Grand Prix: The Killer Years tonight at 23:35 BBC 2

[Mr Jack]

The Williamson incident was the worst, as he could have so easily been saved. The sight of the marshals standing and watching David Purley trying to save Roger is sickening. Williamson wasn't even injured - he suffocated.

It was a truly horrible incident but I think it's a bit unfair to blame the marshals: Purley was the only one in fireproof clothing, the couldn't get close themselves without being horribly burnt.

 

[Mr Jack]

You make things safer and it becomes less entertaining.

I don't really see how things like monococks, marshals with fireproof clothing and extinguishers on standby, and better crashbarriers make it less entertaining.

 

[Skii]

It was a truly horrible incident but I think it's a bit unfair to blame the marshals: Purley was the only one in fireproof clothing, the couldn't get close themselves without being horribly burnt.

I'm more critical of the other drivers - they were wearing more protective clothing, despite Purley standing in the middle of the track frantically gesturing to the oncoming cars to assist, no-one did.

Shocking.

 

[Mr Jack]

I'm more critical of the other drivers - they were wearing more protective clothing, despite Purley standing in the middle of the track frantically gesturing to the oncoming cars to assist, no-one did.

They apparently thought that it was Purley who'd been in the car, and had escaped unharmed. I find it hard to judge them. They had no radios, remember, and so will have approached the incident at a hundred miles an hour and had just seconds to judge their response before deciding what to do whilst doing all the things they normally have to do, and trying to race those around them. I think that the majority of them would have stopped had they realised what was going on.

Very, very sad.

What blame can be assigned lies, in my view, with the race organisers.

 

[absolutpepper]

Its great...if those are the right words. So difficult to watch and as someone pointed out so heartwrenching. While I think F1 has become a bit over-sanitized now I would take the way it is today over how it was back then any day of the week!

 

[Housey]

The Williamson incident was the worst, as he could have so easily been saved. The sight of the marshals standing and watching David Purley trying to save Roger is sickening. Williamson wasn't even injured - he suffocated.

They learn't little, look up the death of Elio De Angelis in 1986. Though at a test day he died from smoke inhalation when all he broke was I think a collar bone.

 

[JRS]

They learn't little, look up the death of Elio De Angelis in 1986. Though at a test day he died from smoke inhalation when all he broke was I think a collar bone.

Slightly unfair there Housey, they had learned an awful lot by that stage. Prof Sid Watkins was brought in by Bernie in '78, and had got many of the circuits whipped into shape by the mid '80s. Some took longer of course (he notes that Monza was a particular problem until the mid '90s) but on the whole things had improved dramatically. Just not enough, and as it turned out not enough at Paul Ricard.

The marshalling shambles that resulted in Elio dying continued into the French GP that year (same track of course, Paul Ricard). From a tribute site to Elio:

Soon after Elio's accident, FIA President Jean Marie Balestre introduced a series of reforms, the most noteable of which were the reduction of engine power for 1987, and the bi-sectioning of the Paul Ricard circuit to cut out the S bend where Elio suffered his accident. Many felt that these reforms were just a "knee jerk" reaction, particularly as there was no evidence to suggest that the ultra fast 'Verrerie' curve had in fact been the cause of the accident. The real issue that needed addressing was the shocking state of marshalling present at the circuit that fateful Tuesday. In all honesty the French GP should have been cancelled pending a full investigation.

The serious shortcomings in safety at the Ricard circuit were present for all to see when in in July 1986, Paul Ricard hosted the French GP and millions who watched were treated to a marshalling display that resembled something out of the keystone cops. Anyone who saw Phillipe Streiff's Tyrrell incinerate itself whilst the French fire brigade drove the wrong way up the pit lane, and then spew foam all over the track might perhaps have been forgiven for laughing. But deep down it really was no laughing matter.

Emphasis my own, of course.

 

[Housey]

Slightly unfair there Housey, they had learned an awful lot by that stage. Prof Sid Watkins was brought in by Bernie in '78, and had got many of the circuits whipped into shape by the mid '80s. Some took longer of course (he notes that Monza was a particular problem until the mid '90s) but on the whole things had improved dramatically. Just not enough, and as it turned out not enough at Paul Ricard.

The marshalling shambles that resulted in Elio dying continued into the French GP that year (same track of course, Paul Ricard). From a tribute site to Elio:

Oh I agree it improved no end, but it was still quite a way from what we see today and there was still room for vast improvement, not least during test days. It was also a fact that F1 cars were still aluminium honeycomb for most of the early to mid 80's so crashes still saw cars simply crumple up as we saw in 82 with both Villeneuve and Paletti, both of whom would have most likely survived today without a scratch, as probably would have Patrick Depailler had they put the guardrails up properly at Hockenhiem, yet another test day death.

Add to that Beloff and Winklehock in Group C cars that folded like paper in Beloff's case and the 80's was still a bad time to be a racing driver in terms of safety. The differences I saw in the 80's were very noticeable as I remember cars going into catch fencing which was bloody lethal when you look back now. I remember Russell Spence getting clobbered by a catch fence pole in the F3000 at Silverstone in the mid 80's too, scary stuff that.

After Willimson there were several avoidable deaths in F1 still. Cevert (debatable), Revson (perhaps), Koinigg (decapitated when his car went UNDER a badly fitting guard-rail), Tom Pryce (terrible), Petterson (should have lived, got blood poisoning due to bad medical treatment) and there were LOADS in sports cars. I remember Piquet and Bergers crashes at Tamburello too, having seen Bergers live I was convinced he was dead and remember the feeling of watching the car simply burn and burn for what seemed like an age when in reality it was a few seconds and dealt with brilliantly by the Italian marshalls on scene.

Scary times the 80's too, lots of luck and still lots to learn I believe, but the 70's were worse no question and Bernie with the Prof did no end of good I agree.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

I watched this last night - really does make you glad F1 is much safer these days. An excellent documentary.

 

[Lopéz]

They apparently thought that it was Purley who'd been in the car, and had escaped unharmed. I find it hard to judge them. They had no radios, remember, and so will have approached the incident at a hundred miles an hour and had just seconds to judge their response before deciding what to do whilst doing all the things they normally have to do, and trying to race those around them. I think that the majority of them would have stopped had they realised what was going on.

Very, very sad.

What blame can be assigned lies, in my view, with the race organisers.

You're right - Purley's parked car was obscured by the smoke from Williamson's car. The other drivers thought Purley had got out of his car and was trying to get the marshalls to put the fire out, which they weren't doing, hence his frustration.

They had no idea Williamson was trapped.