memorial montage of F1 deaths. *GRAPHIC*

superchevy

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*VERY GRAPHIC*

but also a must see. it may border on being "tasteless", but it's not a glorification of the deaths. it's a well done memorial, in my opinion. it also shows the appalling regard for safety and emergency reponse in the past.

my youtube post:
the roger williamson death is horrific! i could feel the anguish of whoever that was trying desperately to help the man out of the car. he was trying with all his might, sticking his arms into that blazing wreckage. he fervorously waves for some help, but it looks like even he knows it's futile at that point. he finally lets go. that's so sad.

learned the hero was a fellow driver who stopped to help, david purley.
roger williamson bio, career synopsis, and info surrounding the accident that took his life
Ian Philips - journalist and friend : "Purley actually had a conversation with him. David was hying to turn him over and told me afterwards how Roger had said to him, For God's sake, David, get me out of here', and he just couldn't get him out. The circumstances were just appalling. Berger's thing at Imola in 1989 proved just how much things have changed over the years.

i can't help but be pissed at those emergency personnel just standing there while david purley was the only one doing a damn thing! i was actually tearing up watching that particular part of the film. that is true heroism, and purley rightfully received several commendations.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORs-8GT6SMU[/youtube]

i'm sorry if this is a repost. i didn't come up with anything in a search.
 
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this is sad

the only consolation is they died doing what they loved and enjoyed, and i cant think of a better way to go to be honest.

david purley is a TRUE FUCKING HERO, just look at him, he never gives up he tried to quench the flames himself and turn the car over while still on fire. i admire anyone who shows scant regard for his own life in the vain attempt to save his fallen comrade. if i was david i dont think i could ever live with myself knowing that i couldnt save my friend.

i know F1 is much safer today, but do you think if something like that happened in melbourne in a few weeks time the driver would be parking up and sprinting to save their friends? i very much hope that they would


also

what happens in the tom pryce incident? does someone get run over there? is it tom pryce or is it tom price that hit a marshall or something? that was truely horrific. its a risky sport, but its just heart crushing when some one dies. its going to happen again i can feel it, its testament to F1 engineers and designers that no one has died in an F1 car since that fateful weekend at san morino in 94 where roland ratzenberger and senna lost their lives.

roland ratzenberger hit a concrete wall full on i think. thankfully that wall no longer exists.
 
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someone said in the comments that it was tom pryce who hit a member of the field staff.

wasn't that ratzenberger's first f1 race?
 
this is sad

the only consolation is they died doing what they loved and enjoyed, and i cant think of a better way to go to be honest.

david purley is a TRUE FUCKING HERO, just look at him, he never gives up he tried to quench the flames himself and turn the car over while still on fire. i admire anyone who shows scant regard for his own life in the vain attempt to save his fallen comrade. if i was david i dont think i could ever live with myself knowing that i couldnt save my friend.

i know F1 is much safer today, but do you think if something like that happened in melbourne in a few weeks time the driver would be parking up and sprinting to save their friends? i very much hope that they would


also

what happens in the tom pryce incident? does someone get run over there? is it tom pryce or is it tom price that hit a marshall or something? that was truely horrific. its a risky sport, but its just heart crushing when some one dies. its going to happen again i can feel it, its testament to F1 engineers and designers that no one has died in an F1 car since that fateful weekend at san morino in 94 where roland ratzenberger and senna lost their lives.

roland ratzenberger hit a concrete wall full on i think. thankfully that wall no longer exists.

tom pryce hit a marshall who was carrying a fire extinguisher, the extinguisher his tom's head and killed him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Pryce#Death
 
I know it isn't F1 but The 1955 Le Mans disaster is the one that hits me the most. I mean, over 80 people dead due to one car crashing....
 
Great video, but it's a repost.
 
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On June 11, 1955, the 24 Hours of Le Mans began, with Pierre Levegh behind the wheel of the #20 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR run by Daimler-Benz. American John Fitch was Levegh's assigned partner in the car, and would take over driving duties later. Competition between Mercedes, Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Maserati was close, with all the marques fighting for the top positions early on. After just over two hours of racing and approximately 6:26pm local time, Levegh was following Mike Hawthorn's leading Jaguar D-type along the pit straight at the end of Lap 35. Hawthorn had just passed Lance Macklin's slower Austin-Healey 100 when Hawthorn began slowing to make a pit stop. Hawthorn, whose Jaguar had disc brakes, slowed much more quickly than other competitors using drum brakes, such as Levegh's Mercedes. The sudden braking by Hawthorn caused the recently passed Austin-Healey to swerve to the left side of the track, attempting to repass the slowing Jaguar. Unfortunately, Lance Macklin had not noticed that both Pierre Levegh and Juan Manuel Fangio in another 300 SLR approaching quickly from behind. Fangio was in second place at the time and attempting to lap Levegh.

Levegh, being ahead of Fangio on the track, did not have time to react. Already being on the left side of the track, Levegh could not attempt to swerve to the left or else he would have crashed into the hay bales on the side of the track. Swerving to the right would have been impossible as he would still have hit the Austin-Healey. With no other option, Levegh attempted to slow his 300 SLR before hitting Macklin, but to no avail. The aerodynamic design of the Austin-Healey featured a long, ramp-like rear bodywork. When Levegh hit the Austin-Healey from behind, his car became airborne, soaring towards the left side of the track, where it impacted an earthen mound set on the side of the track, ironically, to protect spectators.

The 300 SLR struck the mound at such speed and angle that it was launched into a somersault, the centifugal force of which caused parts of the car which were loose or damaged in the impact to be flung free of the car. This included the hood and front axle, both of which were hurled airborne before landing in the crowd. The car's engine block also broke free and was shot directly into the spectators as if a cannon ball. Pierre Levegh was also thrown free of the somersaulting car, crushing his skull when he landed.

As the remains of the 300 SLR slowed its somersault, the fuel tanks ruptured. The ensuing fire touched off what remained of the magnesium body work, and it exploded into white hot flames, sending searing embers onto the track and into the crowd. Rescue workers attempting to put out the burning wreckage were initially unsuccessful, as they unknowingly used water on a magnesium fire, which only intensified the inferno. As a result, the car burned for several hours. In total, 80 spectators were killed either by flying parts or from the fire.

Fangio, driving behind Levegh, narrowly escaped the heavily damaged Austin-Healey which was now skidding to the right of the track, in his path. Macklin then hit the pit wall and bounced back to the left, crossing the track again. He impacted the barrier near the location of the now burning 300 SLR, leading to the death of another single spectator, although Macklin survived the incident.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1955_Le_Mans_disaster
 
this is sad

the only consolation is they died doing what they loved and enjoyed, and i cant think of a better way to go to be honest.

david purley is a TRUE FUCKING HERO, just look at him, he never gives up he tried to quench the flames himself and turn the car over while still on fire. i admire anyone who shows scant regard for his own life in the vain attempt to save his fallen comrade. if i was david i dont think i could ever live with myself knowing that i couldnt save my friend.

i know F1 is much safer today, but do you think if something like that happened in melbourne in a few weeks time the driver would be parking up and sprinting to save their friends? i very much hope that they would

If a situation like that arose I think they would, but happily both car safety and the trackside marshalling and equipment have lept forward during the last 35 years so that it's very nearly impossible to have a similar situation these days.
 
i also had no idea Gilles crash was so bad. you see his car go off the track but the camera man sticks with the white car infront. then at the next corner all you see is Gilles broken car somersaulting toward the corner and flinging his body over the track. :(

as bad as roger williamsons burning alive was, i think tom pryces crash was just as horrific. that would of been like a razor blade at that speed when he hit the marshall, basically killed by another person and a fire extinguisher hitting you in the face at high speed. :( was there blood spattered up the front of his car as well? looked like it
 
Oh my god what a shocking video. It takes a lot, and I do mean HUGE things to shut me up but this....damn....I don't think I have ever been so lost for words. Roger Williamson's accident and the truly, utterly heroeic efforts of David Purley were just.....wow....
 
as bad as roger williamsons burning alive was, i think tom pryces crash was just as horrific. that would of been like a razor blade at that speed when he hit the marshall, basically killed by another person and a fire extinguisher hitting you in the face at high speed. :( was there blood spattered up the front of his car as well? looked like it

He didn't burn alive (amazingly), he sufficated to death actually, not that it's much better.:( Tom pryce got partially decapitated from his chin strap on his helment. He was going approx 170mph when he hit the marshall, and the 40lb extinguisher almost took his head off. It was a freak type accident really.:cry:
 
He didn't burn alive (amazingly), he sufficated to death actually, not that it's much better.:( Tom pryce got partially decapitated from his chin strap on his helment. He was going approx 170mph when he hit the marshall, and the 40lb extinguisher almost took his head off. It was a freak type accident really.:cry:

and the marshal he hit was sliced in half, apparently they didnt realize the marshal was dead until the end of the race when they did a count and were missing one:blink: :(
 
Those were the days, i have a lot more respect to drivers form those eras. The danger was what made F1 so amazing, you needed balls to do it.
 
I saw that a couple of times before...It's really sad, disturbing...in those days, they really were heroes!
And Williamson's accident is horrific. David Purley is a true hero!
I think that the most interesting thing is, that the last driver that died ina an F1 car, was the best of the best, Ayrton Senna. Trully tragic! :(
 
F1 is probably one of the safest sports nowadays. I mean, if you're playing tennis and Roger Federer slams the ball into your face you would probably die, but if you crash in a F1 car at 300kph into a wall you'd make it.
 
Yeah, that's what's missing from F1 these days - death. :roll:

Not death, but speed. The top speed hasnt really increased since i-don't-when. It would be a reasonable risk to take it up a notch, at least to 400km/h. As well having less restrictions on mechanical grip, that would allow high speed cornering.
The main argument against this is that g-forces would be too high for the drivers to handle, but i reckon they could get a balance (maybe 20% faster).
The drivers would have to train a lot harder though.
 
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