Ronnie Peterson

Author
Discussion

HotRod32

62 posts

145 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
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skeggysteve said:
Some are driving a race car but some are racing drivers.

Gilles, Ronnie and Jochen were racing drivers.
100% spot on....

HotRod32

62 posts

145 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
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freedman said:
Thanks for thE memories Ronnie, still my original motorsport hero
You are not alone with this thought...

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Thursday 10th September 2015
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Still missed Ronnie, 37 years on

lotus72

777 posts

266 months

Thursday 10th September 2015
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gosh, I've only just noticed this thread. I hope some of you managed to catch my Lotus 72 documentary the other week on Motors TV? It featured stories and un-seen film/photo's of Ronnie.

Redlake27

2,255 posts

244 months

Friday 11th September 2015
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The saddest thing about this accident was that, with current medical facilities, he would probably have not had the post-accident complications that led to his death.

What might have been?

Well, the McLaren of 1979 and 1980 wouldn't have brought him a win, but if he had the same 4 year stint as John Watson, he would have been a potent force and an undoubted race winner in 81 and 82.

Just imagine, it could've been Gilles v Ronnie for the 1982 title...

coppice

8,605 posts

144 months

Friday 11th September 2015
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Two memories- Ronnie driving the wheels of a March 722 at Mallory Park- crashed but he was at least on pole .

The other - well, I was in the Woodcote grandstand in 1973 so you know the rest...

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Friday 11th September 2015
quotequote all
Redlake27 said:
The saddest thing about this accident was that, with current medical facilities, he would probably have not had the post-accident complications that led to his death.
Had his accident been in the UK or USA (and probably many more countries) he would have been fine even 37 years ago

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Sunday 11th September 2016
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38 years

marcosgt

11,018 posts

176 months

Wednesday 14th September 2016
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Yes, remember that well and the shock I felt when my parents picked me up from school the following day and told me he'd died.

People talk of the shock on hearing Clark died and I recall the disbelief on hearing Senna died some years later and this was definitely on a par with that, he was my F1 hero of the time, no doubt.

He really shouldn't have died from his injuries, they were serious but even then they shouldn't have proven fatal.

A tragic death, I always felt he should have won Andretti's F1 title, but played the dutiful team mate as his deal dictated.

M.

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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39 years ago today frown

lotus72

777 posts

266 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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If you. Like Ronnie you may be interested in this: www.lotus72dvd.com

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Monday 10th September 2018
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40 years ago today

One of the fastest ever, and far better than many champions since.

Killed by race officials and medical incompetence

coppice

8,605 posts

144 months

Monday 10th September 2018
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Oh come off it, he wasn't 'killed', nothing sinister or premeditated about it . Everybody in the sport knew that Italian medical facilities (and Belgian etc ) were chaotic - just listen to Brian Redman - and every driver knew the risks . It was a racing accident ,but its consequences were made catastrophically worse by poor medical care , to the surprise of absolutely no-one .

A great driver -and I was one of the lucky ones at Woodcote in 1973 . Unforgetttable.

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Monday 10th September 2018
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coppice said:
Oh come off it, he wasn't 'killed', nothing sinister or premeditated about it . Everybody in the sport knew that Italian medical facilities (and Belgian etc ) were chaotic - just listen to Brian Redman - and every driver knew the risks . It was a racing accident ,but its consequences were made catastrophically worse by poor medical care , to the surprise of absolutely no-one .

A great driver -and I was one of the lucky ones at Woodcote in 1973 . Unforgetttable.
It wasn't a racing accident, at all. The flag dropped before half of the grid had even firmed up, so we're still rolling, even Andretti and Villeneuve on the front row were moving. But that was just the start

After the accident lack of medical care at the circuit, and subsequently hospital cost Ronnie his life

Incompetence killed him, not the accident itself

chunder27

2,309 posts

208 months

Monday 10th September 2018
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You do realise this was 1978 don't you?

Not 2018?


coppice

8,605 posts

144 months

Thursday 13th September 2018
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freedman said:
It wasn't a racing accident, at all. The flag dropped before half of the grid had even firmed up, so we're still rolling, even Andretti and Villeneuve on the front row were moving. But that was just the start

After the accident lack of medical care at the circuit, and subsequently hospital cost Ronnie his life

Incompetence killed him, not the accident itself
Selective view of causation. The sine qua non was that Peterson was seriously hurt at the start of a GP .

Smollet

10,556 posts

190 months

Thursday 13th September 2018
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coppice said:
Oh come off it, he wasn't 'killed', nothing sinister or premeditated about it . Everybody in the sport knew that Italian medical facilities (and Belgian etc ) were chaotic - just listen to Brian Redman - and every driver knew the risks . It was a racing accident ,but its consequences were made catastrophically worse by poor medical care , to the surprise of absolutely no-one .

A great driver -and I was one of the lucky ones at Woodcote in 1973 . Unforgetttable.
Me too. Jaw dropping experience. I also witnessed Ickx going past Lauda at Brands in 74 in the RoC. I’ve been a lucky boy


Edited by Smollet on Thursday 13th September 18:14

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Tuesday 10th September 2019
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41 years ago

Superswede ❤️

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Thursday 10th September 2020
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42 years today

freedman

Original Poster:

5,411 posts

207 months

Saturday 10th September 2022
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44 years since Ronnies accident today

Superswede, never forgotten