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View Full Version : Kovalainen cleared to race and reason for crash



Titch
08-05-2008, 02:45 PM
wooooo!



Heikki Kovalainen has been given the all-clear to take part in the Turkish Grand Prix after passing an FIA medical examination on Thursday morning.
The McLaren driver escaped virtually unscathed from a frightening crash into the tyre barriers in the Spanish Grand Prix 11 days ago.

But he was concussed on impact and briefly lost consciousness, and in all such circumstances drivers are required to undergo an FIA medical before being allowed to drive again.

After an initial period of rest Kovalainen resumed training in his native Finland last week and said he was always confident of getting clearance to race.

"I am obviously very pleased with the decision by the FIA medical team," he said.


"I arrived here today feeling confident that I would pass the FIA test as I feel 100%, and if I had not felt 100% I would have told the team already and stayed at home.


"My preparation for this weekend has gone well and we have done a lot of fitness training.

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"Obviously a big thumbs-up for all the FIA safety standards and the guys in Spain who worked hard to get me out of the car safely."


Kovalainen added that the crash probably looked worse from the outside and that he was now looking forward to resuming racing action.


"I think the accident probably looked worse than it was for me," he said.

"I had a little headache but was back in training almost immediately.


"I now look forward to the rest of the weekend and the rest of the season."


Also the reaosn why he crashed has been reviled.



McLaren has revealed that a component failure caused by a problem during manufacturing triggered Heikki Kovalainen's huge accident in the Spanish Grand Prix.


The Finn was pitched into the tyre barriers at high speed when a wheel failure caused a sudden deflation of his McLaren's left-front tyre.


The team initially suspected that debris had become caught between the tyre and the wheel rim, but after a thorough investigation it concluded that this was not the case.


"During the recent Spanish Grand Prix a new front wheel on Heikki car failed on lap 22," said a McLaren statement.

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"Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and its official supplier of wheels have now conducted a thorough technical investigation to determine the exact cause of the failure.


"It has been established that, owing to a process fault during manufacture, the outer clamp surface of the wheel was given a clear lacquer coating.


"As a consequence of this fault, the clamp load that attached the wheel was not to specification.


"In running, the consequent loss of load caused the wheel to fret and distort, leading to its eventual failure."


The statement added that preventative measures had now been taken to ensure the problem would not happen again.


"Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and the wheel supplier have now established new procedures designed to prevent a re-occurrence of this issue," the team said.


Despite his car being buried in the tyre wall and the front of the monocoque sustaining heavy damage, Kovalainen escaped with only a minor concussion and was released from hospital the following day.


He has now been given medical clearance to return to the cockpit for this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix.

Mr.Sam
08-05-2008, 02:49 PM
Yay for Kovi :eusa_danc

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