Q&A: Bruce Jouanny.

Promatecme UK driver Bruce Jouanny, involved in a huge crash during the rescheduled twentieth round of the British F3 championship on Saturday at Thruxton, speaks about the incident, his health and his concern for the spectator also involved...

Q:
What exactly happened?

Bruce Jouanny:
I was having quite a good race and, having started tenth, I was in sixth place having overtaken several guys. I was catching Derek Hayes from Manor Motorsport and beginning an attempt to overtake. I had tried once or twice to overtake. I was quite close, but he closed the door to keep his place. When we arrived at the last chicane, we were really, really close.

I tried to go on the inside just for the braking area, but I think I was braking later than others, I had already done this on three other guys. I wasn't able to get past Derek, I think as I was braking later than he was, and he kept the line. I went straight into the back of his car. I touched the right rear wheel of his car, this threw me into the air at 250kph and, at this speed, the car is literally flying.

I flew for a while at this speed - all I could see was bright blue sky and it was quite [a] long [time] up there. You are just waiting for the place to land, and you have no idea where this place is going to be. I flew over the fence and finished in the bushes about fifty metres away, so the distance, from when I hit Derek to where I landed, was about 200 metres. When the car stopped, it took me a few seconds to realise where I was and to check that I was okay. When I looked round, the doctor and a few others were already there.

That's how it happened.

Q:
So you are okay?

BJ:
I waved to say that I was okay. I took my helmet and gloves off myself, slowly, just to show that I was okay and so they could see my face. My main worry was about another ambulance that was arriving just a few metres away near the spectators, that was when I realised that a spectator may have been touched. This was confirmed about ten minutes later, nobody wanted to tell me at first, but later they told me it was a woman who had been hit. Fortunately, she is getting better and I am keeping in touch with her husband, who is a marshal at the corner where I went off. I met him at the hospital, and [he confirmed that] she is getting better.

For myself there is nothing serious and I am a bit stiff in the back and neck really really nothing, I am just feeling like an old man.

Q:
Could you have raced on Sunday?

BJ:
I am fine. I wish I could have raced. I just wanted to jump back into the car. I think it was my best weekend so far, as I had qualified second and third, and had managed to split the two Carlin cars for the first time. I was faster than Sato in the second session, which was good, but I can't race as the car was too damaged and [the team] couldn't repair it in time. I am disappointed that I could not race, it would have been a good race with the podiums nearly achieved.

Q:
Where does this leave you for the rest of the season?

BJ:
In my mind nothing has changed, just a few days to rest my back, then carry on my training, we then have to prove that those two qualifications here were not for nothing. I am 120 per cent confident in myself. We have worked well since Zandvoort, except for Knockhill, but I just want to jump into the car and prove myself for next year. I have had a few crashes before, especially in karting, but this was my first really big crash.

I would like to thank all the people that have been by the garage to wish me well, but my thoughts - and those of my team - are constantly with the lady that was injured.