Whatv was your worst memory of F1

[mariov]

What was the worst moment you remember in F1

For me that is a memory that I will always remenber, and that was Gilles Villeneuve accident durring Qualifying.....

I can still remember all of it....every sequence....

I shook me....and yes I was in Montreal then, and I did go to his funeral....

Jody Scheckters eulogy gave me shivers....

[strad]

I have been this open before, and if if makes ya laugh or think less...oh well
I still get misty thinking of Clark and or Tripps death.
Even now typing this...I can't explain it,,maybe a few years of therapy?
Gilles was a great loss, and affected me deeply also, but those two............

[mariov]

Originally posted by strad
I have been this open before, and if if makes ya laugh or think less...oh well
I still get misty thinking of Clark and or Tripps death.
Even now typing this...

Laugh...no way, feel the same way every time I think of Gilles. I had the pleasure of meeting him, and saw the pleasure he had racing....He was special, and taken away way too early......he had so much more to show us.

[Lee Janotta]

It's cliche, but Imola '94. Three days of horror.

[f1manoz]

Since I am a young-un relative to many on the board, the only horrific days I've had were those 3 in 1994.

If we want to talk in terms of the sport itself, then I watched in disgust as TGF tried to force JV off the road in 1997 at Jerez.

But the worst memory of any motorsport was Greg Moore in 1999. That was the last time I cried

The loss of any driver (or, come to think of it, anyone associated in motorsport) is a sad day.

[Valve Bounce]

Sorry!! but I am not going down this road - it is too upsetting.

[TimD]

I know I saw Roger Williamson's accident at the 1973 Zandvoort race, and David Purley's attempts to save him at the trackside, but I don't think it really registered with me at the time what was going on. I was only very small at the time.

But the day before my eighth birthday, we lost Graham Hill in his aircraft accident, and I remember being inconsolable. That I remember as though it was yesterday. I can even remember the news broadcast that announced it.

Once I started really following the races, and sneaking as close to the stars as I possibly could at pitlane walkabouts, there was one driver who actually took the time to stop and talk to this annoying pitlane hanger-on, and for his courtesy and patience I repaid him with totally loyal support. And then he tried to make the impossible move on Jacky Ickx at Spa in the Porsche 956, and we lost him, too.

Stefan Bellof. I will never forget him.

[EERO]

For me it was Watkins Glen, 1973. Cevert's death seemed so improbable to me at the time. Here was this handsome charismatic man, poised to take on the number one slot at Tyrrell with Stewart's retirement. The future seemed to be very bright for him. I had stood near him in the garage only an hour before practise began, and I had caught his eye and he gave me a big smile. I was just a fifteen year old kid revelling in the wonder and fury of the famous men and these beautiful machines.

An hour later, practise stopped prematurely, and the track's strange silence was ominous.

We had to walk past the site of the crash on the way to and from our campsite, and in those days when the crowds could actually walk the track, we walked to the hushed crowd at the top of the esses early Sunday morning. There were blood stains all around and some one had fashioned a simple cross in the earth behind the armco with large stones picked from the gravel. It was the saddest sight I have ever seen and I think that weekend, i grew up alot.

Tim, I remember reading of Wiulliamson's accident in the local newspaper, the only time F1 made the Front Page in Rhode Island. It was sickening and I am very glad I never saw it. Purley's frustration and disgust with the marshalls at Zandvoort must have been a heavy burden for him.

[Dr. Austin]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by f1manoz


"If we want to talk in terms of the sport itself, then I watched in disgust as TGF tried to force JV off the road in 1997 at Jerez."

Deliberate, but instinctual.


"But the worst memory of any motorsport was Greg Moore in 1999. That was the last time I cried:"

That one haunted me for weeks. But I was at Indianapolis in 1973 and was right in front of where Swede Savage hit the wall. To this day, I have not wittnessed something so violent live. It was like a bomb going off. I spend alot of time in the next month re-evaluating whether this was the sport for me or not. I made up my mind then that these things will always happen, but as long everything possible was done to assure the safest sport possible, I could accept whatever happened.

[EERO]

With regard to your comments about Indy in '73, that was a sickening month as I recall. ABC seemed to take great delight in showing Savage's accident. I am thankful I wasn't there, I'm sorry that you had to witness it so closely.

[mariov]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dr. Austin

"If we want to talk in terms of the sport itself, then I watched in disgust as TGF tried to force JV off the road in 1997 at Jerez."

Deliberate, but instinctual.


"But the worst memory of any motorsport was Greg Moore in 1999. That was the last time I cried:"

For sportsman like conduct, yes that was the worst. You like to see a champion loose with dignity.....till the end I had my fingers crossed hopping that jacques Williams had not been damaged and could make it till the end.

And as for Greg Moore, a few months before his fatal crash, I was on the same flight, even after a hard race weekend he had time for all his fans, and took time to talk to each and everyone of them on the flight. Very special individual......would have love to see him graduate to F1

[Mr V]

not exactly f1 i know but, greg moore, as he could have made it eventually, and jason watt, his accident only 2/3 days after watching him (win? if not definatly 2nd) at nurburgring '99, another 1 who could have made it!

[av8rirl]

All of the fatal accidents are bad memories. There is nothing like the deadening silence all around a track after there has been a fatal accident, whether it be a club event or a (inter)national event. I remember Oulton Park when Neil Shanahan was killed in a Van Diemen Zetec and last year a Mallory when a Caterham driver was killed. We drove the truck across country and home to Ireland in near silence.

[Sato san]

Neil Shanahan , i agree , i wasnt there but it sends a shock through your system when you find out ,
i always think its so nice when at the festival at brands his parents give out the Neil Shanahan Memorial Trophy .

[Mr V]

Originally posted by av8rirl
There is nothing like the deadening silence all around a track

i was at silverstone '99 when tgf went off and after the initial cheer when he went off (myself included, i thought murray was wrong to critise the fans for this, after all does anybody remember hockenheim and nurburgring '95 when damon went off? total joy for the german fans in the stands!) and everybody realised that it was more serious, the silence was DEAFENING, if that makes sense!

[paulzinho]

For me its Imola 94. I lost my racing hero at the age of 9. What more can I say.

[Inigo Montoya]

Gilles... 'nuff said. :-(

[Dr. Austin]

Originally posted by Inigo Montoya
Gilles... 'nuff said. :-(

Also "nuff" said about why we all love Jacques, but he is a man's man in his own right and a true champion.

Gille's was real bad. There have been too many bad ones to pick just one. But they pay the price and we pay the price when we lose someone we respect and admire.

[Dr. Austin]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by EERO


"I am thankful I wasn't threr, I'm sorry that you had to witness it so closely."

I was in the 36th row of the "H" grandstand and Savage hit the wall absolutely dead square right in front of me. It had rained all week and it was overcast and nearly cold. I guess it was 60 degrees or something. But when the car exploded, it was like a hot Florida summer day. For a brief instant, I feared we would be burned.

Savage actually waved to the crowd as the loaded him in the ambulance. I guess he was in total shock, but at the time we thought he was ok, or at least going to be.What was really unsettling was a man about 50ft to my right had a heart attack and the paramedics were hitting him with the defib paddles and all his family was hysterical. He ended up dying as well.

And I looked to the pits just in time to see Savage's crewman get hit by a fire truck.

1973 sucked.

[Carla O]

Imola 94...
Coming home Sunday evening looking forward to watch the tape of the race... and seeing the whole family was trying to find a way to tell me what had happened...

[BBKing]

Austria 2001.

I thought Schumacher was great enough to give his slave the oportunity to fight him for the title since Ferrari had the best car in F1 history. I was wrong. And only who has been proven wrong can understand how I felt

[Number Juan]

i remember the first full race i had watched was the tragic Imola race of 94' we had all seen the ratzenburger accident the day before on the news and mum was like "oh that'll never happen again", how wrong she was. i remember it distinctly because my granny and grandad were coming round and mum and the rest of the family were out in the garden and i wanted to watch it because i saw a crash at the start.

i remember watching the 2 cars come into shot then suddenly joining TGF onboard, then seeing 2 what i'd call 'little explosions' under Senna's car and then shot to the car actually hitting the wall. i remember shouting "mummy look a crash!" mum peered into the lounge from the kitchen whilst making a cup of tea and i remember her saying "oh my god, thats not a good crash" the rest of the race was a blur and i had largely forgot what a massive crash it was until i watched the news later that night. i remember them saying something like "in an eventful race, the Forumla 1 legend Ayrton Senna died in a huge accident at the infamous Tamburello corner" then watching the crash again. i remember feeling numbed and cold and mum going "oh my gosh" and standing there hand over mouth shocked because we had reports he was in a coma or that he was moving in the car.

on a par to that, i did see the Greg Moore accident - well i had the bad luck of watching it. i dont think channel 5 showed it im not sure but my friend said it was a pretty massive accident and so in my absolute wisdom i downloaded the MPEG and was promptly physically sick over the floor it was such a horrific accident. that really hit home the dangers of motorsport for me.

[The Beer Baron]

Any accident that claims the life or career of a driver is a sad one

[EERO]

This thread has been edited because several of us believe that there are some valuable comments about the History of the Sport that have been made. All references to presonal fueds among members have been deleted.

Please keep personal attacks off the boards and let's get down to business.

[EvilPumpkin]

Death of Paolo Gislimberti at Monza in 2000
Death of Graham Beveridge at Melbourne in 2001

I was watching each GP live at the time and nothing is ever going to have the same impact on me as the deaths of those 2 marshals.