Portuguese GP Tyrrell notes

September 24, 1995 Ukyo Katayama in Good Shape after Start Crash

Ukyo Katayama crashed heavily at the start of the Portuguese Grand Prix and was transported to the S. Francisco Xavier Hospital in Lisbon. He was conscious when he left the track. He had no apparent injuries apart from a painful neck, and will be kept in hospital for observation for 24 hours.

Ken Tyrrell, Team Principal: "The team is relieved that Ukyo has no serious injuries and we are looking forward to his rapid return."

Mike Gascoyne, Deputy Technical Director: "Obviously our major concern was Ukyo, and we are delighted to hear he is OK. The monocoque stood up to the impact very well and protected him for serious injury. Mika had a hard race with lack of grip and drove very consistently to the finish."

Mika Salo finished 13th after two stops for fuel and tyres.

Mika Salo: "I made an excellent first start but my second start was not so good. I pushed as much as I could but after the early laps I lost grip and I had to ease off to save the tyres."

Takaari Kimura - Yamaha F1 Project Leader: "We are very pleased and relieved to hear that Ukyo is well. Looking at the telemetry data from Ukyo's car there appears to have been nothing wrong with the car or engine - it was just a very unfortunate accident. We all wish him a swift recovery."

"Mika did a good job to finish the race. Obviously we need to shave off some time to improve our performance and become more competitive. Mika has raced at the Nurburgring recently and we hope that Ukyo will be fit for that race."

"On a positive note I am pleased to report that we had no problems with our C spec engines this weekend."