Deeply upsetting video
Discussion
WARNING THIS VIDEO IS UPSETTING AND OF A FATAL CRASH.
I was watching oulton park videos when I accidently clicked on this. I has stopped the video (dont do fatals) but I read the description and dicided to wathch it.
It is Roger Williamson fatal crash with David Purleys heroic actions.
My god, I was close to tears. Such a upseeting video. THe emotion expressed by David Purley at the end. Oh my god. Really upsetting.
If you want to watch it, grab the tissues and click on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mz3ZzSXyWM&NR=...
Matt
I was watching oulton park videos when I accidently clicked on this. I has stopped the video (dont do fatals) but I read the description and dicided to wathch it.
It is Roger Williamson fatal crash with David Purleys heroic actions.
My god, I was close to tears. Such a upseeting video. THe emotion expressed by David Purley at the end. Oh my god. Really upsetting.
If you want to watch it, grab the tissues and click on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mz3ZzSXyWM&NR=...
Matt
It was interesting to see him interviewed the day after - British stiff upper lip at it's best (and no doubt a heafty dose of "don't rock the boat laddie with any criticism of the officials" ringing in his ears as he spoke to the man from the Beeb").
Those that clicked on the link will probably get a kick out of this one too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ubTYl3wFhk&fea...
Those that clicked on the link will probably get a kick out of this one too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ubTYl3wFhk&fea...
sjn2004 said:
I guess by default all the other drivers were a$$holes for not pulling out of the race and either helping or not at least stopping the fire truck do its stuff.
Wrong. Because of where the accident took place the drivers didn't see Purley's parked up car, all they saw was a car on fire and a driver trying to put the fire out. They thought it was that drivers car. It was only after the race when returning to the pits that they were informed and told about what had happened.I'm afraid I can't watch this. I read th account of his death in "The Lost Generation" and it left me in tears. A complete waste of life. The clerk of the course that day who refused to stop the race turned up at Donington when they unveiled the statue of Roger. Didn't go down very well.
Always sad to see such events.
In some ways though accidents like these added to the glamour and heroism of the sport and indeed its excitement.
They were the latter day spitfire pilots of their era. The international element of the competition also added to this appeal.
Its the fact that drivers are taking these risks that elevate motorsport above and beyond the realms of other sports.
Ironically I went through a stage of dinghy sailing for only a couple of years and a visiting competitor was killed when a gust of wind blew a boom into his head. In ten years of karting I have seen and known of some bad injuries at my track but no fatalities.
In some ways though accidents like these added to the glamour and heroism of the sport and indeed its excitement.
They were the latter day spitfire pilots of their era. The international element of the competition also added to this appeal.
Its the fact that drivers are taking these risks that elevate motorsport above and beyond the realms of other sports.
Ironically I went through a stage of dinghy sailing for only a couple of years and a visiting competitor was killed when a gust of wind blew a boom into his head. In ten years of karting I have seen and known of some bad injuries at my track but no fatalities.
FourWheelDrift said:
sjn2004 said:
I guess by default all the other drivers were a$$holes for not pulling out of the race and either helping or not at least stopping the fire truck do its stuff.
Wrong. Because of where the accident took place the drivers didn't see Purley's parked up car, all they saw was a car on fire and a driver trying to put the fire out. They thought it was that drivers car. It was only after the race when returning to the pits that they were informed and told about what had happened.Cheers
dr_gn said:
FourWheelDrift said:
sjn2004 said:
I guess by default all the other drivers were a$$holes for not pulling out of the race and either helping or not at least stopping the fire truck do its stuff.
Wrong. Because of where the accident took place the drivers didn't see Purley's parked up car, all they saw was a car on fire and a driver trying to put the fire out. They thought it was that drivers car. It was only after the race when returning to the pits that they were informed and told about what had happened.Cheers
Races rarely got stopped. The race didn't get stopped at le Mans in '55 when 83 people were killed and hundreds more injured. It was felt at the time that if they stopped the race, spectators leaving the trackside would have impeded the movements of emergency vehicles.
The Ricardo Palletti crash was quite gruesome as well. For the first time here I heard that he died of his injuries rather than the fire or smoke. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=652Sgs4J1kI
As I have only been interested in motorsport since about '93 I haven't had to bear witness to something as sad as this. If it weren't for being highlighted on here I wouldn't know about these sad events from the past that have built the sport we love.
Terribly terribly sad, especially the body language of the driver trying to help out, and the body language of the marshalls who stand there and do nothing at all!
Drivers were not callous back then. They were racing drivers and well aware of the dangers that faced them every time they sat in a car. When something like this happened, their natural instinct was to put the foot down and keep going. Otherwise they might have stopped the car and got out - probably never to race again.
It was a genuine "warrior" mentality which seemed to breed a greater humility and much better respect for each other on the track.
The current genersation of cocooned and insulated drivers are selfish prima-donnas in comparison.
I wouldn't want to revert to an era where 3 or 4 drivers were dying every year - but I wouldn't mind a change in the modern driver's mind-set.
It was a genuine "warrior" mentality which seemed to breed a greater humility and much better respect for each other on the track.
The current genersation of cocooned and insulated drivers are selfish prima-donnas in comparison.
I wouldn't want to revert to an era where 3 or 4 drivers were dying every year - but I wouldn't mind a change in the modern driver's mind-set.
funkyrobot said:
As I have only been interested in motorsport since about '93 I haven't had to bear witness to something as sad as this. If it weren't for being highlighted on here I wouldn't know about these sad events from the past that have built the sport we love.
Terribly terribly sad, especially the body language of the driver trying to help out, and the body language of the marshalls who stand there and do nothing at all!
Eric Mc said:
funkyrobot said:
As I have only been interested in motorsport since about '93 I haven't had to bear witness to something as sad as this. If it weren't for being highlighted on here I wouldn't know about these sad events from the past that have built the sport we love.
Terribly terribly sad, especially the body language of the driver trying to help out, and the body language of the marshalls who stand there and do nothing at all!
dr_gn said:
How could they possibly *not* see Purley's car? It can clearly be seen parked about 50 yards before Williamson's burning car on the other side of the track. At least 6 cars can be seen driving straight past it. It's not like it's behind a barrier.
Cheers
They were just concentrating on racing and what's on the track.The accident happened at Tunnel Oost and although they are alongside Purley's car I think they wouldn't see it until quite late due to the corner before and then their attention is immediately taken by the car right in front of them as mentioned by Jackie Stewart who was the driving force behind F1 driver safety back then. Burning cars were still not a rare sight back then.Cheers
the is a fair amount of information about this incident on various websites.
As said - racing was very different then, and alot of lessons have been learned over the last 50 odd years to improve safety.
as regards the marshals (marshals with one l do motorsport - 2 ll and your talking about these guys
Those you can see are wearing plastic macs - if they go anywhere near that fire like David is - they will be injured.
Extinguishers were pretty ineffective at the time.
maybe have a read: http://www.asag.sk/bio/inter3.htm
As said - racing was very different then, and alot of lessons have been learned over the last 50 odd years to improve safety.
as regards the marshals (marshals with one l do motorsport - 2 ll and your talking about these guys
Those you can see are wearing plastic macs - if they go anywhere near that fire like David is - they will be injured.
Extinguishers were pretty ineffective at the time.
maybe have a read: http://www.asag.sk/bio/inter3.htm
The Palletti incident shows just how ineffective the entinguishers really are against 40 gallons of petrol.
I am sure the tank in that case was at least foam filled so the petrol leaking out to fuel the fire was actually far less than the full 40 gallons, yet several extiguishers barely put a dent in it.
I am sure the tank in that case was at least foam filled so the petrol leaking out to fuel the fire was actually far less than the full 40 gallons, yet several extiguishers barely put a dent in it.
Edited by Hammerwerfer on Friday 20th March 18:11
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