Inquiry into crash

Press, 3 August 1983, Page 40

Inquiry into crash

NZPA London The Auto Cycle Union is to hold a full inquiry into the crash at the British Motorcycling 500 cc Grand Prix at Silverstone on Monday which claimed the lives of two riders.

Norman Brown, a 23-year-old Irishman, died instantly when he was involved in a collision with Peter Huber, aged 29, of Switzerland, who died on the way to hospital. It was a freak accident, apparently caused when Brown lost power coming out of a corner and Huber crashed into his machine, but the A.C.U. decided to hold an inquiry after widespread criticism of the apparently long delay in the race being stopped to allow doctors and ambulancemen to reach the riders. One of the main critics of the stewards’ handling of the incident, Randy Mamola, of the United States, said that Huber was lying seriously injured on the track as bikes raced past.

“I passed the accident three times before the race was stopped. It was bad. They couldn’t get to him to attend to him,” he said.

“They were pumping his heart and the doctor was trying to get on the circuit, yet they let us keep going around.

The world championship leader, Freddie Spencer, said several riders stopped before the red flag was put out: “When you are a professional you get an understanding with each other. We all started to look at each other, and decided to abandon the race,” he said.