Philippe Alliot Mexico 88

[Osella]

I've just seen pics on FORIX of him totalling the car... anyone know anything more?

[Fan]

Alliot was driving a Lola Larrousse Ford. I think that the left rear suspension broke coming out of the last corner in Mexico. It sent the car left, Alliot tried to correct it but instead went hard right into the pit wall. The car rolled over a few times, coming to rest on the grass. The team only had two cars (no spare as Alliot had hit the wall hard in Monaco) so spent the night rebuilding it. He retired after 1 lap with suspension problems again. His team mate was Yannick Dalmas.... aah, the good old days...

[Steve Wilkinson]

The last corner at Mexico City's oxygen starved course is the infamous Parabolica. I went in '87 and I spent one of the practice sessions watching the drivers battle through. There were several near misses and on race day several shunts! An awesome corner that needed total commitment and very big balls.

[Jonny Apex]

I thought the corner was called Peraltada - Parabolica is the last corner at Monza. It was a very big balls corner, particularly considering the speed and the bumps and the skittish nature of the cars on turn-in. It even claimed Senna in 91 qualifying when his car snapped the wrong way and slid into the tyres and fell over onto its roll hoop.

Surely the most famous moment at Peraltada was Mansell's incredible move in the Ferrari around the outside of Berger 's McLaren in 1990. I say that as someone who was never a Mansell fan at the time, but realise now just how fortunate we were to watch such big balls drivers. Not the same today, save for the odd exception. Likewise the circuits. Ye gods, what have they gone and done to this sport ...

I also always thought it a bit dodgy having the pit lane entry at Mexico run just a few yards away and the entire length of Paraltada on its inside - without any barrier in between. Just imagine if someone had lost it going in (the place was notoriously dusty) and had drifted left over the kerbing onto the track!

[BSchneiderFan]

Peraltada claimed Ricardo Rodriguez too, IIRC.

[Steve Wilkinson]

On my trip to Mexico I was fortunate enough to get a track pass. Whilst wandering out into the country I bumped into twenty Mexicans who each had a broom and were lined up across the track. They were slowly sweeping the grit and dust to one side! Apparently they had four or five similar crews dotted round the course!

The other thing I remember was whilst walking round the track I had to stop before the first corner for a rest. It was so long and with no shade it was unbearable! What it must have been like for a ful GP distance heaven only knows!

[Kicking-back]

From what I've read and recall it was very gruelling over a race distance.

Particularly when taking into account many drivers had unfortunate experiences with the local food even before raceday!

[Steve Wilkinson]

Yes it could be quiet a problem.

It wasn't so much the food as the WATER. I was advised as follows:
1) I should not eat salads because they were rinsed using tap water.
2) I should always ask for bottled water and send it back if was already opened when it came to the table.
3) Never have ice in a drink.

I tried to follow these pearls of wisdom but was still laid low for three days with MR!

[Jonny Apex]

I also recall that the circuit was higher above sea level than most venues so air/oxyen was quite thin. The normally aspirated motors didn't half struggle for breath, thus giving the turbos to have an even greater advantage ... and on a circuit with a monster of a pits straight.

[Osella]

....i'm glad i asked! cheers folks... i'll have to find more questions

[marcus]

I have Alliot's 88 crash on tape somewhere , but I dunno if the rear suspension broke though.

it may have but from the vision you cant actually see anything breaking (until he hits the wall)

was a shocking crash thats for sure and he (and people on the pit wall) were very lucky not to be hurt.

[Jonny Apex]

Didn't Derek Warwick also have a biggie exiting Peraltada in 87 when his Arrows Megatron turned left coming off the corner onto the pits straight? Think that one stopped the race. I've got that somewhere on tape as well as the Alliot shunt. I'll see if I can dig them out over the weekend ...

[Steve Wilkinson]

The shunt was a biggy. They didn't stop the race but probably should have. There was a super first lap shunt out the back where I was with Piquet and Prost tangling. Prost was out on the spot whislt Piquet got going again after a push from the track side workers Nelson's drive back through teh field to second was the highlight of the race