Jump to content
Worthing Paul

The Chequered Flag

Recommended Posts

On the subject of Le Mans, Mark Webber announced yesterday that he's quitting F1 to go and race for Porsche in endurance racing. It's worth bearing in mind that last time he attempted Le Mans, his car was withdrawn before the race after he ended up two separate back-flips in practice

 

463048082DAF719F2C51B66FA53EC.jpg

 

 

He's pulled the same stunt in F1.

 

So next year's posters say: Le Mans 24 Hours - You'll Believe a Man Can Fly!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In fairness, in F1 it was self-inflicted. At Le Mans it was due to an aerodynamic flaw with the car - a third accident befell one of the other cars during the race itself

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Too funny not to post! Walker's greatest.... eh... hits.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not dead yet, but seriously struggling, Le Mans and sportscar legend, Jean-Pierre Jassaud.

 

A few weeks ago, he went in for a heart-operation, and complications have since set in. He is now seriously ill. http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuLocale_-24-heures-du-Mans.-Victime-d-un-malaise-Jean-Pierre-Jaussaud-hospitalise_40780-2204145------14118-aud_actu.Htm (link is regarding when he first became ill)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

NASCAR veteran Morgan Shepherd will likely become the oldest driver to start a Sprint Cup Series race this weekend at the age of 71. I don't think he is expected to compete for victory, though, as he hasn't won a race in the series for 20 years

 

He's not the oldest NASCAR driver ever, though. James Hylton raced in the second tier Nationwide Series in 2011 at 76. He's still racing too but plans to retire at the end of the season

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bill Warner; record-breaking motorcyclist; probs travelling around 300 mph when he crashed. Conscious and talking after sliding 1000 yards: so likely able to reflect on how much skin he'd lost. Dead an hour and a quarter later.

 

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/international/racer-killed-in-bid-to-break-300-mph-on-motorbike-1.112270

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Andrea Antonelli, World Supersport rider, has been killed in a horrific accident in pouring rain today at Moscow.

 

http://www.bikesport...ied&newsid=9927

 

You must hear of about 20 or more motorcyclists dying every year. Worth putting a couple on the deathlist. I might include one on my 2014 list.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Andrea Antonelli, World Supersport rider, has been killed in a horrific accident in pouring rain today at Moscow.

 

http://www.bikesport...ied&newsid=9927

 

You must hear of about 20 or more motorcyclists dying every year. Worth putting a couple on the deathlist. I might include one on my 2014 list.

 

I've got one in my DDP team this year, the trouble is it's very difficult to predict who might be caught up in an unlucky crash - obviously there are some riders that crash more than others, but it's also very easy for riders that never crash to be taken out by those that do - a bit needle in a haystack really. My choice this year was based on the fact that he's a cocky rookie in the MotoGP class and is going all out to prove that he has earned his place there - and that could lead to a desperate lunge up the inside here or a late braking there.......but as has been proved in previous years and different classes, it usually is a case of simple bad luck.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Andrea Antonelli, World Supersport rider, has been killed in a horrific accident in pouring rain today at Moscow.

 

http://www.bikesport...ied&newsid=9927

 

You must hear of about 20 or more motorcyclists dying every year. Worth putting a couple on the deathlist. I might include one on my 2014 list.

 

I've got one in my DDP team this year, the trouble is it's very difficult to predict who might be caught up in an unlucky crash - obviously there are some riders that crash more than others, but it's also very easy for riders that never crash to be taken out by those that do - a bit needle in a haystack really. My choice this year was based on the fact that he's a cocky rookie in the MotoGP class and is going all out to prove that he has earned his place there - and that could lead to a desperate lunge up the inside here or a late braking there.......but as has been proved in previous years and different classes, it usually is a case of simple bad luck.

 

Yea i was thinking that too, some of the riders can be relative unknowns too even to moto GP fans. My dad was saying F1 used to have a similar amount of deaths as moto GP does today but they really improved the safety . High time they done that with Moto GP i think.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well the most recent deaths I can think of in the top level classes have been when the rider fell and was wiped out by a closely following rider - this crash today has some "trackside crowd video" which show in pretty clear detail what happened to the unfortunate Antonelli.

 

Sadly if a guy falls in the opening laps of a race he does have a chance of being right in the path of disaster. I can't really think how much they could improve the safety in that regard.

 

It does seem like the sport is going through a bad spell though of these kind of incidents. In fact it's been a bad couple of months for motor sport fatalities it appears.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well the most recent deaths I can think of in the top level classes have been when the rider fell and was wiped out by a closely following rider - this crash today has some "trackside crowd video" which show in pretty clear detail what happened to the unfortunate Antonelli.

 

Sadly if a guy falls in the opening laps of a race he does have a chance of being right in the path of disaster. I can't really think how much they could improve the safety in that regard.

 

It does seem like the sport is going through a bad spell though of these kind of incidents. In fact it's been a bad couple of months for motor sport fatalities it appears.

 

I agree, the other two that immediately spring to mind are Shoya Tomizawa in Moto 2 class in 2010 and Marco Simoncelli in MotoGP in 2011 (although there are plenty more), both hit by other riders, and that is something that you just can't prepare for. I only saw the initial live footage of the Antonelli crash as I was watching it at the time of broadcast, which they quickly cut away from as is the norm - I have not and have no wish to see anything further.

 

I think the safety is probably as good as it can be, considering you are throwing a machine around a track at speeds in the region of 200mph at some places, with no protection around you except for your leathers - this isn't Crown Green Bowls.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Interesting... I wouldve gone for Tony Gaze, Ken McAlpine, Tony Crook and Leslie Marr, all of which wouldve got obits for non racing related thimgs but its a decent team. Well done on picking Carlsson

 

Tony Gaze gonski http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/motor-sport/tony-gaze-world-war-ii-flying-ace-and-first-australian-in-f1-dies-age-93/story-fnii0hpx-1226687591688

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Another motorsport death today, and this time it's personal. I was an eye witness to this one...

 

German motor sidecar passenger Sandor Pohl was flung from the machine and hit by another sidecar. He died at the Assen TT circuit today during the Gamma racing weekend. This race was the fifth round of the FIM sidecar world championship. At the beginning of the third round this happened.

 

Accident on liveleak. Warning, not suitable for young audience.

 

2aiemgp.jpg

A motionless passenger.

 

6hrnd0.jpg

As soon as CPR started, I feared the worst.

 

169qlux.jpg

The scene was covered up.

 

j67qsi.jpg

The driver was taken away.

 

10y2a9h.jpg

The machine that collided with Pohl.

 

Needles to say that the sidecar race was abandoned after this incident.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh btw, Whitehouse, sorry you had to see that fatality: seeing sudden death up close like that is never nice. I saw a fatal car/motorbike incident about 10 years ago, and the images are still burned into my brain.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×

Important Information

Your use of this forum is subject to our Terms of Use