Motion Pictures Killed Myself When I Was Young

I agree...this one alone was pretty hard to watch.

 

Intense...

 

I've been in a few crashes but never while racing. The two most memorable ones were when my friend was squirelling around and lost control and we rolled over, it was like everything went into slow motion. The other was when I fell asleep at the wheel, I could hear the sounds of my truck hitting the trees and going along the deep ditch for days after and I also could barely bring myself to drive for a couple weeks afterwards.

Now I wear my seatbelt always and have noticed that it does help you to keep better control of your vehicle in some bad situatuions such as sliding on black ice at 55 mph. God rest the souls of those who lost their lives in their pursuits of fun.

 

God bless the souls that raced back in those days. Things have really changed since then in regards to safety for the racers and spectators. Thanks for sharing.

 

At a younger age, I once had the misfortune of watching the video footage of the death of Roger Williamson at the '73 Dutch Grand Prix. In a word; HORRIFIC.
I've read numerous first hand accounts of F1 and Sports Car Drivers from the 50's and 60s, they were cut from a different cloth.
Francisco Plumbero put it succinctly.

 

It should be compulsory viewing for all those who bitch about NHRA, SCTA etc. having strict safety rules and not being too willing to stray from them. Safety rules are written with the blood of those who have gone ahead of us. R.I.P.

 

The prevailing thought in the early days was the driver stood a better chance of surviving if he was thrown clear of the wreck. I guess the fear of being burned to death was stronger than a few broken bones.

 

I've seen plenty of racing wreck shows on tv before, but none of them had ever made me feel so uncomfortable. Racing safety has really come a LONG way.

 

I was there, that day.


My dad and his friends were amateur racers that raced their sedans and sportscars the next meeting, a couple of weeks later.

I was there that day too.


We had never seen so many people show up for a raceday as we did that time.

They were there hoping to see another driver burn and die...

Which truely disgusted me.
And I learned there is a big difference in how racing is perceived by the general public, compared to how the people doing it see it.

 

I managed to watch a third of that.

 

It's amazing that those cars rarely came apart like you see today. The science of energy dissipation has save many lives.

 

Those ol boys didn't know what hit them. I felt bad seeing them take such punishment, and back then you had to have guts just to be in the stands, it sure has come along way hasn't it?

 

Crashes are a part of racing, without that risk few people would watch. Any time winning is on the line someone is going to push it too far and the results are inevitable. Sprint car drivers actually balked at cages (or even rollbars) for a time. And yes I raced and if I am honest the risk was/is part of the allure. I was never seriously injured and have wadded up my share of iron, also have pulled friends from cars that weren't so lucky. Some amazing videos in that clip. Being "thrown clear" was all the safety equipment some of those guys could hope for.

 

It would have been better without the music (yeah, just turn it off). Many times pictures tell a far better story on their own as opposed to someone else interjecting their thoughts.

I never watch a race hoping that someone will crash and get hurt and or killed but the video doesn't disturb me. Many of these guys lived out their dreams and the dreams many of the rest of us have but never had the balls to pursue.

Getting yourself killed is not a noble pursuit but getting killed from giving 101% percent doing what you love allows you to live far beyond your mortal death.

Many of those thrown from their cars got right back into another knowing they might not be as lucky next time. Damn, I respect that big time. All due respect to each of them.

 

Here's irony, any one that is close to me and knows of my wreck in the early 80's, know's that if I had my seatbelt on, I would NOT be here, not even the little pieces of me, if I wasn't thrown from the wreck. BUT>>>>>>>>>>>>> I never, ever get into a car and push the starter button, without first putting on my belt/belts or harness. AMEN

 

I was watching Wide world of sports in the mid 60s, when Lorenzo Bandini driving his Ferrari F1 car was killed at Monaco. He burned and none could do anything. Also saw film footage of Mauri Rose crashing at Indy and flying out of the car. then crawling very quickly on his hands and knees off the track to keep from getting run over.




Ago

 

By just reading the title, I was hoping for some more cool footage tied to a couple cool AA Bondy tunes.

You know, some nice relaxing racing footage. But after reading the blog and these responses, kinda glad I can't watch it on my iPhone...

 

It took me awhile to understand my Dad when he told me he didn't like to go to airshows anymore..

 

wow is all i can say. most of that just doesnt feel real to watch at all. its unreal what these guys did for the love of it....wow

 

Thank God I had roll bars and full harness.! Been there done that.

 

So, when someone is flamed because it's not traditional to use disc brakes and seat belts, while dying in a fiery wreck is, can we link this footage to that discussion.

Geoffrey

 

^Thank You

 

I watched it at work, and it's weighed on my mind since then. (I'm home now.)
I drove home with the XM off, processing my thoughts.

Yeah, those guys died doing what they loved doing, and there's some consolation in that.
Watching that car hit the wall and burn reminded me of a belief a dear friend shared with me, that right before imminent death, your spirit jumps out of the body. I would certainly hope so.

I also wondered how many of us drove home from work a little nicer, a little more considerately?

These guys didn't die in vain, they helped encourage safety equipment unwillingly through their actions. Ignoring safety is ignoring their deaths, and I won't do that.

 

A lot of those guys had been through WWII and weren't afraid of anything. God bless them.
Now adays it's kids on skateboards,bikes,rice rockets,etc. doing that stuff.

When your young,you feel invincible. It's only us old timers who know better.

 

Well, I feel a lot better knowing that a lot of you guys felt the same as I did. This really messed me up, I thought I was getting soft or something. I guess it's because we can relate to this so closely, we can see ourselves in this moment, we can imagine this as our worst case scenario, some of us have walked away from similar moments. I used to be able to watch Evel Kneivel crash, I was just a young boy when I saw him bust himself up on the buses, it didn't bother me as a young kid to watch this man, another living body , hit and bounce and flop like a toy doll. More recently I watched it again as an adult. I have crashed a few things, I have been that other living body a few times since the first time I watched that mans plight. I watch now and I actually feel it, my mind knows it, it makes me wince and grimace and shift in my seat. Dang. Just plain dang.

 

Heavy stuff, but like the man says; warning motor sport is dangerous. Especially so in those days!

 

If I had known I was gonna live so long I would have taken better care of my body. Had total R shoulder replaced last year, having L done this fall, spinal injuries make wearing a brace 23 hrs a day, crutch (modified cane type) and MANY drugs mandatory and I was 58 last October. Whuppeeee !!!!! But I had a great time getting here and would probably do it all again, well most things anyway (grin).

 

Same here. The Le-Mans footage at the opening is particularly disturbing, even though it doesn't actually show the crash itself, as soon as you see the mercedes 300SLRs, you KNOW what year it is, whats coming, and really dont want to see the rest. I have seen fatalities at the track, both road-race and drags, and really dont want to see more. Call me squeamish...