The Chequered Flag

[Godot 149]

Regazzoni - very sad. A great racer, a life well lived.

[One shot Paddy 1,205]

Sad news indeed, was he not the bloke Mike Hailwood pulled from a burning F1 car in the early 70s?

[M.Lawrenson 11]

Sad news indeed, was he not the bloke Mike Hailwood pulled from a burning F1 car in the early 70s?

 

Yes, at the South African GP at Kyalami in 1973. Hailwood got the George Medal, Regga got a few burns on his hands.

 

Sadly, both ended up dying in road accidents. Hailwood's car collided with a truck too, while he was driving with his kids to get a takeaway.

[Rotten Ali 600]

I would like to add my thoughts to the passing of Clay Regazzoni. On his day he was the class of the field.

 

One of my first memories of F1 was of the dual undertaking between the 1975 Ferrari's of Niki and Clay and the British teams such as Lotus and Hesketh. With Ferrari looking to force in Reuteman for '77, I felt for Clay and followed his '77 and '78 years with interest. What a coup to get the call from Frank to join the Didcot team on its expansion to entering two cars in '79. Even better that it was Clay to bring the FW07 home in first place at Silverstone that year for Williams' first Grand Prix win.

 

I built a Tamiya scale model of the FW07 and I added the #28 decals in honour.

 

Into 1980 again it would be Reuteman who would take his race seat. Then within months the very neat Ensign he was piloting would crash at full speed at the end of the main straight. The car held up well but due to the immense forces the chassis would fold-up and break his spinal cord. In truth the size of the crash was second only to David Purley's '77 Silverstone and should have been fatal only a couple of years earlier. Still, he made the best of it, and with Frank Williams also becoming a spinal injured wheelchair user he was a power of strength for Frank in '86.

Today's news robs the sport of a totally decent old stager. Switzerland is not one of the typical first line nations in formula one but Clay was for sure a first rate F1 driver for over ten years in the sport.

[DevonDeathTrip 2,358]

NASCAR & truck driver Bobby Hamilton has neck cancer. Link - small mention half-way down.

However, as it hasn't spread, I think he might be alright. If not, he'll certainly get a US obit, but UK? It's pushing it - but one for people to ponder anyway.

 

NASCAR driver and team owner Bobby Hamilton said Wednesday his doctors say there are still cancer cells on the right side of his neck and that he is continuing treatments.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Two updates:-

 

In contact with Jack Brabham today. He's fine. He certainly won't die in 2007 for sure. I'll eat my hat if he does.

 

Secondly, Alessandro Nannini, mentioned here before, is returning to racing!

[Canadian Paul 97]

NASCAR & truck driver Bobby Hamilton has neck cancer. Link - small mention half-way down.

However, as it hasn't spread, I think he might be alright. If not, he'll certainly get a US obit, but UK? It's pushing it - but one for people to ponder anyway.

 

NASCAR driver and team owner Bobby Hamilton said Wednesday his doctors say there are still cancer cells on the right side of his neck and that he is continuing treatments.

 

Dead now.

[bizzeh 0]

I was suprised that there wasn`t any more mentioned, i even had to dig deep for this after over hearing something on FOX news of all things

 

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n.../s154734S93.DTL

[M.Lawrenson 11]

Octi will probably already know this, but I've just read on the Atlas F1 Nostalgia Forum that Emmanuel de Graffenried (winner of the 1949 British GP and 2nd oldest F1 driver alive) has died aged 92.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Octi will probably already know this, but I've just read on the Atlas F1 Nostalgia Forum that Emmanuel de Graffenried (winner of the 1949 British GP and 2nd oldest F1 driver alive) has died aged 92.

 

Yep, yep. Very sad news. Still, he had a wonderful life right up to the end, bless him.

 

Met him in 1998, utterly delightful man. There are not many around now who saw him race, but he was some driver - fast, aggresive, but mechanically sympathetic. Didn't have many of them in those days, or indeed, now.

 

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Al Unser Jr in a bit of a pickle(d state)

[M.Lawrenson 11]

Thinking of the likes of MotoGP, F1, WRC, BSB etc. Could this be a bad year for the racers?

 

I expect a lot of the old guard to bow this year as de Graffenried & Oakes have already done, but none of the current F1 racers.

 

Come to think of it Octi, I know about the oldest European ex-racers (Pietsch, Frere, Rolt etc.) but who are the 80+ brigade on the USA scene. I know Lloyd Ruby and AJ Foyt are in their 70s but no really creaking oldies who remember the Brickyard when it really was bricks.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Come to think of it Octi, I know about the oldest European ex-racers (Pietsch, Frere, Rolt etc.) but who are the 80+ brigade on the USA scene. I know Lloyd Ruby and AJ Foyt are in their 70s but no really creaking oldies who remember the Brickyard when it really was bricks.

 

Bob Droeger (1916), Andy Granatelli (1923), Frank Beardsley (1926), Frank Burany (1915), Danny Kladis (1917) all drove at the Indianapolis 500 in the 1940's.

Jim Rathmann (1928), Neal Carter & Peter Hahn (both 1923), Roy Neuman (1927), Johnny Kay (1919), Don Freeland (1925) and Frank Munday (1916) all raced there pre 1955. There's a few more, but there's a noticeable gap as the late 50's, early 60's saw (and has seen) such a death toll that there's a small age gap until the likes of McElreath & Ruby.

[No Mere Nosebleed 0]

Any news on how Phil Hill is doing? I'm really, really not wanting him to go - I have a HUGE respect for the guy - but he looked in shocking shape last year.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Any news on how Phil Hill is doing? I'm really, really not wanting him to go - I have a HUGE respect for the guy - but he looked in shocking shape last year.

 

As well as can be expected. He was at a function early last month to honour Chuck Daigh & looked no worse than he did at Goodwood. Last time I saw a picture of him in January he was doing okay.

 

I'm sure I started a thread on Phil Hill with an excellent article on his health - ah yes Phil Hill Thread

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Long, big-worded but interesting medical journal article on long-term injury/strain of a F1 driver's wrist

 

So far the only proper medical report really published on the study of F1 drivers.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

250cc World Championship motorcyclist Roberto Locatelli is on a life support machine after crashing in practice at Jerez.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Locatelli still breathes, but former F1 racing driver Luki Botha doesn't. He passed away last year for anyone who keeps tabs on this kind of thing. (Lawro, I'm looking at you here.)

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Firstly, Locatelli. He's out of ICU & should make a full recovery. As should Tomas Enge who was badly hurt in a sportscar crash last week.

 

However, no hope of recovery for former GP driver Robin Montgomerie-Charrington who has died, aged 91.

 

Another death in quick succession from Schiller, but at least he breaks the run of dead Swiss.

[Rotten Ali 600]

Don't know how many of you guys out there saw Niki Lauda walking past slowly in the background the other day but to me he still looked quite ill. Anybody saw the TV transmission links he does for German TV? and be able to comment further on how he is?

 

PS that's "Tyrrell" with two r's.

[Tuber Mirum 125]

Don't know how many of you guys out there saw Niki Lauda walking past slowly in the background the other day but to me he still looked quite ill. Anybody saw the TV transmission links he does for German TV? and be able to comment further on how he is?

 

I usually keep an eye out out for Niki's spot after the race to see how he's looking, but sadly this time round I was out of town and only managed to see the first half of the race.

If he was there at all, then it's usually a fairly good indicator that he's not that poorly. Particularly as the race was located fairly far off. He missed a couple of races last season with that kidney business I recall.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Don't know how many of you guys out there saw Niki Lauda walking past slowly in the background the other day but to me he still looked quite ill. Anybody able to comment further on how he is?

 

Last met him last December, shortly after Regga's funeral. He's doing okay, but perhaps not as well as some of his living contemparies (say Ickx, Piquet, Andretti etc). The latest kidney transplant took a fair bit of wind out of his sails.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

However much Lauda is ailing, he's faring better than Jeff Uren, winner of the 1959 British Touring Car Championship, who has died, aged 81.

[Octopus of Odstock 2,186]

Hans-Joachim Stuck, former F1 driver & sportscar ace is a lucky man after a mammoth crash over the weekend. The link isn't the best, but it does explain, in English, some of his nasty injuries, including bruising to the heart! As a good friend of mine, I'm glad Hans is well & should pull through fine. Stuck becomes Unstuck

[M.Lawrenson 11]

Hans-Joachim Stuck, former F1 driver & sportscar ace is a lucky man after a mammoth crash over the weekend. The link isn't the best, but it does explain, in English, some of his nasty injuries, including bruising to the heart! As a good friend of mine, I'm glad Hans is well & should pull through fine. Stuck becomes Unstuck

 

Anyone else and I'd question why they were racing at that age, especially at the Nurburgring (though HJS could probably lap it competitively with his eyes closed by now), but Stuck is a great driver. Hope he's back behind the wheel soon and carries on as long as his old dad did. Send him my best regards.