DECEMBER 7, 2001
Brazil's credibility hit by killing of yachtsman
Blake was one of New Zealand's biggest sporting heroes, having won the America's Cup for Team New Zealand in 1995 and defended the Cup in 1999. He was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth for his exploits.
Although Sao Paulo has fewer pirates than the Amazon, there have long been fears that someone will get seriously hurt or worse when the Formula 1 circus visits Brazil. This year there were a number of incidents when the Grand Prix circus visited Interlagos. There were a series of robberies from the Formula 1 garages, including seven computers from Jaguar Racing and wheel rims from Minardi. In addition Minardi team manager Tony Lees was robbed at gunpoint after visiting a bank in downtown Sao Paulo. There were several other reports of attempted robberies on F1 personnel.