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Hazards of the leisure hours

Started by ReWind , Sep 11 2005 20:00

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32 replies to this topic

#1 ReWind

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Posted 11 September 2005 - 20:00

Today’s story of Nick Heidfeld’s bicycle crash gives me the pretext for this thread.

In numerous cases the careers of racing drivers have been affected by the consequences of off-track activities.

For example:
Patrick Depailler (motocross acident in 1973, hang-gliding accident in 1979),
Dario Franchitti (motocross accident in 2004),
Bertrand Gachot (taxi driver quarrel in 1991),
Niki Lauda (tractor accident in 1976),
Jan Magnussen (scooter accident at Norisring 1995),
Juan Pablo Montoya („tennis“ accident in 2005),
Clay Regazzoni (playing soccer at Zeltweg 1972),
Jason Watt (motorcycle crash 1999).

#2 MCS

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Posted 11 September 2005 - 20:02

Gachot's "quarrel" is a bit of an understatement isn't it ??? :eek:

#3 ensign14

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Posted 11 September 2005 - 21:22

Luis Fontes' imprisonment for manslaughter in 1935ish brought a premature halt to a promising driving career - alas he did not keep it on the racetrack.

Also the Whittington brothers, John Paul Sr and Jr and Randy Lanier were involved in import-exports that had the slight disadvantage that the chief product was illegal, search on the BBs for loads of stuff.

There are a good few in NASCAR, where's Buford when you need him? A glance through the Fielden chronicles has the occasional odd incident - such as Bob Pronger, laconically described in the Encyclopaedia as D: 6/17/1971 Declared missing after disappering at the hands of mafia agents.

#4 jm70

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 00:12

When was it that Al Unser Sr missed Indy due to a motorcycle accident? I think early 70's.

#5 Jim Thurman

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 03:26

I was just getting ready to post about Al Unser Sr....1969, Bud Tingelstad filled in.

Paul Tracy also had a mountain bike spill.

ensign14, yes, Buford is definitely the man for that one as he knew Bob Pronger.

What are some of the other NASCAR ones? Perhaps it can jog my memory.

#6 ensign14

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 06:11

Robbie Moroso, Larry Thomas, Shorty York and others all died away from the track...Buddy Shuman died in a hotel fire...Willy T Ribbs missed out on a drive by being arrested for going the wrong way up a one-way street...Danny Graves died in a bar-room brawl, albeit after his NASCAR career ended...Junior Johnson did time for moonshine production - there must have been others along those lines.

#7 Zoe

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 06:31

IIRC Le Mans regular Bob Wollek was killed while riding a bicycle. I think it was in or around Sebring or Daytona.

Zoe

#8 philippe7

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 06:59

Tomas Enge's carreer suffered a blow when he was suspended for being tested positive to cannabis . The same happened to the poor late Sébastien Enjolras. Tomas Sheckter's F1 test drive contract also disappeared after an unfortunate encounter on the street....

#9 petefenelon

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 08:30

Derek Bennett -- died after a hang-gliding accident.

#10 petefenelon

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 09:17

On a slightly lighter tone, does Alan Jones' "altercation with some gentlemen on the Chiswick High Road" (resulting in a broken finger, IIRC) count?

#11 Teapot

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 16:40

Alessandro Nannini's career on single seaters abruptly ended in 1990 after he had almost lost his right arm crashing his helicopter in his parents' yard... I'll list this as a "leisure hours accident", since he referred often to the flight as his favourite activity (bar racing...)

#12 Frank S

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Posted 12 September 2005 - 23:46

I don't remember the driver who missed an early Riverside International Raceway professional race, or a Can-Am, because of the annual change from Daylight Saving Time to Pacific Standard Time. That occurred on the midnight of the last Saturday-Sunday in October, rendering the uncorrected-clock user one hour late.

Demonstrating that having unsupervised freedom during leisure hours isn't the only hazard-producer. Sometimes the hours themselves are shifty.

--
Frank S

#13 Jim Thurman

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 00:03

Originally posted by Frank S
I don't remember the driver who missed an early Riverside International Raceway professional race, or a Can-Am, because of the annual change from Daylight Saving Time to Pacific Standard Time. That occurred on the midnight of the last Saturday-Sunday in October, rendering the uncorrected-clock user one hour late.

Demonstrating that having unsupervised freedom during leisure hours isn't the only hazard-producer. Sometimes the hours themselves are shifty.

Masten Gregory at a USRRC race in 1968. His claim was that he lived in Europe and was unaware of the time change.

Carl Haas was not amused.

#14 Gary Davies

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 04:29

Didn't The Golden Boy once get a high pressure squirt of water up his hooter whilst water skiing in the Bahamas in the 50s? And damage his eye whilst 'interacting' with Katie, again, in the Bahamas?

On a more sombre note, there was poor Carlos Pace's light aircraft crash in 1977.

#15 Pikachu Racing

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 06:32

Jos Verstrappen got into a scuffle with someone at indoor kart track. He was released from his Benetton testing duties. He also got into another fight with a fan at karting race at Netherlands/Belgium.

#16 Zoe

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 08:39

We then can add Betrand Gachot to the list as well. Sprayed a London cab driver with CS gas - which is apparently illegal on the island. Spent some days / weeks in jail as a result, could not participate in the Belgian GP and was replaced by none other than Michael Schumacher. The rest is history.

Zoe

#17 gbl

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 10:21

David Coulthard survived a helicopter crash a few years ago.
Emerson Fittipaldi had a crash with a small airplane.
Patrick Carpentier "fell from a ladder doing homework" and missed a few races in 2000 IIRC.

#18 Zoe

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 10:37

Originally posted by gbl
David Coulthard survived a helicopter crash a few years ago.

Wasn't that a crash of an airplane? The pilots got killed and DC climbed out with his then GF more or less unharmed.
Scary pictures.

Zoe

#19 Hugo Boecker

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 10:53

David Purley, fire prooved hero of Zandvoort, died in light plane crash in July 1985.
Wilbur Shaw died in a plane crash in 1954.
Harald Ertl died in a plane crash 1982.

#20 Hugo Boecker

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 10:55

Originally posted by ensign14
Luis Fontes' imprisonment for manslaughter in 1935ish brought a premature halt to a promising driving career - alas he did not keep it on the racetrack.

Never heared who can tell me more please ?

#21 KJJ

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 16:47

Originally posted by Hugo Boecker

Never heared who can tell me more please ?

Luis Fontes, 22, racing motorist was sentenced at the Warwick Assizes to three years penal servitude for the manslaughter on October 6th 1935 of Reginald Francis Mordike at Coleshill, Warwickshire. Fontes had been racing another car on the public highway and collided with Mordike’s motorcycle. Neither Fontes, who had a number of previous convictions for careless and one for dangerous driving, or the occupant of the second car stopped at the scene of the accident. In mitigation Fontes' barrister pointed out that his client had been drunk at the time!!

#22 Frank de Jong

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 17:15

More airplane victims: Tony Brise and Graham Hill

#23 ReWind

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Posted 13 September 2005 - 17:27

We already had a thread about racing's air crash victims.

#24 Hugo Boecker

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 09:36

Originally posted by KJJ

Luis Fontes, 22, racing motorist was sentenced at the Warwick Assizes to three years penal servitude for the manslaughter on October 6th 1935 of Reginald Francis Mordike at Coleshill, Warwickshire. Fontes had been racing another car on the public highway and collided with Mordike’s motorcycle. Neither Fontes, who had a number of previous convictions for careless and one for dangerous driving, or the occupant of the second car stopped at the scene of the accident. In mitigation Fontes' barrister pointed out that his client had been drunk at the time!!

Thanks KJJ

#25 rgsuspsa

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 12:25

Mike Hailwood: Road accident. (1970s)

Mike Hawthorn: Road Accident. (1950s)

Frank Williams: Road Accident. (1980s)

rgsuspsa

#26 fuz

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 17:51

Originally posted by rgsuspsa
Mike Hailwood: Road accident. (1970s)

Mike Hawthorn: Road Accident. (1950s)

Frank Williams: Road Accident. (1980s)

rgsuspsa

Hailwood was killed in 1981 IIRC. Also Jean-Pierre Jarier survived a helicopter crash, as did Tony Maggs in a light air crash. Pironi lost his life in a powerboat accident 18 years ago a few weeks back.

#27 flat-16

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 19:33

An obvious one, but Sir Stirling's last championship attempt would fit the criteria for this thread: he was leading the championship (FIA historical series?) in his Elva (late '80s, early '90s?). Whilst negotiating the village roads where he lived, he came off his moped, broke a limb (arm?) and was out of action for the rest of the season...

:mad:

Justin

#28 David McKinney

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 19:51

London's a village?

#29 John B

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 19:56

Rene Arnoux's incident at Zolder, including giving a police officier a ride to his hotel on the hood of his road car.....

Not career affecting, but Bobby Unser's ill-fated snowmobile adventure out West got a bunch of national attention as to whether he was going to be symbolically charged or fined for operating in a protected area.....

On the opposite side of the topic, I know of at least one pro athlete who was specifically prohibited from racing cars in his contract.....Mike Greenwell, Red Sox outfielder. He was 'caught' racing a car (complete with his uniform number) at a local short track one time IIRC

#30 ensign14

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 20:12

Slightly tangential, but Jean-Pierre Beltoise's first wife died in a car crash in the 60s - she had gone back home to pick up a puppy or something.

#31 flat-16

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Posted 14 September 2005 - 20:12

Originally posted by David McKinney
London's a village?

Well, you have "villages" within the London area, Dulwich village for example...

Ok, my memory is crap, I confess.

#32 Jim Thurman

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Posted 02 October 2005 - 03:21

Originally posted by ensign14
Robbie Moroso, Larry Thomas, Shorty York and others all died away from the track...Buddy Shuman died in a hotel fire...Willy T Ribbs missed out on a drive by being arrested for going the wrong way up a one-way street...Danny Graves died in a bar-room brawl, albeit after his NASCAR career ended...Junior Johnson did time for moonshine production - there must have been others along those lines.

Ah, yes...well those were real tragedies (even if usually self imposed), but the first two listed definitely apply to ReWind's original description "the careers of racing drivers have been affected by the consequences of off-track activities".

Clarence Lovell was another example of a highway accident, which - IIRC - occurred on his way home from a birthday party. Came just after his best career finish (at Talladega in 1973)

Junior Johnson's federally mandated vacation is the only one that readily springs to mind along those lines.

Thanks for the list ensign, sadly it didn't jog any other memories loose other than Lovell.

#33 Simpson RX1

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Posted 08 October 2005 - 21:11

[QUOTE] Originally posted by flat-16

Well, you have "villages" within the London area, Dulwich village for example...

Ok, my memory is crap, I confess.

Not really, I sit at this moment not 20 minutes walk from Dulwich Village, then there's Chelsea Village (although that's a recently made up one), but, to be fair, most of the London 'villages' only live on in tradition, and that tradition is continued mostly by the profoundly snobbish!

I'm sitting in a house that 150 years ago was the only one in the street (for street, read unmade road surrounded by fields) and is 20 minutes drive from Bromley, a journey which took Sherlock Holmes (according to one of Sir A C-D's yarns) most of the day by carriage and train..........although with today's traffic, Baker Street to Bromley wouldn't take much less!!!!!