14 Years ago....
- Thread starter Flibster
- Start date
Not really, that was Pryce. He was the person you saw with the mangled head. Helmet was ripped off his head.
The Roger Williamson crash is one of the most difficult to watch. Fellow driver David Purley stopped racing and came to his aid. Williamson wasn't badly injured in the crash but was trapped in the car eventually asphyxiating. The marshalls didn't help as they didn't have flame retardant overalls. Watching the marshall trying to pull Purley away really brings a lump to my throat.
I'll never forget that weekend at Imola. Tragic enough when Ratzenberger crashed but then Senna too. It always makes me so sad. I was probably more into F1 then than I have ever been since and Senna was my favourite driver. I think he always will be. Finding out afterwards that he had a furled Austrian flag in the car to raise at the end of the race, thats the kind of guy he was.
Max Mosley didn't attend Senna funeral, he attended Ratzenberger's instead - "I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his."
I'll never forget that weekend at Imola. Tragic enough when Ratzenberger crashed but then Senna too. It always makes me so sad. I was probably more into F1 then than I have ever been since and Senna was my favourite driver. I think he always will be. Finding out afterwards that he had a furled Austrian flag in the car to raise at the end of the race, thats the kind of guy he was.
Max Mosley didn't attend Senna funeral, he attended Ratzenberger's instead - "I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his."
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Very worthy indeed. 40 years ago this year.
Unfortunately the guy driving that car was a British chap called " Tom Pryce " the guy he hit was carrying a fire extinguisher which struck tom on the head killing him instantly, it smashed his helmet up and the rest of his head
The reason he hit the guy is because that part of the track is low down and he wouldn't have seen the chaps running across until he was.. running into them
Unfortunately the guy driving that car was a British chap called " Tom Pryce " the guy he hit was carrying a fire extinguisher which struck tom on the head killing him instantly, it smashed his helmet up and the rest of his head
The reason he hit the guy is because that part of the track is low down and he wouldn't have seen the chaps running across until he was.. running into them
quite glad I didnt watch the rest of it in that case, incredibly sad.That is so sad looking back on all of them. Can't remember which driver it was trying to put out the flames on that one car, and trying to turn it back over.
Also Gilles Villeneuve being hurled out of his car after the impact.
So many talented drivers gone, RIP
Also Gilles Villeneuve being hurled out of his car after the impact.
So many talented drivers gone, RIP
Like Elvis, I may make a freak appearance somewhere bizzarre, but nothing with any amazing regularity.
I've just remembered that I've got the entire race weekend on DVD. Free practices, quallifying, the race, post race stuff as well. Never watched it. Seen other races that season, but not that one since seing it live.
I still remember this quote from the report:
Incidentally, Williams F1 cars since 1994 have carries the Senna S logo - generally around the front wing supports.
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H.A.N.S Device could have saved quite a few lives had it been introduced earlier on.. possibly even sennas
His head wouldn't have been thrown forward and the suspension piece might not have pierced his visor,
But I suppose lives lost brought the idea forward
I read somewhere that sennas crash was caused by his steering wheel coming off its fixing ? which had happened prior to his crash, he had complained but nothing was done about it, it does make sense as you don't see him attempt the steer round the corner anyone know if there is any truth in that ?
His head wouldn't have been thrown forward and the suspension piece might not have pierced his visor,
But I suppose lives lost brought the idea forward
I read somewhere that sennas crash was caused by his steering wheel coming off its fixing ? which had happened prior to his crash, he had complained but nothing was done about it, it does make sense as you don't see him attempt the steer round the corner
anyone know if there is any truth in that ?I read somewhere that sennas crash was caused by his steering wheel coming off its fixing ? which had happened prior to his crash, he had complained but nothing was done about it, it does make sense as you don't see him attempt the steer round the corner
According to the official report it was caused because of a chain of events. The car bottomed out causing a reduction in downforce therefore making the car slide. Senna felt this so steered into the skid but because the car only bottomed out for a split second, when he turned the steering wheel the car gripped and so took him off the circuit.
Apparently as soon as he felt the slide the stats say he started braking but ran out of road so couldnt slow down enough.
The Tom Pryce incident was very sad. Kyalami has a blind crest and Pryce's team mate pulled over with a minor fire. An over enthusiastic marshall ran out with an extinguisher to attend the fire and Pryce hit him at pretty much full tilt.
Our bus driver at school was called Tom Pryce which always amused me.
Villeneuve's accident was a result of a monumental difference in speed, he was on a flying lap and caught Jochen Mass, he thought Mass wasn't going to move across and so he went for the gap and as he did so Mass moved over, the "wrong way" for Villeneuve. Didn't stand a hope in hell, and another accident that happened under generally unhappy circumstances (Villeneuve and Pironi were Ferrari team mates and there was serious aggro between them in 1982, Villeneuve thought Pironi was a double crossing son of a gun and was only on a flyer at Zolder trying to beat a time just set by Pironi)
Not long afterwards Pironi had an uncannily similar shunt at Hockenheim I think in the wet, ploughed straight into the back of Prost in the mist wasn't it? He never raced F1 again.
Our bus driver at school was called Tom Pryce which always amused me.
Villeneuve's accident was a result of a monumental difference in speed, he was on a flying lap and caught Jochen Mass, he thought Mass wasn't going to move across and so he went for the gap and as he did so Mass moved over, the "wrong way" for Villeneuve. Didn't stand a hope in hell, and another accident that happened under generally unhappy circumstances (Villeneuve and Pironi were Ferrari team mates and there was serious aggro between them in 1982, Villeneuve thought Pironi was a double crossing son of a gun and was only on a flyer at Zolder trying to beat a time just set by Pironi)
Not long afterwards Pironi had an uncannily similar shunt at Hockenheim I think in the wet, ploughed straight into the back of Prost in the mist wasn't it? He never raced F1 again.
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