Formula 1

[Reynard]

I watched that 1977 Tom Pryce Kyalami accident, good grief! Thank god things have improved dramatically.

And rightly so.

The real step change in motor racing safety came after Senna's crash at Imola in '94. It shouldn't have taken that long, IMHO, or for that particular crash to have been the catalyst for real change.

Prior to then, things were pretty haphazard, and a lot of changes were done in a very half-arsed way. If there had been less complacency and fewer assumptions about things being perfectly fine because they had been fine for years, it would have prevented a lot of needless deaths.

It pains me to say it, but if only Ratzenberger had been killed that weekend at Imola, things would probably simply have continued on pretty well much as they were.

 

[Reynard]

Evening,



Senna gave a lot back, it was never well publicised, but the Senna Foundation is well worth looking up.

Brazilian children's opportunities were supported by Senna.

He seems to have done a lot more than Hamilton's pronouncement on whatever is the flavour of the month.

I am very well aware of the foundation and what it does.

Besides, anyone with a lot of money can set up a charity to help the disadvantaged. Doing that does not balance out the unpleasant aspects of someone's personality.

I stand by my views.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Senna gave a lot back, it was never well publicised, but the Senna Foundation is well worth looking up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instituto_Ayrton_Senna

I was aware of the charity however wasn't aware it wasn't him who actually set it up, but his family after his death, now that is not to say it wouldn't have still happened had there not been a crash but

 

[Drago]

Ferrari must be kicking themselves. All that money spent buying Sainz 's contract for next year and Norris, who they could probably have had a lot cheaper, is consistently outperforming him by a decent margin.

 

[Smokin Joe]

And rightly so.

The real step change in motor racing safety came after Senna's crash at Imola in '94. It shouldn't have taken that long, IMHO, or for that particular crash to have been the catalyst for real change.

Prior to then, things were pretty haphazard, and a lot of changes were done in a very half-arsed way. If there had been less complacency and fewer assumptions about things being perfectly fine because they had been fine for years, it would have prevented a lot of needless deaths.

It pains me to say it, but if only Ratzenberger had been killed that weekend at Imola, things would probably simply have continued on pretty well much as they were.

Jackie Stewart, who did an awful lot to make racing safer was called a coward by some motor racing journalists and a few people in the sport (Not other drivers) who were happy to see drivers burning to death in the interests of "Entertainment".

I stopped reading Motorcycle Sport and Leisure after one of their writers referred to Barry Sheene as "Not a real man" because he wouldn't ride the Isle of Man TT. This was a guy who had broken more bones than most people realise they've got during his career and still came back for more.

 

[Slick]

Jackie Stewart, who did an awful lot to make racing safer was called a coward by some motor racing journalists and a few people in the sport (Not other drivers) who were happy to see drivers burning to death in the interests of "Entertainment".

I stopped reading Motorcycle Sport and Leisure after one of their writers referred to Barry Sheene as "Not a real man" because he wouldn't ride the Isle of Man TT. This was a guy who had broken more bones than most people realise they've got during his career and still came back for more.

Jackie Stewart was the driving force for change and is an old school gent of pure class. 👍

 

[Reynard]

Ferrari must be kicking themselves. All that money spent buying Sainz 's contract for next year and Norris, who they could probably have had a lot cheaper, is consistently outperforming him by a decent margin.

OTOH am glad they didn't snaffle Lando. At McLaren he's got the time to learn and grow without being in that goldfish bowl that driving for Ferrari brings. (And the pressure, and the politics and all the other shitniz...)

Lole Jr can kiss goodbye to any hope of a decent career now. Although his wallet won't be regretting that one little bit.

 

[Reynard]

Jackie Stewart was the driving force for change and is an old school gent of pure class. 👍

Oh, he's a truly lovely chap. But one with a propensity for nicking pens.

 

[Reynard]

Jackie Stewart, who did an awful lot to make racing safer was called a coward by some motor racing journalists and a few people in the sport (Not other drivers) who were happy to see drivers burning to death in the interests of "Entertainment".

There was a similar reaction to Derek Warwick when he started looking at circuit safety following Paul's death. It got to the point where the circuits wouldn't actually let him through the gate...

But the stuff that he and his team found was enough to curdle anyone's blood - made the armco fiasco at Montjuic Park seem like a minor trifle. But he got his way in the end, especially with the Knickerbrook being changed completely. It's now a chicane with a run-off area. Before, it was a flat right hand kink, no run-off and an earth bank directly behind the barriers.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Interesting analysis

 

[matticus]

Astonishing!
(and I don't just mean the spelling )

Top TIp: don't watch this within the CC window - hit Fullscreen. And even then some of the captions are hidden behind the title.

 

[gbb]

And rightly so.

The real step change in motor racing safety came after Senna's crash at Imola in '94. It shouldn't have taken that long, IMHO, or for that particular crash to have been the catalyst for real change.

Prior to then, things were pretty haphazard, and a lot of changes were done in a very half-arsed way. If there had been less complacency and fewer assumptions about things being perfectly fine because they had been fine for years, it would have prevented a lot of needless deaths.

It pains me to say it, but if only Ratzenberger had been killed that weekend at Imola, things would probably simply have continued on pretty well much as they were.

I always felt that Ratzenbergers death passed almost unnoticed, almost like a side event. It made me angry at the time(not literally but you know what I mean), it still does.

 

[Reynard]

I always felt that Ratzenbergers death passed almost unnoticed, almost like a side event. It made me angry at the time(not literally but you know what I mean), it still does.

Exactly. This is precisely what bugs me. That some racing drivers, in death, are more equal than others...

A little factlet. Roland Ratzenberger's race engineer at Simtek was a chap called Humphrey Corbett. Who was also Paul Warwick's engineer at Madgwick.

To have gone through the same heartache twice, of seeing the driver he was working with killed, in the space of less than three years, must have been a nightmare.

 

[gbb]

I have to admit, my love for F1 has waned, it holds non of its former excitement and glory.
Perhaps it's me, I find the same with a few TV things across a range,
Now Indianapolis style racing, now that's exciting (or was when it was viewable free over here)

I still watch F1 but I cant seem to get behind any particular driver anymore.

 

[gbb]

Or touring car championship, that is proper exciting.

Or top flight sidecar racing .