Professionalism in Motorsport

[Mezzer]

As all (most?) of us are aware there are a number of fantastic historic races and documentaries available through the wonder of YouTube, such as "If you're not winning .." etc and I'm grateful to those who have provided the links to them. One thing that has sprung to mind while watching them is how much of what is going on looks pretty ... well ... amateurish by modern standards. Pit crews wear normal clothing, marshals are often anyone who will run with a fire extinguisher (ability and common sense on how to use it optional), catch fencing that couldn't stop a go-kart etc etc. While I look back at the racing of yesteryear with much fondness, numerous incidents took place that were frankly unnecessary with a bit more professionalism, such as the deaths of Tom Pryce and Roger Williamson. I'm very appreciative of the other improvements that have come in the meantime and wondered on your thoughts.

 

[sportsman]

If you look at these events with today's mindset then yes they do look amateurish.
But if you had the same mindset as people had at the time these events happened then they were accepted as part of the risk.
I can clearly remember Graham Hill in a TV interview in the 60's arguing very strongly against F1 drivers being forced to wear seat belts as they relied on being thrown from the car in an accident to avoid being trapped in a fire.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

I can clearly remember Graham Hill in a TV interview in the 60's arguing very strongly against F1 drivers being forced to wear seat belts as they relied on being thrown from the car in an accident to avoid being trapped in a fire.

That's because the cars those days were so flimsy that they were more likely to crumple and trap you in the event of a crash, so it probably was marginally safer if you were thrown clear in some cases. I remember Jackie Stewart in a recent documentary about F1 deaths describing how he was trapped in his car at Spa in 1963 (I think), having gone off in the wet, with the cockpit filling up with fuel and people standing around smoking. Graham Hill, who had stopped to help, had to go and find someone with a spanner to remove the steering wheel before they could get Jackie out. After that race I believe Jackie always carried his own spanner, taped to the steering wheel. The marshalling at that time also seemed very disorganised and there was generally very poor ambulance and medical cover.
It was experiences like that and the unnecessary deaths of many of his friends that led to Stewart's passion for improving safety and professionalism in the sport; he was one of the first, if not the first, to stand up to the sport's governors and say that the status quo wasn't acceptable, or 'part of the risk', and to campaign for better safety. He was much criticised for his stance at the time by those running the sport, and probably even by some of the other drivers too. A true champion of the sport, both inside and outside the cockpit.