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I REMEMBER
I have a list….The list
isn’t written down on paper….the list is in my heart, my
soul, it’s in me. Some of you will have a list too…if
you followed F1 in the 50’s & 60’s….your list is a lot
longer than mine. If you are a fan who came on board in
the late 80’s & early 90’s, your list is shorter than
mine. If you got interested in F1 in 1995, you are the
lucky one…..you have no list….
I REMEMBER……
I bought pit seats for
my wife and myself for the USGP at Watkins Glen in
October of 1973. Front row seats…overlooking the
Tyrrell pits. It was Patty’s first Grand Prix (it was
only my third) and I wanted her to have the full F1
experience….the sights, the sounds, and the “circus” in
all its glory. It was exciting…until late Saturday
morning…..Francois Cevert was killed that morning. It
was near the end of the morning session. It became
apparent to us spectators that something was wrong. The
word started to spread through the stands that there had
been a bad accident. The cars started to trickle into
the pits……Surtees, Mclaren’s, Marches……until you
realized that all the cars were in except two of the
three Tyrrell’s. Chris Amon’s Tyrrell was parked in the
pit…..than Jackie Stewart came slowly into the pits.
There are 2 images of that day burned into my head.
#1: The relief on
Helen Stewart’s face as she realizes that her husband
was safe…safe forever He was to retire after Sunday’s
race but she knew that his car would be withdrawn and he
was safe.
#2: John Watson. John
Watson was driving the third Brabham. Before the
afternoon session began John was sitting in the Kendall
Garage just staring off into space. He acknowledged no
one……he was all-alone in a crowded garage….a garage in
which the mechanics were doing their job, preparing the
cars for the afternoon session. And when they were done
with their job, it was time for John Watson to do his.
I walked up as close as I could to John and took his
picture….I still remember the feeling I had at that
moment. I REMEMBER…..feeling unclean.
I didn’t realize it at that
time…..But I had started my list.
I remember…..Peter Revson - Peter
Revson was killed at Kyalami in March of 1974. He was
testing the UOP Shadow….something broke…and he died at
the corner known as Barbecue Bend. Patty lost her
interest in F1 with Peter’s death. He was her favorite
driver. She still wanted to know how Emmo, Niki,
Ronnie, and James were doing…but her interest was now
focused on the Steelers. We had season tickets and
though football is a violent game…..Players didn’t die.
I remember……Helmuth Koinigg -
Helmuth Koinigg made his F1 debut for Team Surtees at
the 1974 Canadian GP. It was said that his 10th
place finish allowed John Surtees his first smile of the
year. I was at the Glen for his second race. On the 10th
lap something happened to one of his rear tires. It was
not a very fast accident, but both the catch fence and
the guardrail failed to stop the car…..Helmuth was
decapitated.
I remember…..Mark Donahue - Mark
Donahue and Roger Penske were a team that won at Indy,
the Trans Am, and created a super car with Porsche…..the
Porsche 930 Can Am car that was the death knell of the
Can Am series. Penske turned his attention to F1 and
Mark came out of retirement. Mark had an accident at
the Osterrreichring during the pre-race warm up session
for the 1975 Austrian GP. He had regained
consciousness, could move his limbs, and was talking
lucidly. The belief was that he would back in the car
in a couple of week’s…..Three days later he died of a
cerebral hemorrhage.
I remember….Roger Williamson - I
never got to see Roger Williamson drive. Many pundits
thought he had the potential to one of England’s
greatest drivers. His left front tire burst on his
March at Zandvoort causing a wreck and his car caught on
fire. David Purley desperately attempted to rescue
Williamson from the flames with virtually no help from
the “safety crew” at the scene.
I remember……Tom Pryce - Tom was one
very quick Welshman who drove for the Shadow team. Kyalami in 1977 was known for two things….
(1)
was Niki Lauda’s first victory since his horrific
wreck at the ‘Ring…and
(2)
the needless death of Tom Pryce. His death was
due to neither driver error nor mechanical failure. An
overzealous marshal jumped over the pit wall and ran
across the track at a point were visibility was very
limited. Tom Pryce hit square on 19 year old Jansen van
Vuuren as he raced at full speed side-by-side with Hans
Stuck, whom Tom was attempting to pass. Both van Vuuren
and Pryce were killed instantly.
I remember…..Ronnie Peterson -
“Super Swede” was just that. Even though I saw Ronnie
win at the Glen in ’73 with Lotus, my fondest memory was
watching Ronnie do 360’s in the Tyrrell 6-wheeler in
front of a very appreciative audience along Moss Corner
at Mosport Park during the running of the 1977 Canadian
GP. Now, Ronnie wasn’t doing this for our amusement…the
6-wheeler was a handful and every once in a while Ronnie
would get it a “tad” wrong exiting the corner. Ronnie
died on the operating table after getting involved in a
first lap accident at Monza at the 1978 Italian GP.
I remember……Patrick Depailler -
Patrick was part of Ken Tyrrell’s young guns in 1974.
Teamed up with the “Baby Bear”…AKA….Jody Scheckter.
Patrick always seemed to have a smile on his face.
People in the know always believed that the only “down
to earth” drivers of that era were Patrick and Gilles
Villeneuve. While Jody had the better reputation,
Patrick was considered an exceptional test driver. He
did most of the development on the Project 34 car (the
6-wheeler). He was killed while testing for Alfa Romeo
at Hockenheim. There was work being done on the track
during the test session and the catch fencing was down.
Something broke on the Alfa and the car slid head on
into the barrier at the fastest corner of the track.
With the catch fencing up.....he would have had an
excellent chance of survival.
I remember….Elio de Angelis - Elio
drove for Shadow, Lotus, & Brabham. He was a teammate
of both Nigel & Ayrton at Lotus. He moved on to Brabham
after the 1985 season. He died during a test session at
Paul Ricard. He was one of the most popular drivers in
the paddock.
I remember…..Riccardo Paletti - I
thought of Ricardo while watching the starts of both the
1999 Brazilian and San Marino Grand Prix’s. Riccardo’s
first GP was the 1985 Canadian GP. Didier Pironi’s
Ferrari stalled on the grid at the start and Riccardo’s
Osella slammed into the back of the Ferrari at 150+ mph.
I remember…..Gilles
I remember….Graham Hill and Tony
Brise. - Along with other team members, they died in a
private plane crash while returning from testing for the
Embassy Hill GP team.
I remember…..Carlos Pace -
Especially while driving that gorgeous Martini Brabham.
Carlos died in a plane crash. Pedro Diniz painted his
helmet to resemble Pace’s.
I remember….Gunnar Nillson - Gunnar
was Mario’s teammate with Lotus in 1976/77. Gunnar won
the Belgian GP in 1977 at Zolder. He developed cancer
and died in less than two years.
I remember….Manfred Winklehock -
Manfred was known not only for driving the BMW turbo ATS
in F1 but was also a very accomplished sports car
driver. He lost his life during a sports car event at
Mosport Park in 1985.
I remember….Stefan Bellof - Many
believed Stefan would have been a world champion.
Behind the wheel of a racing car, he was in Ronnie
Peterson, Jochen Rindt, Gilles Villeneuve mold. A pure
and instinctive racer and one who was naturally fast.
Monaco 1984 showed him at his best. Most people think
of that race as Senna’s coming out party. All Bellof
did was put the non-turbo Tyrrell on the grid in 29th
and last place. When the checkered flag was prematurely
shown…he was in 3rd place and running faster
than the leaders (couple of guys named Prost & Senna).
Stefan was killed at Spa during a sports car race when
he made a passing attempt at Eau Rouge.
I remember….Niki’s terrible
accident at the ‘Ring
I remember….Clay Reggazoni’s
accident at Long Beach that would put him in a
wheelchair.
I remember….Didier Pironi’s career
ending accident at Hockenheim.
I remember…..Imola in 1994
Yes….…I love F1…….but I remember…..
My prayer is…that the new fans of
this most fascinating sport will never have a list…..
to remember.
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