31 replies to this topic

[Graham Clayton]

Fellow NFer's,

I don't know if any examples of this are mentioned in the "speeds ultimate price" thread,
but are there many instances of driver fatalities after a race has finished?

The only one I know of happened in Australian speedway racing. On Saturday, February
27 1965, Nick Collier finished 7th in the speedcar feature race at the Sydney Showground.
On the slow-down lap, his car clipped the wheel of another car, and rolled over.
Collier suffered head and neck injuries, and died in hospital shortly afterwards.

Any other examples?

[Bernd]

I witnessed young Nicole Franks accident at a Kart Event in Wollongong on the 5th of February last year. She went over the line flat out trying to take the lead as the flag dropped, got the first corner wrong and went straight into the barriers. She tragically died of head and neck injuries later in Hospital.

[char76]

I do not remember any " after the race was finished" instances but i do remember watching a Superbike race from Cadwell Park, England in about 1982, when there was a tragic accident before the race started.

[theunions]

Not an on-track incident...but NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year leader (and reigning Busch Grand National champion) Rob Moroso finished 21st at the Tyson Holly Farms 400 at North Wilksboro, NC on Sept. 30, 1990, then proceeded to exceed the legal blood alcohol limit. On his way home that evening, his passenger Oldsmobile crossed the center line and struck another vehicle head-on, killing himself and the other driver. With only one other driver giving him token competition, he nevertheless won ROTY by a huge margin despite not living to see the last 3 races of the year.

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by theunions
Not an on-track incident...but NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year leader (and reigning Busch Grand National champion) Rob Moroso finished 21st at the Tyson Holly Farms 400 at North Wilksboro, NC on Sept. 30, 1990, then proceeded to exceed the legal blood alcohol limit. On his way home that evening, his passenger Oldsmobile crossed the center line and struck another vehicle head-on, killing himself and the other driver. With only one other driver giving him token competition, he nevertheless won ROTY by a huge margin despite not living to see the last 3 races of the year.

Yes, the only other competitor - Jack Pennington (a dirt track vet from Georgia), actually was right with Moroso and even outperfomed him in some races, despite having a vastly underfinanced team by comparison. It wasn't until Pennington had missed several races before Moroso started putting any margin between them, and while improbable, I don't believe it was mathematically impossible for Pennington to have caught Moroso if he'd made the final three races and done well.

I still remember Dick Berggren writing on how Robbie Moroso was "going to win many Cup championships.." and "that (Pennington) did the right thing in skipping the final three races." I found those latter comments execrable. Granted, I know Berggren was a longtime friend of Dick Moroso, but still...

Don't even get me starte on his column on how (and why) racing in California had died out

Funny how TNF has managed to bring up many things that stuck in my craw all these years, and at least gives me a chance to mention it to a much larger, more widespread audience than just my small circle of racing friends and sending letters saying "I know what you did!" to those responsible

Gee, Earl...think I have any chance of getting membership in the AARWBA?


Jim Thurman

[Rediscoveryx]

Didn't Paul Warwick effectively win the race he got killed in, as he was in the lead on the lap prior to his accident, an accident which promted the race to be stopped?

[theunions]

Originally posted by Jim Thurman
I still remember Dick Berggren writing on how Robbie Moroso was "going to win many Cup championships.." and "that (Pennington) did the right thing in skipping the final three races." I found those latter comments execrable. Granted, I know Berggren was a longtime friend of Dick Moroso, but still...

The funny thing is Jack DID run two of the remaining three races.

[2F-001]

Not quite what you're looking for, and I forget the name for the minute - but wasn't there a very promising young driver killed at the last corner of the last lap of the last race of the ''pre-one car spec'' F3000? (I'm thinking this was at Lycee, Magny Cours...)

[Rediscoveryx]

Originally posted by 2F-001
Not quite what you're looking for, and I forget the name for the minute - but wasn't there a very promising young driver killed at the last corner of the last lap of the last race of the ''pre-one car spec'' F3000? (I'm thinking this was at Lycee, Magny Cours...)

That was Marco Campos. He was far down the field though in something like 12th place. Kenny Bräck won the race.

[scott121476]

WELL,


back in 1990 there was a USAC race in salem in..... just a day before his 1st WC race, rich volger <40 years of age> was in the lead and trying to pass the lapper, but on the last lap he hooked wheels and then slammed the front streach wall a ton..... he was killed instanley..... but when they red flagged the race they gave him the win....




scott

[LittleChris]

Originally posted by char76
I do not remember any " after the race was finished" instances but i do remember watching a Superbike race from Cadwell Park, England in about 1982, when there was a tragic accident before the race started.

You may be thinking about Kenny Irons in 1987. Another bike seized in front of him ( Phil Mellor ?) on Park Straight and he hit it and was thrown off. Unfortunately he was hit by his own bike as he lay on the grass. Rather similar to Nagai in the WSBC race at Assen a few years ago.

[David McKinney]

Aldo Marazza was killed after the end of an Italian voiturette race in the 1930s

[Geza Sury]

Originally posted by Rediscoveryx
Didn't Paul Warwick effectively win the race he got killed in, as he was in the lead on the lap prior to his accident, an accident which promted the race to be stopped?

Yeah, Paul Warwick was awarded the victory. That was his fifth win a row and eventually he won the championship with 45 points. IIRC Fredrik Ekblom was second with 42.

[Doug Nye]

I believe that American Commander Bryant was killed in his Aston Martin DB3S on the slowing-down lap at Oulton Park in the mid-1950s and German (or Austrian??) Erik Bauer was killed in Gottfried Kochert's Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa after missing the finish flag at the 1958 Nurburgring 1,000Kms and tearing on around what should have been the slowing down lap - he thought it was the last lap and was going for position, it appeared...

DCN

[Richard Jenkins]

Somewhat astonished to see no-one's mentioned Erwin Bauer, the German GP & sportscar driver who died in the 1958 Nurburgring 1000km. Bauer finished 10th, but did not realise that he had actually passed the chequered flag. Still going flat out, he slid wide after passing a car that had effectively stopped due to the end of the race & crashed fatally into the trees.


Edit: Doug did, but I guess I saw the Erik(?) & didn't register

[Richard Jenkins]

Actually, in addition, which NASCAR driver was it that died recently on the last corner - it was Dale Earnhardt, wasn't it? Surely he was classified as a finisher?

[ensign14]

Originally posted by Richie Jenkins
Actually, in addition, which NASCAR driver was it that died recently on the last corner - it was Dale Earnhardt, wasn't it? Surely he was classified as a finisher?

Everyone is classified in NASCAR, although Dale was not classed as still running.

On a slight tangent, but Johnny Allen won 1 NASCAR race and nearly killed himself at the first turn, he was gunning it some in a shoot out and could not brake in time (similar to Craven-Busch getting into each other at Darlington).

Carl Scarborough died of heat exhaustion suffered at the (literally) murderously hot Indy 500 in 1953, he was dragged out of his car and replaced by (IIRC) Bob Scott, who brought it home 11th. Carl was credited for some points in the AAA championship for this result but he may have already been dead when the car finished (the Bettenhausen book by Carl Hungness suggests Vukovich was told of Scarborough very soon after he won the race).

[Nikos Spagnol]

Originally posted by Rediscoveryx


That was Marco Campos. He was far down the field though in something like 12th place. Kenny Bräck won the race.

Marco Campos was trying to pass someone (Vicenzo Sospiri ?) approaching Adelaide hairpin, his front left wheel climbed the rear right one of Sospiri's launching his car in the air. It landed upside down, and his head hit a barrier, killing him.

Jeff Krosonoff died in a similar crash in the last lap of Toronto '96, also.

[Ray Bell]

Did the Krosnoff crash finish the race?

My recollection is that it was not the last lap, nor that it brought out the red flag, but I could be wrong.

[Prostfan]

Does Carl Scarborough (Indy 195?) fit?
Can anyone tell me what exactly happened to him?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Prostfan
Does Carl Scarborough (Indy 195?) fit?
Can anyone tell me what exactly happened to him?

Seems that there's always someone willing to give the information that's required...

Originally posted by ensign14
Carl Scarborough died of heat exhaustion suffered at the (literally) murderously hot Indy 500 in 1953, he was dragged out of his car and replaced by (IIRC) Bob Scott, who brought it home 11th. Carl was credited for some points in the AAA championship for this result but he may have already been dead when the car finished.....

[John B]

There was a spectacular crash in an ARCA race at Charlotte a couple falls ago - Kerry Earnhardt and Blaise Alexander were racing for the win and tangled. Alexander died on impact and Earnhardt went for a ride on his roof with sparks flying. IIRC Earnhardt was declared the winner with Alexander second.

[Rob G]

Originally posted by Ray Bell
Did the Krosnoff crash finish the race?

My recollection is that it was not the last lap, nor that it brought out the red flag, but I could be wrong.

The crash occurred with a few laps to go, and the race was immediately red-flagged with Adrian Fernandez declared the winner.

[Rob G]

Hugh Hamilton was killed on the last lap of the 1934 Swiss GP. I don't know whether it happened before or after the winner, Stuck, crossed the finish line.

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by theunions


The funny thing is Jack DID run two of the remaining three races.

That's right, which makes Mr. Berggren's remarks even more bizarre.


Jim Thurman

[Jim Thurman]

Originally posted by scott121476
WELL,

back in 1990 there was a USAC race in salem in..... just a day before his 1st WC race, rich volger <40 years of age> was in the lead and trying to pass the lapper, but on the last lap he hooked wheels and then slammed the front streach wall a ton..... he was killed instanley..... but when they red flagged the race they gave him the win....

A couple of points here, this has been something that has persisted...that another driver crashed Rich Vogler or that he got tangled up with a lapped car. I think this persists because the ESPN cameras missed the accident itself (what a surprise!) and only captured the aftermath. But, despite all the speculation...there was no lapped car. Some of Vogler's worshippers (particularly those on the Lingner crew broadcasting the race for ESPN) just cannot accept that Rich overdrove, screwed up and came unstuck...big time. This did happen from time to time, except that it usually involved Vogler colliding with another driver. The lapped car is a myth that persists. When I saw Vogler go into the turn, he was all alone...when the camera picked the car sliding down the straight...again his car was all by itself.

I have no doubt that Vogler's severe head injuries came from the car leaping the guard rail, catching the catch fencing and pitching his head into one of the many, many poles (which must have thrown the helmet off). Salem is fairly remote and he was transported to a hospital in Kentucky where he was declared dead around an hour later.

I still remember the ESPN announcers laughing and saying "This is really going to make Rich mad" and my first thought was "You idiot, Rich is going to be dead...can't you see that is his helmet?." It seemed quite some time before they realized the severity.

The other grim myth about Vogler was that he was decapitated. This all started because his helmet came off. Patently false, yet I saw bonehead sportswriters cluelessly propogate it.

Another great irony, that race would never have been completed had it not been on TV, as there was a gaping hole in the guard rail on the backstretch as a result of a heat race incident.


Jim Thurman

[LittleChris]

Originally posted by Nikos Spagnol


Marco Campos was trying to pass someone (Vicenzo Sospiri ?) .

Thomas Biagi rather than Sospiri IIRC

[dmj]

OT, this also happened to David Essex in "Silver dream" movie... but somehow I doubt it was based on real happenings...

[Graham Clayton]

American modified driver Swayne Pritchett was killed after he took the chequered flag at the Jackson County Speedway in Georgia on the 16th of May 1948. Pritchett's car collided with the lapped car of Truett Black on turn 1 immediately after the finish of the race. Pritchett was still conscious when he was transported by ambulance to hospital, but died of internal injuries shortly after.

[Blutch]

I believe that in Motorbikes there has been a few ?

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Swiss motorcyclist Grosjean was killed after colliding with another rider only moments after winning a race, track officials said Saturday in a statement.

Pascal Grosjean, 39, had crossed the line Friday and slowed to celebrate winning a Sportsbike Championship race when third-place finisher Tony Jordan ran into him at about 124 mph, throwing both riders to the tarmac at the Dubai Autodrome.

Grosjean was airlifted to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. RIP.

[Collombin]

Don Davis' fatal crash at New Bremen in '62 occurred after the race had finished.

[LittleChris]

Unfortunately the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb has seen three fatalities after completion of runs During the first event in 1993, Chas Guy came off his motorcycle and hit a tree after losing control at the end of his run. During the 2000 meeting, John Dawson-Damer lost control of his Lotus 63 approaching the finish and hit the gantry killing himself and marshall Andy Carpenter