Named by several witnesses as the person responsible for approving the Monaco circuit of Trois-Rivières in 2014, Paul Cooke, vice-president of the national sporting authority, ASN Canada, said this was not the case.
This is what we read in the transcript of his discovery examination conducted on March 6, 2018 and filed as evidence in the lawsuit for $ 26 million in damages brought by pilot Ayrton Climo and his parents. Radio-Canada got a copy.
Paul Cooke did not testify during the hearings conducted since April 19 at the Trois-Rivières courthouse.
Contrary to the statements of several witnesses who have parked at the bar since the hearings began, including Pierre Simard and François Bellemare, the general manager and president of Monaco, Paul Cooke insists that his role is only as an advisor to the organizers. .
Forcefully asked by the prosecution, the head of ASN Canada since 1989 could not say which entity was responsible for the Monaco route or which regulations or standards both applied for design, track dimensions, safety measures to put in place.
Ask the question in Monaco! This is the response of Mr. Cooke.
Turn 5
From the beginning of the trial, some witnesses considered Paul Cooke’s approval of the installations and the circuit changes in 2014 compared to 2013 with the expansion of turn 5.
According to them, Mr. Cooke would have requested, a day before the accident, that the concrete walls be moved back to allow greater amplitude in the bend and better visibility over the rest of the course.
Other witnesses, including Robert Fotéas, director of Karting Quebec, or Edward Climo, Ayrton’s father, also claimed to have unsuccessfully questioned Mr. Cooke about concerns about turn adjustment.
The vice president of ASN Canada, in his 176-page testimony in English, however, did not mention this.
He said he remembers pilots requesting ground repairs on the bend, which was done the morning before the crash, Aug. 1, 2014. Self-leveling concrete was applied to level the pavement.
However, on the subject of plastic slides, which according to prosecution experts would make it possible to prevent the accident, Mr. Cooke affirmed that it was in the organization of Monaco and the GP3R to determine the number and location.
He said, moreover, he did not know who decided to add more after the accident.
I am aware of the Ayton Climo incident and I also know that there was one, I think nung Sunday, pwede ba tayo magbasa. With 6000 successful passes, there didn’t seem to be any significant issues on Turn 5 during the event.
There is no safe track
The question of security also came up several times during this interrogation.
Paul Cooke said he did not understand the prosecution attorney’s use of the word safe. He throws: there is no such thing as a safe running track.
He said it is the duty of pilots to avoid collisions between them or the bands, the pilots are in control of their vehicle.
Source: Radio-Canada
