[AlvinKarpis]

Another amazing Mondo Documentary from the 70s ripped to my computer over 10 years ago from a rental VHS

Jim Malloys fatal crash at Indy 500 in 1972

RIP

[imbok]

Originally Posted by windowlicker ↗

This is the FIA European Hill Climb Championship 2011. Georg Plasa died in his BMW 134 Judd during the Coppa Carotti Hill Climb in the Italian Apennine mountains shortly after the fourth corner after a very heavy crash into a bank. Immediately after the crash marshals and spectators rushed to the car but it was too late.

There is video footage of the crash, it sounds as if the throttle was open up to impact, perhaps it was a technical issue. The driver was very experienced as seems unlikely he 'got it wrong', but we may never know...very sad.

You can tell that something definitely went wrong with the car from the video. It was as if he was unable to turn in. Stuck throttle, suspension failure, or steering failure are likely suspect. All racing drivers have one big fear - something breaking.

[AlvinKarpis]

Here is a clip from the 1981 Indy 500 of Gordon Smiley in second place and Rick Mears in third in a battle

Smiley shows off his defensive skills with a couple good blocks and an in your face cutoff at the turn

I love showing this clip to 15 year olds on Youtube claiming that Smiley was a rookie and was in over his head

Thats bullshit, how was Smiley in over his head when in 1981 he held down second place for a while and even held first place for a couple laps near the end of the race

A perfect clip of a great underrated driver

[Norwegian1]

Very good clip of Smiley showing of his racing abilities

[windowlicker]

See page five for a link to AlvinKarpis excellent Gilles Villeneuve thread, but I've got a few very sad aftermath photos...

Gilles practice crash at Zolder in 1982 was more like an airplane crash, the Ferrari 126C2 lifting off after hitting the rear of Jochen Mass's March and destroying itself in a series of barrer rolls, ejecting Gilles onto the side of the track.

Gilles 'team mate' Frenchman Didier Pironi had overtaken him and won at the previous GP at Imola when Villeneuve understood team orders were in play as he was leading and believed Pironi had stolen the win.

After this he vowed it was 'war' and he would beat Didier in every practice session and race. In final practise he was fractionaly slower than his team mate, and when he came up to Jochen Mass he was never going to lift off. He picked the wrong side of the March to pass as Jochen moved over for him...

Poor Jochen was heartbroken at the loss of Gilles and his unwitting involvement, some heartless individuals like Niki Lauda publicly blamed him for this tragic accident.

[windowlicker]

The accident prone, but bloody fast when he managed to keep it on the track, Andrea de Cesaris barrell-rolling his Ligier Renault JS25 in practice for the Austrian GP 1985. After one more race Andrea was replaced....

[windowlicker]

This is Andrea again in 1983 at the San Marino GP in his Alfa Romeo during practice....

[windowlicker]

.....and its a hat-trick for the Italian, the Dutch GP 1981 during his first season in F1 with McLaren.

Although he was accident prone Andrea also had a number of successes during his long career. World karting champion, runner up in British F3, F2 race winner, one pole in F1 and would have won the Belgium GP in '83 if his car could have lasted, and he was always quick in sportcar racing.

[windowlicker]

Stephen South had a terrible crash into a concrete barrier at the Can-Am race at Trois Rivières 1980. He was driving a Spyder NF11 for the Newman team. Unfortunately he had badly hurt his leg and it had to be amputated.

[windowlicker]

Trevor Twaites collides with the Chevron of Zaborowski, and launches over a bank at the German interserie race at the Nurburgring 300km, April 1972, he escaped unharmed.