21 replies to this topic

[LittleChris]

Hello Everyone - First post on this forum.

Can somebody satisfy my curiosity about the accident in 1974 from which Silvio Moser suffered injuries that later proved fatal.

For Christmas I received a book on the Monza 1000Km's which states that he finished 16th or so. However I know that he crashed during the race. I believe that he had been into the pits and left without doing up his harness, but know no more than that.

Does anybody have any information as to the circumstances of what happened ?

Thx

Chris

[Marcor]

The first text was from the Speeds ultimate price thread and posted by Milan Fistonic

Silvio Moser died on May 28, 1974 in a Swiss hospital where he had been taken following his crash in the Monza 1000 kms on April 25. His 2-litre Lola-BMW ran out of road and collided with a car that had been abandoned on the side of the track. Minutes before Moser had made a pit stop and, trying to protect a slim lead in the 2-litre class, had left the pits without doing up his seat belts. Apparently he was only doing 80 mph when he hit the stationary car, an impact he would surely have survived had he been wearing his belts.

And now here's what I've translated from L'Automobile June

Silvio Moser took part to the Monza 1000 km on April 25, 1974. With his team mate Nicodemi they had started from the 9th position on the grid and second of the 2-litre class in their Lola T294 #37 only preceded by the 2-litre arch favourite Abarth Osella #21 driven by Vittorio Brambilla and Jean-Louis Lafosse. But if the overall race was quickly won by the three Alfa Romeo 33 TT12 after the retirements of the two Matra Simca 670C, the 2-litre class race was more eventful and would tragically finish. Brambilla-Lafosse were the first leaders then the AMS Cosworth #24 driven by Mohr-Finotto which also retired (engine failure). Gagliardi-Pooky (Lola Ferraris #46, don't forget the "s"), Moser-Nicodemi (Lola BMW) and Heavens-Leguellec (Lola T294 Ford #38) fought together for the lead but they had problems in turn. A broken oil pipe cut the momentum of the surprising little V8 2-litre Ferraris. Leguellec faster enough than his team mate seemed to stand up to Moser when the overheating of his engine forced him to slow down. In the end of the race, two punctures would handicap again the Frenchman's car. Moser seemed to have won when, on lap 163 (nearly the end of race), at the beginning of the chicane his Lola collided with the March #51 of Bozetto. If the team mate of Serblin got off unscathed, Silvio Moser was seriously hurt (head's fracture, multiple bruises,...) and evacuated to an hospital. The class was finally won by the Chevron Ford FVC B23 #52 of Monti and Smith. Silvio Moser did the fastest lap in his class (1'39.9", 207.927 kph).

One month later in L'Automobile July 1974
Very Seriously injured in the Monza 1000 kms on April 25, the Swiss driver Silvio Moser died at Locarno (in a hospital), one month and 2 days after the crash. He never regained consciousness.

Born at Zurich, Moser was 33 years old. He started racing when he was 20 with a Jaguar. He quickly show good promises winning the F3 Temporada in 1964. He came in F1 in 1968 driving an ex-work Brabham Repco V8. This year he finished fifth at Zandvoort (Dutch GP). After another season with a Brabham, he took part to the 1970 F1 championship with a Bellasi Cosworth. Some days before his last race, he had prepared his comeback in GP through Dubler who took care of the Scuderia Finotto (thus another out-of date Brabham, a model BT42 Ford).

[Marcor]

I've checked an other source, as you said Moser and Nicodemi were classified 16th, despite the crash.

With 163 laps they should be 6th overall and first in 2-litre class. It certainly had a (typing) error in L'Automobile. 143 laps is more plausible !!!

[LittleChris]

Thanks Marcor,

I've been wondering for years what actually happened. It's rather ironic that this should occur at monza where he had probably his best results !

Chris

[Marcor]

Lot's of drivers died in their favorite circuit, more accurately where they scored their best results.

Some names ?

François Cevert, Watkins Glen, 1st and only GP Victory in 1971, 2nd in 1972, fatal crash in 1973.

Ronnie Peterson, 3 times winner of the Italian GP in 1973, 1974 and 1976, fatal crash in 1978...

The word ironically was ofter used in that case !!
I stop here as it could be a topic of a new thread.

[BRG]

Moser's F1 efforts were in a Bellasi-Ford. What was this car? Who designed and built it? Anyone know?

[FLB]

Originally posted by Marcor
Lot's of drivers died in their favorite circuit, more accurately where they scored their best results.

Some names ?

Dale Earnhardt, Daytona International Speedway. 1998 Daytona 500 winner, 34 wins total at the speedway. Third overall in his only sportscar race.

Killed in the Daytona 500 two weeks later

Bill Vukovich, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dropped out of the Indy 500 while leading in 1952, won in 1953 and 1954.

Killed while leading in 1955

[Marcor]

Silvio Moser was a long time Brabham addict. IN F1 he drove two seasons with a private Brabham. In 1970, he needed a monocoque replacement for the Brabham he had been racing because of regulations calling for bag fuel tanks.

He then commissioned Vittorio Bellasi, a fringe F3 constructor inn the late sixties (Brabham or Lotus copies), to produce an F1 for 1970. This appeared for the Dutch GP, as fairly simple monocoque car with the engine used as stressed member and sensible outward lines. From the 1969 Moser's car (a Brabham BT24 Cosworth DFV) the engine and gearbox were used and the suspension was inspired from that car. The car was a bulky machine, with outward lines accurately reflecting its unsophisticated construction.

The car would not put a mark in the GP history. One of the worst F1 car (in term of results !!!)

[BRG]

Thanks, Marc

Those were the days, when anyone could knock up a F1 car out of a kit of bits!

[LittleChris]

Peter Connew's early 70's effort being high on enthusiasm but short on pace !! Apparently the tub ended up as a flower pot !!

[Barry Boor]

I bet you all knew I'd be in on that last post!

Little Chris - neither of the two Connew tubs EVER became flower pots, or any other kind of pots, for that matter.

In fact, Peter is getting quite enthusiastic about building the car up again, if not as a runner, then at least as a static exhibit.

However, I can understand how Bellasi and Connew might be linked together, given the utter lack of success of both projects.

As with the piano playing dog, the surprise was not that they failed to succeed but that they ever got there in the first place!

[fines]

8 hours, 54 minutes. Barry, I'm not too impressed... That was "Connew speed"! [fines runs and hides]

[LittleChris]

Barry,

I stand corrected. It must have been another constructor that I was thinking of: Any idea's as to whom ? They were definitely from the UK and it was an F1 car of the 70's.

I hope Peter Connew does rebuild at least one of the cars as a runner, since I think the smaller concerns are as relevant to the history of the sport as the larger ones.

Chris

[Ray Bell]

There were plenty of them qualified for that indignity!

I also hope Peter gets the car going, and maybe he can borrow a DFV from McLaren again and have a drive of it for himself...

Doubt that Francois would be welcome again, would he?

[Barry Boor]

Au contraire, Ray. We would be more than happy to see Frankie in the car again. We did not part on bad terms at all. Admittedly, we felt somewhat let down because he never brought anything like the cash he promised, but I suppose he might argue that we never had the car ready for him to drive in the races that were originally scheduled. So it's 6 of one etc.

I have seen him several times through the years and he always greets me like a long-lost brother. The last time I saw him he was racind an A.C. Cobra with Pescarolo and driving a BRM in a demonstration at the 1999 Coy's Festival. He always asks after Peter and I am sure that if the car ever became a runner again, we would love to see him driving it.

As for borrowing an engine from McLaren..... errr... I doubt it!

Little Chris, on reflection, you may well have seen a quote something like the flower pot one connected to a Connew story, but believe me it was a case of extreme poetic licence.

Ahem, was this thread connected to Silvio Moser?

There is another tenuous link. When I saw the Bellasi in the Donington Collection I was gutted. If that car is there, why isn't ours? Well, the answer is simple and sad. Peter once told me that he offered it to Mr. Wheatcroft shortly after it finished racing, but he was asking for some cash and Tom wasn't keen, so the idea fell through. I think that it may well finish up there, should it ever be rebuilt. I hope so anyway.

[Ray Bell]

Don't worry about Moser, he'll never notice...

I thought, Barry, that you might be concerned about risking the car if Francois got his mad hands on it... recalling that Escort van drive, that is...

[LittleChris]

Barry,

SORRY,

Being a new member & trying to play catch-up on everything that's gone before, I didn't realise your association with the Connew project. Having been born in the early 60's and allegedly matured in the 70's, I wrote it as I remembered it at the time. Now being somewhat older ( 40 next year !!! Arrgh ), I can appreciate the effort everybody concerned must have put into it and I genuinely feel humble.

As regards, Frankie not bringing the cash and the car " maybe" not being what he'd expected, all I can say is that you were two sets of human beings striving for the same goal, it was twenty odd years ago and hopefully all parties concerned accept previous mistakes and are content with their current lives.

Chris

[Barry Boor]

No worries, Little Chris. I try to strike a balance between telling anecdotes if required and not banging on about it too much.

I fear I err on the latter side!

As for 'Aaargh!' I'm over 50, and it's great! Sadly the Connew episode was 30 years ago, not 20!

[LittleChris]

Au contraire, continuer mon ami !!

Even at 39 the years and memories are melding together.

Just another 11 years to go before I can learn what life's about - hoorah !!

[byrkus]

Sorry for resurrecting this ancient thread, but there's something about Monza 1000kms 1974 I don't quite understand. And that is, what track configuration did they use back then? It's obvious that they used the Ascari Chicane; but did they also use chicane on S/F straight?

Pole Position, Monza 1974, F1: 1:33.16 (223.36 km/h), N. Lauda, Ferrari 312 B3
Pole Position, Monza 1974, 1000kms: 1:28.26 (235.76), Merzario/Andretti, Alfa Romeo T33/TT/12

In both cases the track lenght is 5.780 km.

I know those cars were pretty darn quick - but whole FIVE SECONDS faster than F1?? It just doesn't make sense, does it. However, I found absolutely NO proof whatsoever about 'missing' the chicane on S/F straight. Which I only find as the sole logical solution.

Or am I missing something else here...?

[longhorn]

From the Motor Sport report, you're correct in that they used the Ascari chicane on the back leg of the circuit, but they didn't use the chicane on the start/finish straight.

[byrkus]

Thank you for confirmation.