Imola 94

J.McClane · 19 Apr 2003, 00:16 (Ref:573628)

This may be a little morbid for some.

Has there ever bee a darker weekend in F1?

If you look back at Imola 94 we lost 2 great drivers, both on top form.
There were accidents that left many injured.

I know there have been some sad F1 races in F1 history, but do any of them come close to what we saw in 94?

DNQ · 19 Apr 2003, 00:19 (Ref:573633)

Spa 1960. Bristow, Stacy both killed, Moss (IIRC) broke his leg.

Monza 1961. 14 Spectators and Von Trips killed.

bcobbus · 19 Apr 2003, 01:46 (Ref:573667)

Not a Grand Prix, but the 1973 Indy 500 saw the death of Art Pollard in prectice, and Swede Savage in the race. Also the 1963 Indy 500 saw the deaths of two drivers in the same accident.

Was there another driver hurt in the Spa race in 1960? I thought there was?

Nothing is darker then the 1955 Le Mans disaster, something like 80+ spectators killed along with Piere Leviegh. "spelling" Also that year the Dundrod Sportscar TT saw the deaths of a couple drivers if I recall?

Other then the two GP's mentioned, the 1977 South African GP with the horrible death of Tom Pryce and the marshal that ran across the track. What a God Awful sight that must have been.

LucaBadoer · 19 Apr 2003, 08:09 (Ref:573804)

Quote:

Originally posted by DNQ
Spa 1960. Bristow, Stacy both killed, Moss (IIRC) broke his leg.

Awful - Chris Bristow decapitated & Alan Stacey knocked unconcious by a bird...

Also, not mentioned so far - Zandvoort '73
Roger Williamson killed with Purley getting the george medal for his efforts in trying to save him.

and Montreal 1982 - just a few races after Gilles' death at Zolder, Didier Pironi stalling at the start (from pole) and poor Riccardo Paletti slamming into the back of the Ferrari

**Peter Mallett** · 19 Apr 2003, 10:07 (Ref:573895)

Francois Cevert Watkins Glen 1973 in qualifying.

However in terms of comparison I think the two darkest GPs have to be Zolder 82 and Imola 94. Purely becuse in both cases we lost the major talent of the era.

EERO · 19 Apr 2003, 13:30 (Ref:574047)

Having been at Watkins Glen when Cevert was killed, i was pretty devastated, but Imola '94 left me in a serious funk for a month.

F1naWeb · 19 Apr 2003, 13:39 (Ref:574054)

I´m from Brazil and for me Imola 94 was the worst.

But the practice sessions for Indy 500 in 1992 were horrible too: Mears and Piquet injuried and Jovi Marcelo killed...

Sad stories...

DNQ · 19 Apr 2003, 13:54 (Ref:574059)

Not F1, but the obvious is Le Mans 1955

That was one of the few accidents (along with Senna's I guess) that really was a news story for reasons other than motor racing.

MichaelH · 19 Apr 2003, 14:31 (Ref:574078)

I think the CART race at Toronto in 1996 ws as bad.....Jeff Krosanoff and a marshal killed in terrible circumstances....but in F1 I don't think, in the modern era at least, anuything can compare to the horror of Imola 1994, and hopefully nothing ever will.

**Aysedasi** · 19 Apr 2003, 17:27 (Ref:574198)

The only event I've ever attended where there was a driver fatality was Le Mans in 1986 (my first visit), when Jo Gartner was killed on the Mulsanne. I well remember his previous race win in - in the Interserie Sports Car race at Thruxton just a few weeks before. I have a photo of him crossing the line with the chequer waving and another shot of him sharing a joke with Hans Heyer just a hour or so before the start of Le Mans '86. Very sad.

But no, Imola 94 was the depths of despair for me, as Senna was, without doubt, my motor racing "hero" (as some of you will have realised long ago). My passion for F1 has never rekindled.

Mekola · 19 Apr 2003, 18:46 (Ref:574257)

In my life was the darker F1 day that of the "imolation".
I don't remember well others, but Canada 1997 and Brazil 2003 were the nearest ones.

Schummy · 19 Apr 2003, 20:37 (Ref:574322)

Certainly for me, nothing can beat LeMans disaster in 1955.

About big names fatalities, one should not forget Hockenheim F2 race where Jim Clark died. Surely it and Senna's were the highest profile autoracing fatalities ever.

I suppose Dale Earnhardt's death was as big blow as those two for many american fans.

In a very personal side, Gilles Villeneuve, Senna, Moore and Daijiro Katoh have been the bigger impacts in motorsport I've experienced.

Number Juan · 19 Apr 2003, 20:58 (Ref:574335)

i remember that Imola 94' was the first "proper" race that i ever did watch - and what a god-awful place to start! i remember quite clearly being onboard with Schumacher through the Tamburello and then the shot instantly changing to the series of images of Senna just going straight on into the wall at Tamburello. i remember the mixed reports - and it really did affect me. i also remember watching the slow-mo replays of Ratzenburger's simply horrific accident. i also remember that a friend sourced me the video of the full extent of his accident - and his neck bones had just disintegrated with the full impact of the crash. his head rolling about slowly and ominously in the cockpit is an image i wished i had never seen - but something unfortunately i witnessed.

that was the worst race i ever saw, but Monza 2000 was pretty awful as well, i didn't like that race at all.

Yoong Montoya · 19 Apr 2003, 22:18 (Ref:574370)

Quote:

Originally posted by Number Juan
i remember that Imola 94' was the first "proper" race that i ever did watch - and what a god-awful place to start! i remember quite clearly being onboard with Schumacher through the Tamburello and then the shot instantly changing to the series of images of Senna just going straight on into the wall at Tamburello. i remember the mixed reports - and it really did affect me. i also remember watching the slow-mo replays of Ratzenburger's simply horrific accident. i also remember that a friend sourced me the video of the full extent of his accident - and his neck bones had just disintegrated with the full impact of the crash. his head rolling about slowly and ominously in the cockpit is an image i wished i had never seen - but something unfortunately i witnessed.

that was the worst race i ever saw, but Monza 2000 was pretty awful as well, i didn't like that race at all.

Well, I watched Suzuka 2003, my first MotoGP race - what an awful first race! Dijaro Kato does an exit similar to Ayrton Senna @ the San Marino GP!

I wish I hadn't seen it, but I did

I know how you must have felt waiting for news on Senna - I felt the same with Kato and I'm very sad that he died

I never knew much about him either.

MichaelH · 19 Apr 2003, 22:57 (Ref:574401)

The Ratzenberger accident, and the footage of that, must go down as the most shocking thing I have ever seen. Motorsport meets a horrible and very public death...horrible.

Dutton · 19 Apr 2003, 23:00 (Ref:574404)

I think that any death at an F1 event, whoever they are, is an awfully sad thing.

Death is a dark day, with no one being "worse" or "more important" than any other.

R.I.P to all those who have perished whilst attending an F1 event.

Jordi · 19 Apr 2003, 23:56 (Ref:574434)

In modern days, obviously Imola 94... But Le Mans 55 is so big... Imagine if 80 people were killed in a 2003 race, I think they would even ban motorsport... (like they did in 1955 at Spain, France and Mexico for some months, and at Switzerland for good)

bcobbus · 20 Apr 2003, 01:59 (Ref:574484)

We were lucky here in the States that only a few people died when tires from Indy cars few into the crownd at high rates of speed. There was two incidents, at Michigan and Charlotte. The IRL has never returned to Charlotte since. Dark days for fans indeed. I am amazed that more people are not killed during rally events!

bcobbus · 20 Apr 2003, 02:07 (Ref:574486)

One incident I witnessed as a young boy was at the local 1/4 mile paved oval. My father took me to watch practice of the stock cars. Everything ws good until a car going into turn 3 had its throtle lock full open and slamed into the wall, rode up the catch fencing doing a couple flips and finally coming to rest. The impact was so great that it put a huge crack and hole in the wall! The driver was not seriously hurt, just really banged up.

A man in the immediate area of the crash was not so lucky however. He was not killed, but pretty badly injured by a falling PA system telephone pole that was knocked over by part of the catch fencing that collapsed unced the impact of the car. Amazing that not more people were hurt in that situation!

F1naWeb · 20 Apr 2003, 02:21 (Ref:574493)

The chocking for me was Greg Moore´s...

but Tom Price´s was horrible too... he was on the line when a marshall crossed the track... the fire extinguisher which the marshall was carrying crashed into Price´s helmet... killing the driver instantly; the marshall was killed too

Schummy · 20 Apr 2003, 04:10 (Ref:574528)

I agreed, Price's accident is possibly the worst thing I've seen about motorsport. It was showed in a TV series about F1 about 15 years ago. That episode (dedicated to F1 fatalities) was too nasty, in my opinion.

f1manoz · 20 Apr 2003, 07:14 (Ref:574570)

Any death is sad, but I was almost in tears while writing the obituary for Daijiro this morning.

racefanatic · 20 Apr 2003, 14:29 (Ref:574809)

After Imola 1994 I stopped watching racing and started paying attention again in 1996. The season opener for F1 this year was the first F1 race I had seen since 1994, and honestly the only reason I'm watching it this season is to support Cristiano, even though I'm still upset that he left CART. I made myself watch the Imola race this morning and cried through half of it!

krt917 · 20 Apr 2003, 17:23 (Ref:574958)

I'm sure everyone agrees with Dutton that any fatality is awful and there are really too many to mention in the history of the sport. Sadly, the thread could go on forever.

1955 Le Mans was obviously the worst in motor racing, but in Grand Prix and driver terms, Monza 1933 must have been awful, even taking into account the perils of the time. Oil dropped in a first heat race was found by Campari (who had announced he would retire after the meeting) and Borzacchini. Both crashed and were killed. Then, in the final, Count Czaichowski hit the same patch and also suffered fatal injuries. Emphatically not a good day's racing and a reminder to those who complain about the sahety measures in modern F1.

Rafael · 20 Apr 2003, 17:49 (Ref:574969)

And what about Jim Clark? He died hitting a tree in the Hockenheim wood in a F2 race... That was terrible too

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