Just got this news from a buddy in another NG.
<Snip>
From Atlasf1.com
Wednesday April 25th, 2001
Former Formula One driver Michele Alboreto was killed on Wednesday following
an accident while testing in Germany.
Alboreto was killed at 17:30 at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany while he
was preparing for this year's Le Mans 24 Hour race, driving an Audi R8.
According to the official statement from Audi, Alboreto was driving down the
straight of the circuit when a component of the car failed, sending it off
the track at high speed.
"We will do everything we can in order to assess the cause of the accident,"
said Audi Motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich. "We can't understand what
happened because that car had already covered thousands of kilometers
without a problem."
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has been one of the first Formula One
members to express his sorrow upon learning the news.
"Alboreto was an important driver in the history of Ferrari, intelligent and
always a great development driver," Montezemolo said. "His death hit me very
hard and it makes me very sad. Michele was still competing, moved by a great
passion, and this demonstrates that our sport, to which he was very much
committed, always involves a big risk."
Alboreto started racing in 1976, made his Formula Three debut in 1978 and
won the European title in 1980.
The Italian was given his Formula One chance by Tyrrell in 1981 and won his
first Grand Prix in Las Vegas the following year.
Alboreto also won the U.S. Grand Prix for Tyrrell in Detroit in 1983, the
last victory for a car with a normally aspirated engine before the
turbocharged cars monopolised the competition.
He switched to Ferrari and won the Belgian Grand Prix in 1984 and the
Canadian and German Grands Prix in 1985 when he finished second in the
drivers' championship behind Alain Prost.
That was the zenith of his Formula One career. He returned to Tyrrell in
1989 and drove for a succession of teams -- Lola, Arrows, Footwork and
Minardi -- before bowing out of Formula One in 1994 and moving to sportscar
racing.
<snip>
A sad day indeed
MS
Lausitz was introduced last year as "the safest race track in the world"...
One more proof you cannot have absolute safety when you are dealing with
cars moving at high speeds.
Sad about alboreto, he has been a great "enemy" to prost in the 1985 F1
season.
"Mark Seery" <[email hidden]> a �crit dans le message news:
8CGF6.2150$[email hidden]...
following
> an accident while testing in Germany.
>
> Alboreto was killed at 17:30 at the Lausitzring circuit in Germany whilehe
> was preparing for this year's Le Mans 24 Hour race, driving an Audi R8.
>
> According to the official statement from Audi, Alboreto was driving downthe
> straight of the circuit when a component of the car failed, sending it off
> the track at high speed.
>
> "We will do everything we can in order to assess the cause of theaccident,"
> said Audi Motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich. "We can't understand what
> happened because that car had already covered thousands of kilometers
> without a problem."
>
> Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has been one of the first FormulaOne
> members to express his sorrow upon learning the news.
>
> "Alboreto was an important driver in the history of Ferrari, intelligentand
> always a great development driver," Montezemolo said. "His death hit mevery
> hard and it makes me very sad. Michele was still competing, moved by agreat
his
sportscar
