Marcel Albers RIP

[racingdick]

Remember Marcel driving for i think for ADR ten years ago at the weekend lost his life at thruxton chicane....
even though i was 12 i vividly remember it

[Aysedasi]

I was there too.

In fact, I had been standing on the spectator banking there by the grandstand only 10-15 minutes before the accident.

Incredible to think it was that long ago.

[Nordic]

Yep I was in the members grandstand that weekend, horrific accident that claimed his life.

[andy_b]

yes, I remember that sad sad day. I had been fortunate to speak to him during lunchtime to do an illustration for him. It went to Marcel's family in the end

[ghinzani]

I recall seeing his drive at Donington I think in the previous round and thinking to myself that he would probably win the championship if he maintained the pace he showed that day in his Ralt. The fact that Julian and Adams went so well later in the season backs that up. Was there ever any blame attributed to circuit design, car strength etc or was it just one of thos unsurvivable accidents like Greg Moores?

[Teletubby]

It was, I believe, just one of those tragic events that seem to occur too often.

[bcobbus]

What exactly happened. I have briefly heard of the accident, but nothing more. I don't want to sound morbid, I was just wondering.

[Muzza]

Hello, bcobbus,

I was living in Brazil at the time, and I followed the British F-3 championship from far away - and even if Marcel Albers passed away ten years ago, I still remember the moment the sad news struck me. He had such a promising future...

I don't know much about the circumstances of his fatal accident, but he seems that he got delayed at the start - I think he was at one of the first rows, but slid to the back of the pack -, then was running very fast to make up for the lost time. He was overtaking another competitor on the run down to the chicane, wheels touched and Marcel's car cartwheeled. If I am not mistaken, the car ended in a spectator area of sorts, and the crash was similar to Villeneuve's fatal accident. The details were sketchy at the time, and I was not subscribing Autosport in 1993, so only the main facts reached me in Brazil.

Muzza

[bcobbus]

Thanks Muzza, a sad story indeed...

[racingdick]

is there anything on the f3 review for that year on the accident./

[jonbryant]

I was staning on the spectator bank by the grandstand that day. Seems an awfully long time ago but here goes for my recolections.

I think he'd had a spin at Church and was coming back up though the field. He was closing on his team-mate Elton Julian as they approached the chicance but miss judged the braking and went up over the back of Julian's car. He inverted in the air and landed upside down in the tyrewall before flipping into the catch fencing at about 10ft up. What remained of the car then landed at the base of the catch fencing. I was directly in line and there was no way anyone would have ever survived that accident even in current safety standards.

I can still remeber the noise of that first impact and the smell of petrol and oil in the air. It's something I never want to witness agian. Touch wood it's my only fatal accident in 16 years of going to watch and 8 years of marshalling.

Rest in peace Marcel. You were destined for better things.

[flatbroke]

Marcel Died in 1992

[OldShed]

I was on the banking, directly in line with the impact point. After the inverted roll in the air he actually hit the grass inverted and then bounced over the tyre wall into the catch fench, which he nearly missed altogether. Two things did for him - the roll hoop was actually ripped off the car and the tub split from end to end. I too remember the sound to this day and other vivid images I won't describe. Lots of debris came over the fence including a wheel and radiator but no one in the crowd was seriously hurt.

I have a sequence of photos of the whole thing including one where he was about 15 feet elevated - at the time expecting it to be another racing incident where he'd get out and dust himself off - sadly as we know this was not the case. Some of these were published in the national press in the UK.

It was my wifes first and last visit to a race track and I have not attended a motor sport event since.

[Marshal]

As Yellow Flag on post 18 that day, I ended up going to the inquest. The accounts above are accurate, the only detail to add is that he went past where I was standing less than a foot behind Elton Julian, ran into the back of him as he mis judged slightly when to duck out of the slipstream. The front of the car reared up and the whole car seemed to be catpaulted up as the underside came into contact with the car infronts rear wheel. The flat bottom then acted like a kite and it went a long way up, 15 ft seems a conservative estimate to my memory, and then landed upside down on soft grass, before bouncing up, clearing the tyre wall and hitting a debris fence stantion.

I don't think any safety measures could have controlled the forces involved. A sad day.

[OldShed]

Yes, I think 15 feet is a conservative estimate.

I wondered, was there any suggestion that Elton Julian lifted off to allow him to pass? That would have accounted for the error.

The wind sock was showing a fair breeze that day and I think that did catch the underside as you suggest.

[PRF]

My wife and I were at Thruxton when this accident happened. We were situated at the chicane after the pits. We knew there had been a big accident but didn't fully understand how serious it all was. The race was naturally stopped. It was getting late on in the day so we decided to head on home only to find on teletext the full story. Tragic indeed. Where have those years gone?

[davyboy]

I was at Thruxton on that day in 1992 too, at Allards to be exact. It was a combined F3-BTCC event if I remember. I didn't see the accident itself, thank God, but knew something very serious had happened when after a long delay a helicopter flew in and didn't leave. Some of those closer to the incident may be able to verify that.
During the long pause, no announcements were made about Marcel's fate over the PA and the F3 cars, which were lined up for a restart, were wheeled away. I watched the remainder of the racing that day and got into my car for the drive back to London. On the radio on the way home, an announcement was made on a fatality at Thruxton. It shocked me to my shoes as I'd never been that close to a fatal incident in my life, and thankfully haven't been since.
A truely dreadful day that puts life and our sport into perspective. RIP Marcel.

[Mekola]

A very sad accident, didn't heard much of it before.
RIP Marcel

I wonder if Elton Julian could write some lines about it.

[Paddockman]

Marcel Albers sadly killed 12 years ago yesterday 20th at Thruxton

One of the worst accidents I have ever witnessed, still remember everything about it unfortunately.

[Paddockman]

Sorry, to be accurate it was 14 years ago.

[John Turner]

Thank you, Paddockman; a timely reminder. I have added your posts to an earlier thread to enable you to read some of the previous tributes.

Marcel, RIP

[nycuk]

I remember seeing Marcel in F3 at Silverstone earlier that year. I can't remember how exactly but he ended up right at the back and had a storming drive through the field, gaining fastest lap in the process. I lived in Brackley at the time and Marcel lived in the same street, three doors down. He drove a black 205 GTI with Marlboro and Akai stickers on the back window. There was sometimes a red NSX parked there too.
I always thought I should knock one day and just say 'hi' but I never did. Probably thought he'd be too busy. I recall the day he died vividly - coming so soon after Paul Warwicks death it was a shock.
On a happier note, F3 returned to Thruxton for the next race, which Elton Julian won (Marcel must have been helping...) but I remember this as probably the greatest motor race I've ever seen. Julian, Burt, Evans, Cowie, Van Hool virtually nose to tail the whole way - amazing!

[Snapper Baz]

I was on the exit of the chicane that day with the wife watching as well and only saw the moment of impact and not the flight. Also that day I took my friends to the meeting who were part the rescue crew that attended the scene and had to go through the motions with poor Marcel. They were pretty shaken-up for the drive home. They both went to the funeral afterwards and were glad they went to pay their respects. The pictures I took during the rescue attempts (not knowing how serious it was untill 10 minutes later) were passed on to the BARC rescue chief for their files and none went to the press at all. An incident that will never be forgotten and it shows that we take the marshals for granted until the s### hits the fan and they go to work for real.

[strider]

For some reason this is one of the motor racing deaths that affected me most, and sadly I've been around a few, including one where someone I knew quite well was killed in the same race as me.

Marcel was a lovely guy. I had got to know him and his father the previous year and in '92 he was showing all the signs of being Gil de Ferran's main opposition for the title. Instead this... I also went to the funeral in Belgium. It was a sad and moving affair, very sensitively done.

If you go to Zandvoort nowadays the terrace of hospitality suites on the first floor above the garages is named after him in memory of a fine young man.

Thanks for combining the threads, JT, it's appreciated.

[ronald]

Hello Everybody,

I'm Ronald Albers, Marcel's his brother. I deedply impressed that you people still remember my brother.

I want to thank you all very much to keep him in your thoughts.

Greetings from Schilde Belgium