Drivers taken before their time

[KekeTheKing]

Regarding Ayrton Senna, I always think that the worse thing he did was died simply because all the other drivers that died are forgotten especially Roland Ratzenberger.

I think this thread may suggest otherwise.

All of the other men that are unfortunately featured here were mourned before the passing of Senna. I do not think they are forgotten because of the tragic loss of another.

 

[Jos the Boss]

I think this thread may suggest otherwise.

All of the other men that are unfortunately featured here were mourned before the passing of Senna. I do not think they are forgotten because of the tragic loss of another.

Thats what I mean, it takes a thread to remember them while senna is remembered anyway.

 

[Mezzer]

Young Greg was killed at the Marlboro 500 at Fontana in California at the 1999 finale.

... and a shocking crash it was too. I saw it live and immediately knew the driver (I didn't know it was Moore at the time) was going to be extremely lucky to survive and tragically that was not to be the case.

 

[VanChallis]

Keke, speaking of Indy Car drivers, I'd like to mention young Greg Moore if I may. He was a Canadian from the west coast and was very highly rated by drivers and team owners. I don't want to write much on here because it will bring a tear to my eye but I rate him the 2nd best driver to come out of Canada behind Gilles.

Young Greg was killed at the Marlboro 500 at Fontana in California at the 1999 finale. CTA members can Google and You Tube him and see what he was all about.

I was watching this live when it happened. As soon as I saw the crash I (and everyone else) must have known it was going to take his life. He was a great driver, and that crash stopped me watching Indycars for a while

 

[KekeTheKing]

Thats what I mean, it takes a thread to remember them while senna is remembered anyway.

But do you realize what I'm saying. Most of these men had been mourned for decades before Senna's demise. The millions that grieved the loss of their favorite driver or countrymen are unlikely to forget about them because of another, more recent fatality.

I hate to go back-and-forth in a thread that should be reserved for those that wish to share a special memory or two, but I just thought it was unfair to say that the drivers who perished before Senna were "forgotten". Newcomers and those uninterested in history may not remember them very well, but you can be sure that those who followed them closely in life will never forget.

 

[siffert_fan]

Jo Siffert died in a BRM at Brands in much the same way as Williamson--poorly trained and equipped fire marshalls unable to fight the fire.

Pedro Rodriguez- died in a Ferrari 512 (very ironic, that, as he was one of the the true masters of the Porsche 917, as was Siffert)

Ignazio Giunti- died in a Ferrari 312PB when he ran into a Matra prototype which had run out of fuel and was foolishly being pushed towards the pits by J-P Beltoise, who failed to keep the car off the racing line.

Peter Revson- died in 1974 at the wheel of a Shadow F1 car prior to the first race of the season.

 

[VanChallis]

But do you realize what I'm saying. Most of these men had been mourned for decades before Senna's demise. The millions that grieved the loss of their favorite driver or countrymen are unlikely to forget about them because of another, more recent fatality.

I hate to go back-and-forth in a thread that should be reserved for those that wish to share a special memory or two, but I just thought it was unfair to say that the drivers who perished before Senna were "forgotten". Newcomers and those uninterested in history may not remember them very well, but you can be sure that those who followed them closely in life will never forget.

And also, many F1 fans that are around my age (say 25-35) would never have seen a fatality in F1 before Senna, that's another reason why he is remembered more. TV coverage was all over the world by then, more people watched the sport on TV, so Senna's death was played out to tens of millions of people, and that's not something that is easy to forget.
I didn't `forget` about other drivers who had perished, because at that age (10) I didn't know it had happened before. When I found out there had been more in the past I researched these other drivers, and became massively respectful of the guys who were in the sport when a crash meant you were about 80% sure to die.

 

[Galahad]

A clutch of talented and brave drivers were lost in a relatively short period in the late 1950s, including the Ferrari trio of Mike Hawthorn (road accident), Peter Collins (Nurburgring) and Luigi Musso (Reims); Eugenio Castellotti, Stuart Lewis-Evans and Jean Behra. Hawthorn's name crops up occasionally, of course, the others less so, but all had the ability to have won multiple Grands Prix and world championships, by all accounts.

 

[Jen]

It's purely a philosophical musing and totally off thread (sorry don't know how to shift things around) - but I don't think anyone shuffles off this mortal coil before their time.

 

[teabagyokel]

Collins is an interesting example. He was so willing to stick to his Ferrari contract that he gave up his car to his title rival Fangio at Monza even though he still had a [minute] chance. OK, he was contracted to, but he could have not parked the car.

I heard that Collins thought Fangio was an old man who wouldn't have many more chances while he had all the time in the world. Sadly, it was not to be.

 

[Galahad]

Collins' was a fine gesture; but not, perhaps, quite as fine as is often claimed - this is well worth a read:

http://www.forix.com/8w/collins.html

 

[teabagyokel]

Collins' was a fine gesture; but not, perhaps, quite as fine as is often claimed - this is well worth a read:

http://www.forix.com/8w/collins.html

Nonetheless, he wasn't asked to give up his seat, and that is something for a racer.