From: thos@suite.sw.oz.au (Thomas Cohen)
Subject: Re: Mansell brake tests Senna
Organization: Softway Pty Ltd
Date: 17 Nov 92 20:53:51 GMT

In <1992Nov10.160034.49875@ccvax.ucd.ie> wboatclb@ccvax.ucd.ie writes:


>  1) During Murray Walkers interview with Mansell after the race, 
>     Walker asked Mansell if he brake tested Senna. Now Mansell
>     didn't say he did brake test Senna, but went on to went on to

I agree, this excerpt is circumstantially damning. But nothing more than
that really.

>  2) Did you see how quickly Mansell ran away after the crash? It 
>     seems to me that Mansell was trying to avoid a very angry
>     Senna. Senna had every reason to be angry. Nobody brake tests
>     a 3 time world champion. Mansell knew that he was at fault and 
>     ran to the safety of his pit. 

'Very angry Senna'? If you saw the body language of the drivers, it
seemed that Mansell was ropable, and Senna resigned. And I don't think
somehow, that Mansell needed the safety of his pit, he is heavier than
Senna, and I think he's probably a damn sight stronger. (In the Blue
corner, Recent World Champ - Nigel Mansell! In the Red corner, three
time Champ, Ayrton Senna ;^)

And whaddeyer mean 'Nobody brake tests a 3 time world champion'?
Should they be exempt? Is it OK to test rookies? Mansell was varying 
his approach speed and Senna wasn't paying complete attention as he
was thinking about lining up a pass. No real stigma attached.

Besides, for brake testing to be fully effective, the trailing car 
must be closer than Senna's was - the speed differential was really
high, so Senna must have been far enough back to allow Mansell to 
slow, else he would have hit him with a much lower speed differential.

>  3) Mansell was traveling slower than usual approaching the corner.
>     Usually a slower car needs less distance on the track to slow 
>     down, but Mansell started to brake a few car lenghts _earlier_
>     not later as one would have expected. 

Are you sure he wasn't travelling slower _because_ he braked?

>  4) Senna, did attemt to avoid contact with Mansell, but only
>     succeeded in hitting him sideways since he was so close.

Of course he did. I don't think Senna meant to run into him anymore
than Mansell wanted to be run into.

>  6) Mansell has nothing to lose. Mansell already holds all the 
>     records. What's an extra few points when you've got over one
>     hundred already? Sure, he has never won at Adelaide before,
>     but he hasn't in Japan either. Letting Patrese go through
>     shows how much he wants to win.

He doesn't hold all the records, the extra 10 points from a win 
would have been nice, he would have gone out on top, he would 
have made it that much more difficult for Prost to break his 
record next year etc. etc. Letting Patrese through in Japan was
saying 'thanks' for the earlier part of the year. He would no
doubt have liked to win there as well.

>  7) Senna had everything to gain (by staying on the track). Senna
>     was 4th in the championship and by finishing 1st or 2nd in this
>     race he could've moved up to 2nd in the championship. This is
>     quite respectable in an `inferiour car'.

Yes, which is why he tried so hard to stop he lost the rear end. 
No one (except a three-time WC mentioned here) deliberately sets
out to hit another car. (Suzuka '89 correspondence will not be entered
into).

>  I used to be Mansell fan but this year his constant whining and
>  cowardness in not wanting to race Prost in an equal car have turned 
>  me against him. This episode only confirms to me that he's better
>  off in America. 

I suspect that Mansell is Prost's equal on the track but not in the
pit, or the boardroom. And he knows this from Ferrari.

>  p.s. This article is weighed heavily against Mansell because everybody
>       else on the net (and the race comentators) seems to be anti-Senna
>       and wouldn't dare critisize 'Our Nige'.

Don't you recall the number of Senna-apologists there were out there
about the Suzuka '89 and '90 incidents, or the Portugal '89 (with Mansell)
etc.etc.? People seem down on Senna this time because it is pretty clear
that Senna made a minor error in judgement. Few (other than Mansell)
are saying they should shoot him - most people (myself included) think it
was one of those racing accidents.

regards,
-- 
thos cohen                  ,not a typo        |Softway Pty Ltd
"It's not so bad to be a lair but a conniving  |ACSnet:         thos@softway.oz
 egomaniac is not really that socially accept- |UUCP: ...!uunet!softway.oz!thos
 able."  SMH, 2 Nov 92, P. Keating vs J. Hewson|Internet:    thos@softway.oz.au
Newsgroups: rec.autos.sport