Gordon Smiley: Original ABC Broadcast 5/15/82 (HQ Video and Pictures)

[deeroozle]

Originally Posted by AlvinKarpis

Of course I dont mind! I just wanted to post the original VHS copy ripped to my computer for historic purposes

That looks awesome, you need to do that with the 2nd angle

I actually tried to do the second video as well but it looked a little wonky, however I'll tweak some settings on Virtualdub and give it another go!

[AnaleFaust]

Originally Posted by AlvinKarpis

You cant see the video?

Well thank god for my amazing description of what happened, if you close your eyes real tight I bet you can see it happen

I see the video and im in Google Chrome, let me log onto IE and see if its any different

Either way I will post the vid again

I can see it now, thanks. And wow, did his body disintegrate into ash? There was nothing left

[kellyhound]

great footage and pics

[Gollum09]

thats what happens when you fit remoulds on the car, happened to me once, I hit a hedge at 15mph

[frankpentangeli]

Thanks for the post, I'm actually driving on the track tomorrow in an older indy car. I remember this crash and Smiley's persona was a bit cocky....nothing he could've done to prevent or save this crash though.

[AlvinKarpis]

Originally Posted by frankpentangeli

Thanks for the post, I'm actually driving on the track tomorrow in an older indy car. I remember this crash and Smiley's persona was a bit cocky....nothing he could've done to prevent or save this crash though.

Of course he was cocky, thats why he was the last american born driver to win an F-1

He took risks that no other driver would take, super low turns at speeds that would make most drivers piss themselfs , unsafe passes, blocking drivers trying to pass him

Here is a great vid from the year before when Gordon Smiley was running second place behind Tom Sneva with Rick Mears riding his ass in 3rd place

Mears is drafting him and looking to slingshot passed Smiley for 3 laps and the whole time Smiley blocks him and at the 50 second mark cuts Mears off with a low turn that is just awesome

Later in the race Smiley moves into first place and holds it for a couple laps

Thats right, he was leading late in the race, all these idiots who re-post the crash on Youtube with "Rookie Driver makes huge mistake" have no clue.

He would have finished top 10 for sure maybe top 5 in 1981 if it wasnt for Gary Bentenhausens stupid ass who wrecked them both out late when he clipped Smiley


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[AlvinKarpis]

Ok so I dug deep into my files and found some very large high quality pics that I got from a Danish website way back in the day, I mean waaaaay back

A couple I posted already but were very small images

So get ready to click on these. I know where his face, legs, body etc are in each pic that he is shown with out fire or the other side of the car is blocking him

Just look for the seat (he stayed strapped into the seat and instead of the force ripping him from the seat harness and belts it just ripped him and the seat out of the car together) and the white racing suit with black cross straps in the front of him and the straps coming out the back of the seat look like the number 11

I hate pointing it out because it makes me feel like a rubbernecker at an accident who yells at his kids to look away or cover your eyes, then whispers to his wife " Holy Shit! look at that guys face!"

This is the picture that caused an outrage as it ran in the Indianapolis Star the next day

A race car fan who was there sitting in the upper part of the stands you see right after turn 3 cut it out and stuck it in a scrap book and years later after being asked over and over he took a picture of it and posted it on a forum

Hard to tell whats going on.....

[AlvinKarpis]

......Until you see the real pictures unfold

[AlvinKarpis]

And right before...

[Pelle]

Pretty horrible footage to watch

Poor guy, but happened so fast