Brazil'94: Yukio Katayama

Race # 549: March 27, 1994 year. Grand Prix Of Brazil. Interlagos
Pole Ayrton Senna (the Williams FW16)-1. 15.962 (204.970 km/h)
Best lap Michael Schumacher (Benetton B194)-1. 18.455 (198.457 km/h)
The winner Michael Schumacher (Benetton B194)-1:35. 38.759 (192.632 km/h)

Before the start of the 1994 season, many commentators said that Formula 1 is entering a new era. This concerned and total ban smart electronics and unrefuelled, but was replaced by a generation of pilots. Heroes of yesteryear-Mansell, Prost, Patrese and others left the big prizes or were ready to do so as soon as possible.

The main issues were the favorite: Ayrton Senna in the Williams, seemed merely invincible. Three-time world champion (the only holder of the title in the peloton!) and the strongest team in recent years-had to show a lot of imagination to come up with, who would have to compete with this duo.

Such theoretical contenders called quick, but not too experienced Michael Schumacher from Benetton, one of the few remaining elderly-Gerhard Berger, who started his new season in Ferrari overalls Alom, yes his teammate Jean Alesi-need to think quite a bit of suffering due to the fact that several years ago he put on Skuderiû, rather than to Williams.

Senna won the first qualification of the season on home Interlagos, although races suspended due to rain, because it was difficult to judge the representativeness of the results. Start also stayed behind Ayrton, who quickly began to leave from all the rest. But then ... Then the unexpected happened.

Michael Schumacher won the pole position in the first row, unsuccessfully started moving and nearly rolled away to fourth place. In the end the German had to Miss Jean Alesi, but before the end of the second lap Ferrari was left behind, and then Benetton racer was methodically overtaking Senna.

From the circle to the circle of the sector he stubbornly vygryzal hundredths of a second, and at a time when Ayrton headed the first scheduled pit stop, the nyrnuvšij followed by Michael conceded the leader just a few tenths.

Williams mechanics, accustomed in recent years to work in the absence of pressure, coped with their work slower guys Flavio Briatore and Schumacher returned to the track first. On the stands went disgruntled buzz of surprise.

Torsidu briefly distracted accident involving four vehicles on the long straight to Martin Brandlu of failure had to reset the speed, and three of his persecutors did not have enough width asphalt, followed by Benetton young Jos Ferstappena took off into the air and fell on top of the McLaren British veteran.

As one of the participants was Eddie Irvine, who had the image of a bully and bullies, in the incident have accused him, removing from the presentations at one Grand Prix. The Jordan team filed a protest, and a term for the edification of future Novels Grožanam, increased to three stages.

Senna meantime behind Schumacher. Brazilian tried to help team-mate Damon Hill: already yielding a range, it took quite some time for a leader of the race that cost German good five seconds (who would have thought that in November it was that Hill barely did not deprive Michael Championship title!). However, the duo contenders this had no effect. The status quo is preserved, and after the second and final pit stop.

On the final stretch of the race, trying to not disappoint her many fans, Ayrton Senna had overdone the already rather worn out rubber-the origin of his car and died at the side of the road. Continue moving the rider could not-and almost immediately the human stream rushed from the stands to the exit with the circuit of ...

Schumacher, posramiv experts, began a new Championship with the victory. With him on the podium stood Damon Hill and Gerhard Berger, both on this day were able to pass on the whole range is less than the winner.
Interesting. . .
A failure was the beginning of a new season for McLaren. An absolute leader of Formula 1 at the junction of the 80 's and 90 's, she now found herself in a very difficult situation. A contract with Peugeot to supply Motors has not lived up to expectations: speed and reliability plummeted. In Brazil, the pilots of Ron Dennis, Mika Hakkinen and Martin Brundle, launched only 8-18 m-m, and to the finish line not got none of them.

Yukio KatayamaFifth, earning the first in career points race at Interlagos completed Yukio Katayama-an outstanding racer amazing fortune, whose story (alas, the undeservedly forgotten) still shakes voobraŝenie turns his plot, which can't figure out even the best masters of Hollywood.

Ukio-so his name was. This is later caught in Europe, a native of multi-million dollar Tokyo was forced to accept the fact that the existence of other unsuspecting British languages its name in its own way. But this will happen immediately, but in 18 years, after school, the boy got a mechanic on the race track of Tsukuba. Other pilots, he turned the nuts for long: one year later, Katayama has already performed in the local Formula 1600 and two-became its champion.

National heritage avtosportivnoe advised them all to glorify himself in the race, to take a course to the East. And Yukio went to Europe. He could barely tie a few words in English, but already knew that it was foggy Albion is the main racing outpost. And the young athlete ready for great accomplishments, traveled to the capital of England. Such it was Paris.

History is silent on exactly how events developed further, but in the end somehow Katayama went out to people to evaluate its speed and without words. So he found himself in a racing school at Richard Field. But rapidly only a fairy tale effect. In 1986, when he only made the first steps in formula 3, his podsteregla trouble: serious accident on the track in Clermont-Ferrand has resulted in damage to the spine and fractures to both legs.

Lying in a hospital bed, the pilot was mulling over ways to continue the career. He was lucky-young bones quickly grew, and when Yukio, against the wishes of doctors, early escaped from the clinic, he already knew how to act. For the racer could find his command were ready to take charge, so he held numerous tests.

And then, after the end of the season, Katayama returned home. Now he was no longer a newbie, and a pilot with experience of European interventions that significantly increased rates. The Japanese took any suggestions, and along the way has actively interacted with sponsors. Eventually, by the end of 1991 the year everything went together: Yukio vigral national Formula 3000 and obtained enough solid material support. It's time to get on a plane again.

Find a place in the formula 1 was surprisingly easy. However, in a team/Venturi Larrousse Katayama has not made particularly high-profile successes: only in Canada he rode to the finish of the fifth, when the motor broke down.

The following year, Tyrrell was spoiled nasty machine-even more skilled Andrea de cesaris was unable to come up with something to gain from her speed.

And then came the year of 1994 St. it is for the sake of it, Yukio Katayama worked hard 10 years. That's when he got the chance, the fate of the other does not provide for the rest of your life. Created by Mike Gaskojnom chassis 022 are simple and unpretentious, equally easily resisted setting up on fast and slow tracks and in command Mark Blundell brought a useful knowledge.

And one can only marvel at how brutally low cost Fortune polite Japanese. Almost all qualifications it has completed the top ten, and during workouts and was often in the top five. Speed in the races also could not fail to please. But whenever something inexplicably hurt put it in the result.

In Germany, Yukio went second. Third in Imola. At Monza he easily ahead of the pilots of the Sauber and McLaren and even had their tails up to Williams. Hungary kicked off the fifth (losing to 0.027 third result!), and in Jerez went from last place to seventh. The list of achievements goes on and on, but all efforts eventually brought only five points.

Racer was able to reach the checkered flag just four-seventh, sixth and fifth twice, although it had at least three races to climb on the podium.

And yet, one important result has been achieved: to Yukio to the negotiations of the major commands. Given its strong links with the tabačnikami of Mild Seven, could reflect even on moving to Benetton, but ... Katayama on all proposals was rejected.

And not because he was so devoted to Tyrrell. Already much later, after a career in F1, he admitted that in the same 1994 year medical examination revealed he nedobrokačistvennuû swelling in the back. Grave danger she was not the only manifestation of the unbearable pain.

Racer held in big Prizes for three seasons, first for Tyrrell, then at Minardi. But never again, he didn't get enough fast cars and did not earn any points, and speed of teammates-young and quick Micky Salo and Jarno Trulli-pushed it to a logical decision. The Japanese Grand Prix and 1997 year on said Katayama.

But he is not about to abandon active and rich in emotions of life. Yukio continued to chase: won (in-class) 12:0 am Le Mans, overcame the Sahara, when they reached the finish line of the African Marathon Dakar and returned to the Paddock in F1 when he participated in the SpeedCar series stages. Katayama got hooked on velogonkami Highway, created his own team and has achieved good results here too.

But the main passion Yukio was climbing. He won two of the eight in the Himalayas and five of the Seven highest peaks-points all over the world. In this list, by the way, is the Russian Elbrus, the ex-F1 pilot took off in 1998-m.

But truth be told if there is a light sports more dangerous races-that it is walking in the mountains. In December 2009 on the Japanese in the company of two friends undertook training climbing Mount Fuji. There was inclement weather, strong wind blew and it was snowing. Three fell down from the cliff. When rescuers reached the scene, two climbers were already dead. Yukio is lucky, and he escaped with minimal damage. And it is luck, admittedly, is not any comparison of the minutiae of life like a jammed throttle at Hockenheim when Katayama, overtaking Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill, was forced to stop the race...