As I'm sure some of you will be aware, today marks the four year anniversary that Dan Wheldon was killed. Rather than thinking about what happened at Las Vegas, I was remembering the 2011 Indianapolis 500, which, of course, was Wheldon's last victory.
It came in pretty remarkable circumstances. JR Hildebrand crashed on the last corner of the last lap, to hand victory of one of the biggest races in the world to Wheldon. It was at a time when Dan didn't even have a full time drive.
I still get chills watching that footage even now. And, because of what happened later that year, it has become one of the most poignant moments in motorsport for me as well.
I was wondering, what other moments in motorsport have had a lasting affect on you? Moments that, if they never happened, and were in a film, would be laughed off as unrealistic, or too far-fetched to believe. Whether it be through surprise results, crazy races or spooky coincidences that have happened, what are your 'couldn't script it' moments?
Here's a few for me:
1988 Italian Grand Prix
Pretty obvious one from F1. In a year that McLaren were utterly dominant, Ferrari take a 1-2 finish at Monza of all places, and not long after Enzo Ferrari had died. The only race that McLaren would not win that year, with both Prost and Senna DNFing.
1998 Rally of Great Britain
Tommi Makinen and Carlos Sainz headed into the final round of the 1998 WRC season battling for the championship. However, Makinen crashed on oil early in the event, seemingly handing the championship to Sainz. But, incredibly, only several hundred metres from the finish, Sainz suffered a car failure. It handed the championship to Makinen by two points.
2006 MotoGP championship decider - Valencia
I've mentioned this season of MotoGP in another of my opening posts, 'team mates taking each other out'. In the penultimate round of the championship, Dani Pedrosa took his championship leading team mate, Nicky Hayden, out of the race. This seemingly handed Valentino Rossi another title. Yet, at the final race, Rossi made an uncharacteristic mistake and fell early in the race, meaning Hayden won a championship many thought he couldn't.
2008 Brazilian Grand Prix
So many potential 'couldn't script it' moments from the 2008 F1 season. Be it first time winners, the crashgate scandal, or a very dramatic championship battle. But this one stood out, of course. You all know what happens, Vettel passes Hamilton for fifth with only a few laps to go - the place Hamilton needs to win the championship. But then, on the last corner of the last lap of the final race, Hamilton passes a struggling Timo Glock. Massa wins the race, Ferrari think they've won the championship, and we all couldn't believe what we'd just seen.
So, over to you. Have I overlooked something that is even better than all of these? Let me know.
Edited by JHSingo, 16 October 2015 - 18:31.