

Tape doctored
The in-car footage transmitted from Ayrton
Senna's car was supplied by the Formula One Constructors Association
(FOCA) to Williams Grand Prix Engineering in May 1994.
Maurizio Passarini, the chief prosecutor
in the Senna manslaughter trial, said he had asked for the pictures
from Senna's car on May 9 1994 but the FOCA representatives claim
that the request had been interpreted as 'shots of the impact'
which did not exist.
The videotape was finally received by
the Italian authorities on September 9 1996, and the above image
was the last shot shown.
However, Maurizio Passarini has said
he believes the tape had been doctored and that the final second
of the in-car footage existed.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom
on May 14 1997, Passarini stated:
"I am certain that the pictures
supplied by the FOCA are not complete. Several details show this
to be the case."
In 1994 when the existence of the videotape
was finally disclosed, TV experts privately expressed their scepticism
at the way the pictures ended - the very moment that Senna's
car starts to veer off the track at the Tamburello curve...
The version initially shown on Brazil's
TV Globo reportedly ended 12.8 seconds into Senna's fatal lap.
The data from the cars computer memory is said to have indicated
that the crash had occurred at 14.2 seconds, therefore 1.4 secs
was missing. The video viewed in the courtroom on May 14 showed
a gap of 0.9secs
FOCA threatens libel action
"The film finished because our television
director decided to cut to another shot", the FOCA claims,
and they have asked the Italian authorities to consider prosecuting
Passarini.
The FOCA believes the statements made
by Maurizio Passarini were defamatory and there is no evidence
to prove his accusations.
One moment in time
Prosecution experts claim that there
was fatigue-crack damage which had extended through 60% of the
steering column.
Williams' experts have now agreed the
column was cracked, but they argue that only 21-40% of it was
affected, so the steering would have remained operational.
Further video evidence would show if
Ayrton Senna spent his last moments fighting for the control
of an uncontrollable car, or whether he already knew he was merely
a passenger

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