MAY 1, 1995

Robbery Italian style

The Imola tourist board will not have appreciated the publicity the region received last weekend when both Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi had their road- going Ferraris stolen by car thieves while in town for the San Marino GP.

The Imola tourist board will not have appreciated the publicity the region received last weekend when both Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi had their road- going Ferraris stolen by car thieves while in town for the San Marino GP. Alesi's silver-grey 355 disappeared from the car park at his hotel, while Berger's bright red 512 Testarossa - the pair worth around US$400,000 - provided a much more exciting story as Berger arrived as the thief was taking the car. The Austrian ran into the path of the fleeing bandit, realised that the robber had no intention of stopping and jumped clear just in time. The thief then drove the car at high-speed through a small gap to make his getaway, leaving only an inch of clearance on either side. Berger gave chase in a friend's Volkswagen Golf, but not even his prodigious talent could keep up with the supercar!The Imola police force seem to think that the robberies were professional jobs and that the two Ferraris are probably already on their way to the Middle East to be sold.