
Never 'insult Poles again,' Poland's prime minister tells Ukraine's Zelensky
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has told Volodymyr Zelensky never to "insult Poles again" after the Ukrainian president suggested his neighbor was putting on a show over their disputes on grain exports.
2023-09-23 14:18

Joe Rogan discusses ‘sense of vibes’ in jellyfish and octopus during podcast
Joe Rogan delved into the fascinating world of jellyfish and octopuses, unraveling their distinct characteristics and intelligence
2023-12-01 20:49

Nuggets' Christian Braun seeking NBA title a year after winning NCAA championship
Denver rookie Christian Braun is in rarified air with the Nuggets two wins shy of winning the first NBA championship in franchise history
2023-06-09 18:21

TOUR Championship payout distribution 2023: Prize money, purse
The prize money and TOUR Championship payout distribution for the 30 players in the field at East Lake for the PGA Tour finale.
2023-08-28 04:45

Tom Cruise hailed for promoting 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' and amid 'Mission: Impossible 7' release: 'Way to lead your industry'
'Love your devotion to the theatrical experience! It’s truly fantastic,' claimed a fan
2023-06-29 18:49

British Grand Prix: 20 years since Irish ‘lunatic’ invaded the track at Silverstone
“Oh my goodness me!” screamed ITV’s lead Formula 1 commentator James Allen, words struggling to comprehend the sheer craziness of what was being witnessed. “We’ve got a lunatic on the track!” When a group of protestors from Just Stop Oil invaded the circuit last year during the opening lap of the British Grand Prix, it wasn’t Silverstone’s first run-in with track invaders. Contrarily, 20 years ago, the 2003 British Grand Prix was 10 laps in before deranged Irish priest Neil Horan sprinted up the fiercely quick Hangar Straight. Many drivers had to swerve to avoid him as Horan, dressed in a brown kilt, madly ran into the racing line of F1 cars speeding at 200mph while waving banners which read: “Read the bible” and “The Bible is always right.” The result could have been catastrophic if it wasn’t for the quick awareness of the drivers and the marshal stationed at position ‘Hangar 1’. Volunteering at the British Grand Prix once again, Stephen Green ran into the void of the unknown. “I didn’t really think, adrenaline just kicks in,” Green, now 72, tells The Independent. “I made the decision anyway to wait until most of the pack had gone past. I actually watched it last week on YouTube – it seems like the guy is running up there forever and a day before I get to him. “I think I just barged into him! Then he fell over and I just grabbed his wrists and dragged him. There was a white transit van with security waiting behind the debris fence. I remember what I said to him but it’s not printable!” It was an astonishing scene. While pitch invasions and streakers have for many a long year popped up at various sporting events across the country, a live racetrack is an entirely different situation altogether. More so than any wider cause, lives in the immediacy are at risk. For Green, though, it brought a sense of notoriety not familiar to the men and women in orange suits. Soon after, once the police investigation had subsided and Horan was charged with “aggravated trespass”, the marshal was the second man awarded the BARC (British Automobile Racing Club) Browning medal for outstanding bravery. The first was David Purley, 21 years earlier, following his attempts to save Roger Williamson from a fire at Zandvoort. Meanwhile Horan, laicised by the Catholic Church, did not stop there; in fact, Silverstone was just the start of his bizarre interventions. A year later, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he ran into the path of lead Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima in the men’s marathon and pushed him into the crowds, ruining his path to gold. Months earlier, he was caught by police at the Epsom Derby. He also appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, performing an Irish jig. Yet that day 20 years ago brought together two very different people from two very different walks of life. A point not lost on Green when, peculiarly, Horan got in touch. “Strangely enough, he emailed me five years ago to ask how I was,” Green says. “We exchanged a couple of emails and that’s about it. “Strange chap, shall we say!” The subject of protestors is top of the agenda at Silverstone this weekend. If not for last year’s near-catastrophe, then for Just Stop Oil’s recent interventions at Twickenham, the World Snooker Championship, the Ashes and just this week, Wimbledon. “At a national event, you always run the risk of idiots turning up and doing whatever they’ve got in mind to do,” Green says. “There was a huge tightening of security after the 2003 incident. “Last year I just got messages from my mates saying ‘why are you not at Silverstone?!’ There is a difference between Just Stop Oil and Horan though, I think everyone would say that Just Stop Oil are actually trying to achieve something. “Motorsport is lucky in many ways that we don’t get as much as we could’ve done. It is very tightly controlled – given F1 goes all over the world, I think it does pretty well.” Green, who still marshals at events across the UK after previous F1 stints in the Middle-East as well as Silverstone, had the rarest of race interactions on that day in ‘03. F1 and the police are on red-alert this Sunday to ensure a repeat does not occur, with the threat level at an all-time high. Read More Lewis Hamilton supports ‘peaceful’ protests at British Grand Prix this weekend Just Stop Oil ‘vital’ says Dale Vince as sports fans are backed to intervene Arrests at Wimbledon after Just Stop Oil protesters storm court twice Lewis Hamilton must be ‘cold-blooded’ in new Mercedes contract negotiations F1 release 2024 calendar with radical change to start of the season F1 descends into farce again after results shake-up – the FIA has to be better
2023-07-07 14:57

Celebrity birthdays for the week of July 9-15
Celebrities having birthdays during the week of July 9-15 include TV personality-turned-musician John Tesh, actor Tom Hanks and wildlife expert Jeff Corwin
2023-07-03 20:29

Chicago Cubs acquire Jeimer Candelario in a trade with the Washington Nationals
The Chicago Cubs have reacquired Jeimer Candelario in a trade with the Washington Nationals
2023-08-01 08:19

Global eCommerce Transactions Expected To Surge by 14% During 2023 Holiday Season, Friendly Fraud Looms as the Biggest Spoiler
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 24, 2023--
2023-10-24 21:21

North Korea criticises US human rights envoy as 'wicked, mudslinging'
By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL North Korea denounced the new U.S. special envoy on the country's human rights issues,
2023-08-02 06:54

China will launch Shenzhou-16 mission to Chinese space station on May 30
BEIJING China will send three astronauts to its now fully operational space station on Tuesday as part of
2023-05-29 09:26

US Justice Dept seeks to close loopholes on some gun sales
WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday proposed expanding the definition of firearms dealers who are required
2023-09-01 01:58
You Might Like...

US Senate aims for quick vote to avoid shutdown, but possible potholes ahead

Union Pacific hires CEO hedge fund recommended as 2Q profit fell 15% on weaker demand

NBA coaches may soon get 2nd challenge to use if 1st one is successful

Latest Dolphins injury scare in camp doesn’t bode well

US credit card debt tops $1 trillion, overall consumer debt little changed

From Elon Musk to Jamie Dimon, CEOs flock to China as risks to trade and investment rise

Donovan Mitchell scores 27 points as Cavaliers top Nets 114-113 in season opener

Cardinals completely fail to replicate Cubs' secret sauce