Circuit boss saddened by Zanardi crash
Eurospeedway Lausitz chief Hans Jorg Fischer has spoken of his sadness at the terrible crash that marred Saturday's Champ Car event and left former champion Alex Zanardi with critical injuries
The accident occurred with just 12 laps remaining of a race which had run exactly to plan until that point. Over 87,000 people attended the race, the first CART event to be held in Europe on an oval.
Zanardi was leading the race when he pitted for more fuel. He didn't change tyres but lost control as he exited the pits and spun backwards on to the track where his car was struck at full speed by Alex Tagliani, who had no chance of avoiding him.
"Were are very sad about the accident," said Fischer. "It was a normal racing accident with obviously terrible results. It was a driver mistake, he was too fast and started to spin and was then hit.
"It's a real shame. The event was going so well, the crowds were fantastic. The pre-race ceremony [in honour of those killed in last week's terrorist attacks in America] was totally adequate for the situation and was overwhelming. I saw people crying."
Fischer said there would be an immediate investigation into the Zanardi crash.
"It's a normal procedure that the German Police start an investigation if cars have a crash like this," he confirmed. "It is on-going at this moment."
Fischer also confirmed that the event, formerly known as the German 500, will remain known as 'The American Memorial' for the foreseeable future.
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