1987 to 1991, Japanese GP was the drivers' championship decider. However, it is what happened in 1989 and 1990 that makes the Suzuka track famous - the collisions between Alain Prost and the late Ayrton Senna. Some time earlier I read in a Usenet newsgroup that some Senna fans were talking about taking legal actions to hand Senna the 89 World Championship. Of course the nonsense went on without any success. Remember Senna had ZERO point for 9 of the 16 GP.

"He who has gone was gone." I do not make this Suzuka Special to offend anybody. I am here just to point out something which many may have omitted. I hope this puts them in a better position to judge for themselves. Of course, being a Prost supporter myself I can't say my analysis is without bias.

The issue is highly controversial. Christopher Hilton, author of the biography of Alain Prost, put it in this way,

"...anybody who has heard a court case over a car crash could tell you: nothing is simple when witnessed from different standpoints."

So, use you own judgment.

Suzuka Part I, Japanese GP'89.

The folloing table shows some points people usually omit when they talk about the Suzuka'89 crash and why they omit them.

• For 46 laps Senna found no way at all to overtake Prost. On lap 47, he made use of the pitlane entrance, had two wheels running fully over the kerb and dive down the inside of Prost. People say Prost left a gap open for Senna. ... Did he??? Every driver slowed down to take a slow chicane. If at this time the one behind went out to the kerbing and rushed down the inside and the car in front has to let him through, then everybody can overtake at every corner and no one can do the least to resist an overtaking! Should Prost let Senna through? What's interesting is that, if Prost did let Senna through, people would say Senna make a brilliant pass, and Prost was a coward, blah blah blah...

• After the crash Prost retired and Senna continued with a new nose cone and tyres. He overtook Alessandro Nannini at the same chicane and finished first. Senna didn't have to ride on the kerbing to dive down the inside of Nannini. i.e. Nannini left a bigger "gap" than Prost did, which also suggested that Prost was actually taking the right line to enter the chicane. Even so, when Senna overtook him, Nannini had to brake so hard that smoke came out from the right tyres and his Benetton's rear slid wide in order to avoid a collision with Senna. Tell me, how could Prost, leaving a smaller gap, avoid colliding with Senna? Brake very hard and risk spinning out in uncontrollable manner?

• Remember, Senna's race didn't end at the chicane. He continued, but was disqualified. As experienced as he was, do you think Prost would let Senna continue if he meant to take him out of the race? Look at the Crash of 1990. That was how you take someone out of the race! Yes, the Crash of 89 happened at slow speed, but all Prost had to do to damage Senna's car was to step on the accelerator, and Senna could never have continued. Instead, Prost braked at once.

Prost meant to win the race. He was denied an almost sure victory. He was the victim of Senna's reckless overtaking. Senna was disqualified on 8 counts by FISA (then FIA), including the dangerous overtaking manoeuvre. FISA was themselves responsible for the crash. Before Suzuka'89 they did nothing to suppress dangerous driving. They did not warn Senna until Senna appealed. They imposed only a suspended ban which meant nothing at all. It was this FISA attitude that led to the Crash of 1990. The stupid best-11-of-all scoring system was responsible too. But of course we know this is the rule of the game.

And let's not forget McLaren, in defence of Senna's cutting through the chicane to rejoin the track, argued that Prost, their own McLaren driver Prost, did the same in San Marino. Ron, that is disgusting!

Suzuka Part II, Japanese GP'90

Christopher Hilton asked interviewees to give their verdict on Suzuka in Alain Prost biography. Below is the essence of all the answers. Judge for yourself.

We can make a little summary here. People think Prost was wrong because they think Prost should know that Senna would drive into him. People think Senna was right because they think that it was right to take revenge! There were some who didn't believe Senna drove into Prost on purpose. And Senna told them that they were all wrong.

On his way to the pit, Senna waved to fans triumphantly.
On October 20, 1991. Senna won his third world championship with a second place in Suzuka. He was asked about the Crash of 1990 again, and here came the answer.

"Balestre gave an order not to change (pole position). I told myself OK you try to work clean - and then you get [expletive] by stupid people.

"If on Sunday at the start, because I'm in the wrong position, Prost gets the jump and beat me off the line, at the first corner I'll go for it. It just happened, I guess. I just wish it hadn't happened. I really wish that I could have had the start because then we could go and go. It's unbelievable that it happened. He got the jump and he was turning in and I hit him. We were both off and it was the [expletive] end to the Championship. It was the result of a bad decision influenced by Balestre. I contributed to it but it was not my responsibility."

Shame to FIA, that they let it happen.

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