15 replies to this topic

[Paul Taylor]

I have come across a short clip of what looks like an A-type Connaught spinning and knocking over some spectators standing in the infield. The circuit looks like *Silverstone, and it obviously happened in the early to mid-1950s. I've done a search of the forum, but couldn't find anything.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

EDIT: Topic title cannot be changed, but I agree it looks like Silverstone.

Edited by Paul Taylor, 29 April 2013 - 22:55.

[Geoff E]

The clip appears twice on a video I have "Great Moments in Motor Racing" (Classic Pictures, 1997), once in the opening sequence and again (without comment) in the "motor racing was still dangerous" sequence. It was remarkable how those people mown down immediately leapt to their feet.

Sorry I can't help with identification though.

[Paul Taylor]

Looking at the clip, the car hit those people pretty hard, so it's unbelieveable they lept to their feet afterwards...(assuming we're talking of the same clip).

I thought it was either Goodwood or Silverstone, but the only reason I said Goodwood was because the fields in the background looked too 'hilly' to be Silverstone. And the car being a Connaught was just a guess...

Here's a screenshot from the video, by the way (I didn't capture the video) :

[Geoff E]

Yes, that's the one - the car has already spun 180, then completed another 180 degrees, ending up facing to the right.

[SEdward]

I have seen the video in another compilation. I had always assumed that it was Club Corner at Silverstone.

Edward

[LittleChris]

Originally posted by SEdward
I have seen the video in another compilation. I had always assumed that it was Club Corner at Silverstone.

Edward

My thought exactly as soon as I saw it.

[Paul Taylor]

Unfortunately this still seems to be unsolved...Can anyone provide any additional information please?

[Doug Nye]

Paul - this is footage I seem to remember discussing here on TNF some time back, but I can't find the reference on the search function without more investment in time than I care to give. We didn't come to a definitive judgement last time. I couldn't find any of the old timers who recalled such an incident. And, yes, it does look more like Silverstone perhaps than Goodwood. It might perhaps be Boreham - where Gonzalez put a BRM V16 into the crowd one time (not suggesting this movie shows a BRM) - but the course marker after the apex looks more like Silverstone than Goodwood. I think Club Corner might be a good call, shot from an infield camera tower. I cannot recall such a camera position covering any of the corners at Goodwood. If we can pin this footage down at last it would be a relief!

DCN

[Paul Taylor]

Motor Sport July 1954 said that John Riseley-Prichard retired his Connaught A due to a "skid", while other sources say he retired due to an accident. I haven't managed to find any other accounts of this incident, although if spectators were involved, I would have expected Motor Sport to mention it.

I looked through the report for the 1954 International Trophy race while I had the 1954 set of magazines out and there wasn't anything mentioned in there either.

[Ray Bell]

As this thread is three years old now, Doug, maybe there's no need to search?

It certainly is an unusual angle, but I'm no expert on British circuits and you could readily catch me out...

[Paul Taylor]

I just came across this again on Duke's official YouTube channel, 42 seconds into the video. I realised we never got to the bottom of it.

Edited by Paul Taylor, 29 April 2013 - 23:04.

[Nanni Dietrich]

Assumed that it was the 1954 British Grand Prix, and the Connaught of John Riseley-Pritchard which spun involving spectators, I've found the Italian newspaper "La Stampa", issue of 18 July 1954. It titled a short article "Frightening Accidents", but reported just Clemar Bucci's Gordini crash, due to the wet asphalt.
No mention of Riseley-Pritchard's accident.


If I remember well, the video (it is hard to watch, indeed) comes from Hugh Hudson's "Fangio" movie.

[Lemnpiper]

Assumed that it was the 1954 British Grand Prix, and the Connaught of John Riseley-Pritchard which spun involving spectators, I've found the Italian newspaper "La Stampa", issue of 18 July 1954. It titled a short article "Frightening Accidents", but reported just Clemar Bucci's Gordini crash, due to the wet asphalt.
No mention of Riseley-Pritchard's accident.


If I remember well, the video (it is hard to watch, indeed) comes from Hugh Hudson's "Fangio" movie.

This Clip was also featured in the Glenn Ford series "When Havok Struck" .Was there ever a thread for the auto racing episode of that series?




Paul

[Paul Taylor]

Well, we can call this ten year old mystery solved  

 

1952, Silverstone F2: IV Daily Express B.R.D.C. International Trophy, heat 2. Philip Fotheringham-Parker at Beckett's Corner. One spectator suffered a broken leg. In the stats, however, it says 3 marshals were injured (viz. notes in "reason out").

http://www.formula2.net/F252_9.htm
 

And for the actual newsreel footage which helped us solve it:

http://www.gettyimag...otage/594655887

[Eric Dunsdon]

Assumed that it was the 1954 British Grand Prix, and the Connaught of John Riseley-Pritchard which spun involving spectators, I've found the Italian newspaper "La Stampa", issue of 18 July 1954. It titled a short article "Frightening Accidents", but reported just Clemar Bucci's Gordini crash, due to the wet asphalt.
No mention of Riseley-Pritchard's accident.

Sorry to come in late on this one. As a spectator at the 1954 British Grand Prix I can confirm that Clemar Bucci's crash  in the Gordini was at Copse Corner as was Ron Flockhart's in Prince Bira's Maserati 2504. Both Clemar and Ron escaped unhurt.
 

[Michael Ferner]

"Well done, indeed!" Lovely clip.

I'm also pleased that I was right when I thought "Becketts" on seeing that first screenshot.