Death's Shadow Over San Marino

MONTE CARLO -- The memory of two deaths, which turned last week's San Marino Grand Prix into a tragedy, will overshadow all else in Monaco when opening qualifying starts on Thursday.Two places at the front of the grid for Sunday's 78-lap Grand Prix, left empty out of respect for Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, will speak eloquently for the feelings of everyone involved in the sport.Senna, in particular, will be sorely missed at motor racing's most famous road race. The Brazilian had won a record six of the last seven Monaco Grands Prix, only missing out in 1988 because he lost concentration.Jordan's Brazilian driver Rubens Barrichello will be striving to draw inspiration from the memory of Senna when he competes at Monaco.Barrichello was the lucky survivor at Imola of a high-speed accident in opening qualifying when his car literally took off and crashed into the fencing before rolling to a halt. He expects to be back in the cockpit after recovering from a broken nose and bruised ribs."For me, Senna is immortal. He'll always be there," Barrichello said.But Austrian Gerhard Berger, close friend of both Senna and Ratzenberger, is distraught and may quit the sport.If Berger does not race on Sunday, his place with Ferrari will almost certainly be taken by Italian test driver Nicola Larini, who has deputized for injured Frenchman Jean Alesi in the last two races.If form in the opening three races of the season is reliable, it is likely that German Michael Schumacher will be racing towards his first Monaco win, his fourth in succession this season and the sixth of his career.Already well ahead in this year's title race with 30 points against nearest challengers Hill and Barrichello on seven, Schumacher will start as favorite to make up for the disappointment he suffered last year when forced to retire. International Automobile Federation president Max Mosley wrote in the London Times that there was a strong suspicion Ayrton Senna had been killed by a blow to the head from his car's front wheel and suspension, "and that, but for this, he would have survived without serious injury."In Australia, Grand Prix officials on Wednesday commemorated Senna by naming part of the Adelaide circuit in his honor. A chicane at the end of the pit straight has been named after Senna.South Australian Tourism Minister Graham Ingerson made the announcement at the launch of ticket sales for this year's Australian Grand Prix on November 13. Last Thursday, more than 3,000 people attended a memorial service for the 34-year-old racing driver at the Adelaide circuit