Benetton's Option 13 'smoking gun'
Discussion
Richard Williams: Guardian Sports said:
Small ad may be formula one's smoking gun
All young journalists are taught that the best stories can often be found in the small ads. Towards the back of this month's Motor Sport magazine a company based in America announces the sale of a Benetton B194 formula one car, the very machine with which Michael Schumacher won three grands prix on his way to the 1994 world championship, running Damon Hill off the road in the final round at Adelaide in order to secure the title.
Clearly the dents from that notorious encounter have been straightened out but the car is otherwise advertised as being in original condition - "exactly as 'in the day'," to quote the ad, a statement reflected in the asking price of just under half a million quid. What is really interesting, however, is the information that the originality of the car's condition extends to certain electronic features - specifically including traction control, a "driver aid" outlawed under the 1994 regulations.
This, it may be remembered, was the season when there was a lot of fuss over whether Benetton were breaking the technical regulations in order to achieve a competitive advantage. Ayrton Senna, who perished in the third race of the season while trying to stay ahead of Schumacher, certainly believed something naughty was going on. And here, all these years later, is grand prix racing's equivalent of the smoking gun. Is it too late for Hill to demand his title back?
All young journalists are taught that the best stories can often be found in the small ads. Towards the back of this month's Motor Sport magazine a company based in America announces the sale of a Benetton B194 formula one car, the very machine with which Michael Schumacher won three grands prix on his way to the 1994 world championship, running Damon Hill off the road in the final round at Adelaide in order to secure the title.
Clearly the dents from that notorious encounter have been straightened out but the car is otherwise advertised as being in original condition - "exactly as 'in the day'," to quote the ad, a statement reflected in the asking price of just under half a million quid. What is really interesting, however, is the information that the originality of the car's condition extends to certain electronic features - specifically including traction control, a "driver aid" outlawed under the 1994 regulations.
This, it may be remembered, was the season when there was a lot of fuss over whether Benetton were breaking the technical regulations in order to achieve a competitive advantage. Ayrton Senna, who perished in the third race of the season while trying to stay ahead of Schumacher, certainly believed something naughty was going on. And here, all these years later, is grand prix racing's equivalent of the smoking gun. Is it too late for Hill to demand his title back?
What a 'shocker'.
Edited by MrKipling43 on Tuesday 20th February 12:46
MrKipling43 said:
Richard Williams: Guardian Sports said:
Small ad may be formula one's smoking gun
All young journalists are taught that the best stories can often be found in the small ads. Towards the back of this month's Motor Sport magazine a company based in America announces the sale of a Benetton B194 formula one car, the very machine with which Michael Schumacher won three grands prix on his way to the 1994 world championship, running Damon Hill off the road in the final round at Adelaide in order to secure the title.
Clearly the dents from that notorious encounter have been straightened out but the car is otherwise advertised as being in original condition - "exactly as 'in the day'," to quote the ad, a statement reflected in the asking price of just under half a million quid. What is really interesting, however, is the information that the originality of the car's condition extends to certain electronic features - specifically including traction control, a "driver aid" outlawed under the 1994 regulations.
This, it may be remembered, was the season when there was a lot of fuss over whether Benetton were breaking the technical regulations in order to achieve a competitive advantage. Ayrton Senna, who perished in the third race of the season while trying to stay ahead of Schumacher, certainly believed something naughty was going on. And here, all these years later, is grand prix racing's equivalent of the smoking gun. Is it too late for Hill to demand his title back?
All young journalists are taught that the best stories can often be found in the small ads. Towards the back of this month's Motor Sport magazine a company based in America announces the sale of a Benetton B194 formula one car, the very machine with which Michael Schumacher won three grands prix on his way to the 1994 world championship, running Damon Hill off the road in the final round at Adelaide in order to secure the title.
Clearly the dents from that notorious encounter have been straightened out but the car is otherwise advertised as being in original condition - "exactly as 'in the day'," to quote the ad, a statement reflected in the asking price of just under half a million quid. What is really interesting, however, is the information that the originality of the car's condition extends to certain electronic features - specifically including traction control, a "driver aid" outlawed under the 1994 regulations.
This, it may be remembered, was the season when there was a lot of fuss over whether Benetton were breaking the technical regulations in order to achieve a competitive advantage. Ayrton Senna, who perished in the third race of the season while trying to stay ahead of Schumacher, certainly believed something naughty was going on. And here, all these years later, is grand prix racing's equivalent of the smoking gun. Is it too late for Hill to demand his title back?
What a 'shocker'.
That Benetton ad's been in the mags for a few months now; surprising that it took people this long to notice it.
Even then, if this Guardian article is current, the writer probably just noticed the revelation of the ad in a letter to the editor of a recent motoring mag. One doesn't find much original stuff in newspaper columns, including this.
Anyhow, the world has known for a long time that Benetton had traction control. They pleaded guilty to this accusation in 1994 in an FIA hearing.
Benetton's totally implausible, even risible response was that they only used the traction control for practice, not in races. The FIA gave them a slap on the wrist and allowed them to go ahead and take their dubious title.
The details of the sordid affair, and how Max Mosley - shall we say - "shaped" the process, were revealed a few months ago by, IIRC, the son of the late crack barrister George Carman, who on Mosley's recommendation was retained by Benetton and ran rings around the FIA ciphers who should have challenged him properly.
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