Circuit changed after death

THE crash that killed V8 driver Ashley Cooper in this year's Clipsal 500 in Adelaide was the result of driver error, an investigation has confirmed.

But Australian motorsport officials have moved to modify the Adelaide street circuit where Cooper slammed into a concrete barrier at high speed in February.

Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) chief executive Graham Fountain said the investigation had confirmed that the track, Cooper's car, his safety equipment and the conditions on the day did not contribute to the cause of the 27-year-old's crash.

"Unfortunately, it was a mistake, we're all humans and we all make mistakes,'' Fountain said. "Ashley was a very experienced driver and unfortunately there was a mistake that led to the accident. This mistake resulted in Ashley's unfortunate death. It was a misjudgment.''

Cooper, from Ulladulla in New South Wales, died in hospital from severe head injuries after crashing his VZ Commodore into the barriers on the exit of turn eight, the fastest on the Adelaide circuit.

He was competing in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, a development program for the main V8 Supercar series.

The sweeping right hander that claimed his life has been the subject of controversy for several years and is often the scene of major incidents during the Clipsal 500 carnival.

Changes have been made a number of times, including the introduction and later removal of a chicane. Under the latest changes, an extra race line barrier will be installed in 2009 to change the alignment of the corner and to narrow the track at that point.

CAMS said the result would be a five to eight per cent reduction in speed, cutting the likely top speed through the corner to 195kph. It would also change the angle at which a car could strike the new barrier.

Fountain said the CAMS inquiry considered alternative barrier materials but believed the concrete ones currently in use to be the best for the job.

"Concrete barriers are used worldwide and are used at formula one events in Melbourne and around the world,'' he said. "Concrete barriers have stood the test of time.''

Fountain said CAMS was also considering the use of black box technology to provide more data to officials after a crash or serious incident.