The motor racing world is still shaking its head at Valentino Rossi's frightening near-miss during Sunday's Austrian Moto GP, when only luck prevented the seven-time world champion being wiped out by an out-of-control bike.
Rossi described the incident as "scary" and "terrifying" after Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli collided, with their bikes nearly collecting Rossi and Maverick Vinales as the pair exited Turn 3 of the Red Bull Ring.
But suggestions that this was some sort of freak mishap are wide of the mark. Track bosses have known for 18 years that this type of accident was possible.
Wide World of Sports has uncovered an almost identical incident that occurred during the 2002 Austrian Formula One Grand Prix, at the exact same spot where Rossi was nearly seriously injured on Sunday.
During the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, Japanese driver Takuma Sato was hit by Nick Heidfeld after the German lost control of his Sauber on the entry to Turn 3, an accident that bears a striking similarity to Rossi's near-miss.
Immediately after a safety car restart, Heidfeld jumped on the brakes when a car locked up in front of him, losing control and spinning onto the grass on the inside of the turn.
Ahead of Heidfeld, Sato in the Jordan was battling with the Williams of Juan Pablo Montoya, completely oblivious to the out-of-control Heidfeld approaching at huge speed.
Heidfeld narrowly missed the front of Montoya's car, slamming into the side of Sato and sending both cars into the gravel trap amongst a mountain of debris.
Sato recounted the accident last year on the official F1 podcast Beyond the Grid.
"I knew nothing. Physically you cannot see. I knew Juan Pablo Montoya was inside me at the re-start, and I was giving him space," Sato said.
"And suddenly there's like smash, just unbelievable impact.
"I thought a meteor had hit me or something, because there's no way Juan Pablo hit me that way.
"I just couldn't believe if anything hit me, it was just unbelievable, big impact.
Since the 2002 incident, the barrier on the inside of Turn 3 has been moved back, with the gravel trap extended to try to prevent a similar accident.
According to Sato, the impact of the collision left a hole in the side of his car, a terrifying reminder of just how close he came to serious injury, or even death.
"I wasn't unconscious, I was aware of that, but the pain, it was almost like a black-out," he said.
"The cockpit was completely broken, you can see the gravel through the hole in the monocoque.
"My legs were sandwiched in the cracked monocoque, and I thought, 'Jeez.'
"Then I started feeling my feet and I thought everything is in one piece."
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/motorsport/valentino-rossi-austria-crash-takuma-sato-2002-austrian-gp-nick-heidfeld/3bcf69df-0c56-415d-a64d-ac59433f250f
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