Roger Williamson accident - David Purley

[Colin_147]

This was posted up in the music forum but wanted to get some thoughts from a wider audience and to the people that were around when this happened.

I hadnt seen this before today (before my time) but I found it truly shocking that this man was not saved. The marshalls actions, or lack of, defy belief

The act of heroism from Purley is unbelievable. To read he later died in an accident himself, abeit in an aircraft is sad. But watchig that video and seeing him do what he did will stay with me for a long time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1j_oEx1DkY

http://www.asag.sk/bio/williamson.htm

Thoughts welcome.....

[Mazda Baiter]

I have seen the video once before. I don't need to see it again. It will stick with me forever.

Purley was a soldier in Aden, he reckoned that one part of his military training was useful in his racing. He used to scream into his helmet as he went through the fast, downhill sweepers at Rouen-les-Essarts, apparently it took his mind away from the fear and he was able to keep his foot flat down on the throttle.

A brave, brave, brave man.

[RichB]

Colin_147 said:

...wanted to get some thoughts from a wider audience and to the people that were around when this happened.

What sort of thoughts do you want? I recollect it well, I was about 17 when it happened and it was a shocking waste of life.

[John D.]

With regards the marshalls I suspect lack of appropriate equipment and training lead to the apparent inaction. Not nice to watch.

[Nick_F]

We've been here before.

Google Piers Courage, and ask yourself just how many lessons the Zandvort people learned the first time.

[Richard-G]

everytime i see it i mentally try and push the car over as its too painful to watch, the one positive you can take from this is that it helped to improve marshall training and fire retardation equipment for the drivers so williamson didnt die in vien

[Richard-G]

Gaz. said:

Colin_147 said:

I hadnt seen this before today (before my time) but I found it truly shocking that this man was not saved. The marshalls actions, or lack of, defy belief

They were in normal clothes, there's no way they could have done a lot without getting horrendously injured/killed themselves. I'm a fully paid up member of the have a go hero club but I'm not fireproof.

+1 if you watch closely you will note purley had the best protection from the flames, stil brave though. Where was flameproof alonso when we needed him...

[DJC]

Seen it before, no need to see it again.

[Piglet]

In modern motorsport this wouldn't happen. We have well trained marshals, we have rescue units that would be on the scene in seconds and we have fire cars even at small meetings.

This however was not modern motorsport. The marshals would have been trained very differently, if they had any training at all. As someone says, look at the footage, see the guy in the shirt and tie? They have no fireproof clothing and especially no gloves. Have you ever stood next to race car that is on fire? I wouldn't have been as close as they were without nomex. Plus of course, it's likely that they had no insurance and if they went home dead (yes I know!) or horribly injured then who was going to support them.

Time also runs very slowly when you are sitting at your PC watching these kind of incidents. I've watched back incidents that I have overseen and something that happens quickly when you're standing in race control watching it unfold on a monitor seems to take an age when watched from the comfort of my armchair when someone is criticising the response.

I think it's entirely unfair to compare marshalling methods from 1973 to those that you see now. It's a whole different world. OP (I'm trying to say this nicely!) you perhaps need to do some further research to see what motorsport was like at this time and earlier. Jackie Stewart's Spa incident was a catalyst that led him to try to change the sport and the differences are huge.

I suspect that those volunteer marshals lived their whole lives with what they saw at this race and others. Don't assume they stood by because they didn't care...

[Crafty_]

2 books worth reading:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Limit-Triumph-Tragedy...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Limit-Sid-Watkins/d...

Professor Sidney Watkins was the first permanent F1 doctor. The books cover Bernie asking him to start taking care of medical facilities and care at races and the struggles he had (unbelievably some circuits didn't want him around and refused entry at times!). The books then cover the constant improvements made over the years and naturally enough the tragedy of Imola 1994.

In his book Jackie Stewart recalls having an accident and being taken to the "medical centre", which was just a disused building at the circuit. He was laid on the dirty stone floor, when he looked to his side he could see cigarette ends and rubbish on the floor... Its this sort of thing that Watkins was put in place to improve.

Definitely worth a read to see how far we've come.

[Mazda Baiter]

Crafty_ said:

2 books worth reading:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Limit-Triumph-Tragedy...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Limit-Sid-Watkins/d...



Professor Sidney Watkins was the first permanent F1 doctor. The books cover Bernie asking him to start taking care of medical facilities and care at races and the struggles he had (unbelievably some circuits didn't want him around and refused entry at times!). The books then cover the constant improvements made over the years and naturally enough the tragedy of Imola 1994.



In his book Jackie Stewart recalls having an accident and being taken to the "medical centre", which was just a disused building at the circuit. He was laid on the dirty stone floor, when he looked to his side he could see cigarette ends and rubbish on the floor... Its this sort of thing that Watkins was put in place to improve.



Definitely worth a read to see how far we've come.

Good books anyway, even if you are not reading them in the context of this thread.

[chevronb37]

At the risk of sounding like a massive girl, the account of Roger Williamson's death in David Tremayne's "The Lost Generation" left me in tears. It is deeply moving and a tragic waste of life. The statue and miscellany of cars/automobilia which Tom Wheatcroft put on display at the Donington Collection form an excellent tribute. Thank heavens we don't have to see this kind of thing any longer. I have only witnessed one fatality in person at a race circuit and it never leaves you.

[groomi]

I vagualy remember reading somewhere that the marshalls clothing actually melted when they got close to a fire - so there was no way they could get anywhere near it.

[miniman]

Colin_147 said:

The marshalls actions, or lack of, defy belief

Have you ever aproached a burning car armed with a basic fire extinguisher? Thought not.

[Piglet]

groomi said:

I vagualy remember reading somewhere that the marshalls clothing actually melted when they got close to a fire - so there was no way they could get anywhere near it.

They probably did, nylon and polyester type fabrics will melt onto the skin at high temperatures. So unless they were only wearing natural fabrics with stitching made from natural fabrics that would have been a huge problem.

[Mazda Baiter]

chevronb37 said:

At the risk of sounding like a massive girl, the account of Roger Williamson's death in David Tremayne's "The Lost Generation" left me in tears. It is deeply moving and a tragic waste of life. The statue and miscellany of cars/automobilia which Tom Wheatcroft put on display at the Donington Collection form an excellent tribute. Thank heavens we don't have to see this kind of thing any longer. I have only witnessed one fatality in person at a race circuit and it never leaves you.

I was the same when I read the last two chapters of Adam Cooper's Piers Courage book.

Also at the Donington Collection is the wreck of Purley's LEC after the crash at Silverstone which ended his career. Scary.

[GTP rpm]

Churns my stomach.

When Purley turns away, that's disturbing. What must go through your mind...

[Marcia]

Seen that video before,don'twish to see it again.

[lord summerisle]

this is a translation of a Dutch report on the chronology of Sunday 29th of July 1973 from interviews with Ben Huisman, race director Zandvoort Grand Prix in 1973, Herman Brammer, track official Post #10 and Gijs van Lennep, driver at the Grand Prix at Zandvoort in 1973, conducted in 2003

http://www.asag.sk/bio/inter3.htm

[Syndrome]

Several drivers were asked about this incident over the years. Most said they thought that Dave Purley was the driver and that they thought he was out of the car. They also said that it wouldn't have been any help to have stopped, even if they had realised what was going on IIRC.