Dead Marshal Named

The race marshal who died after a crash during Sunday's Australian Grand Prix was named on Monday as Graham Beveridge, 52, from Queensland state.

Floral wreaths marked the spot where Beveridge was struck in the chest by a wheel which flew loose after Jacques Villeneuve's BAR car crashed into the back of Ralf Schumacher's Williams early in Sunday's Formula One race.

Australian Grand Prix corporation chairman Ron Walker said the accident had been a "billion to one chance".

"That's life isn't it; sometimes these things happen," Walker said.

Walker said the marshal had died because safety cables connecting the wheels to the body of the car had broken.

Police investigators impounded the wreckage of Villeneuve's car and interviewed the Canadian and fellow driver Ralf Schumacher.

Senior Sergeant Mick Talbot, of the Victoria state police's Major Collision Investigation Unit, said Villeneuve's car could be kept in Melbourne for up to six months while the state coroner investigated the accident.

Meanwhile, Walker continued to defend the safety features of the circuit.

"The way we operate this race is of world standard; in fact we have been voted twice the best track in the world," Walker said.

"People are very passionate about motor racing.

"They know there are risks, even though we try to make the risks absolutely minimal. That's the way it is.

"At the moment there is nothing else we can do."