Racing tragedies

Unfortunately it seems to be a fact of life in motor racing, that every year there are tragedies ultimately concluding in death… As I was searching’ the newswires last evening, a cold chill swept over me as I learned of Scott Kalitta’s horrible death… As his Toyota Solara erupted into flames during Saturday night qualifying at Englishtown NJ, while ironically, this weekend’s French GP has made ample note of Toyota F1 founder Ove Anderson’s death, as the 70yr old “Swede” perished behind the wheel during a vintage car race in South Africa… As once again symmetry seems to have worked in its mysterious ways as I wasn’t even aware that Toyota had an NHRA program. While even more ironic was the fact that Kalitta had begun and ultimately ended his NHRA career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

Also, spare a thought for the family of the 49yr old track worker Roy Hiatt who was killed earlier this season at Anderson Raceway, during the annual running of the Little 500. Hiatt was struck by a race car, when for reasons unknown entered the track early during the caution period and had his back to the oncoming racing car.

Also, don’t forget Eric Medlin of John Force Racing having perished in a violent testing crash last year, when his Goodyear tire exploded during a routine 315+ mph pass…

Sadly, I suppose all of the above would tell us that the show must go on…

UPDATE:
Last night on Speed Freaks, it was reported that Dino Crescentini had lost his life in a Vintage Car race at Mosport, as newswire reports claim that his car, a Wolf Dallara Can Am once driven by the late Gilles Villeneuve barrel rolled several times on the straightaway…

Jim McKay

Sadly it was reported recently that famous TV announcer Jim McKay passed away on June 7th at the age of 86. Although his legal name was Jim

McManus, he changed his on-air name after being tabbed to host an early TV show called The Real McKay…

For me, McKay is the first voice I recall giving me interest in motor racing, as I’ve previously commented towards hearing him call the Indy 500 way back in the early 1970’s for ABC’s Wide World of Sports before Indy was broadcasted live. You may recall that this was the show with the famous tag line’ “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat,” which legendary producer Roone Arledge first scribbled on the back of an airplane napkin… As Wide World of Sports was originally intended to be a one-off summer television program, yet with Jim McKay at the helm and Chris Schenkel alongside, the show was a smashing success as McKay became synonymous with the Olympics and was the man to tell the world; “They’re ALL Gone!” during the 1972 Munich Olympics…

Jim McKay’s Wide World of Sports

Jean-Marie Balestre

Ex-FISA President Jean-Marie Balestre has died last week at the age of 86, as the ex-Motorsports journalist was known as the thorn in Bernie Ecclestone’s posterior…

When I first began following Formula 1, this most vocal Frenchman was the ONLY person of stature on the F1 grid with the audacity to tell Bernie to go stick it where the sun doesn’t shine, or more succinctly; F%%K YOU! Bernie…

Ironically, while Emperor Bernardo’s prodigy, Err, whipping boy Sir Maxxum has been accused of having his jollies while playing War games with some Germans… Jean Marie himself allegedly was in cahoots with the Nazi’s during World War II, which later became the basis of numerous slander-suits against Monsieur BLUSTERY…

As I recall him being a real Horses Arse or as Aunty Harriet sez: “The East end of a Horse going West!” when it came to his high-handed ways of manipulating not only Grand Prix, but those surrounding it, having even infuriated the brash Ayrton Senna.

Yet for all of his strong armed tactics during his reign as F1 supremo, Balestre did manage to get rid of the most UGLIEST and potentially dangerous chassis of Formula 1, when he finally managed to have the 1980-82 sliding skirts, no wings, rock hard suspension cars permanently banned. JMB was also the mastermind who returned F1 to normally aspirated engines as the turbocharged cars were becoming overly powerful…

Rafael Sperafico

Isn’t it sad how some drivers are afforded less attention then others, even in death? As I suppose it’s near impossible to keep track of and pronounce every racing driver’s untimely passing.

Nevertheless I was unaware of Rafael Sperafico’s untimely passing until coming upon the story buried in the mostly unread sections of a particular website.

At the youthful age of 27, Rafael was killed while competing in the final round of the Brazilian Stock Car Light Championship at the Interlagos circuit. Rafael’s cousins Ricardo and Alex Sperafico were both ex-Champ Car competitors, while cousin Rodrigo was the fourth member of best known Sperafico racers, of which 10 have competed in various forms of motor racing.

With Rafael running second, upon loosing control his car careened back onto the track directly in the path of oncoming competitors and died instantly upon being struck directly on the driver’s side of his race car. Ironically the accident occurred in the very same corner as Fernando Alonso’s heaviest Formula 1 crash to date, which occurred during the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix.

“The race was red-flagged and terminated at the spot. The Stock Car Light championship is a feeding series to Brazil’s top racing rung, the Copa Nextel Stock Car, where several ex-international drivers like Antonio Pizzonia, Ricardo Zonta, Tarso Marques, Enrique Bernoldi, Luciano Burti and Hoover Orsi compete. On the Nextel race that preceded the Light event, Rafael's cousin Rodrigo Sperafico finished fourth to clinch this year's runner-up title…”

Evel Knievel

As many of you may know, the world’s greatest daredevil, none other than Robert “Evel” Knievel has passed away at the age of 69. Evel apparently died due to complications caused by Hepatitis C that he contacted thru one of his countless blood transfusions during his 16-17 operations.

Late last evening by accident, I was able to tune into a radio show I’ve never heard before. (Although I’ve seen it on the SPEED Channel) I got to listen to the Speed Freaks TV show via my “liddle ‘ol” Walkman radio. And it was hilarious as they played back the “Best” 20 minutes chunk of a 45-minute interview they’d done with the legend from six year’s ago. Along with a wonderful interview with J.C. Agajanian Jr., who told two quick but wonderful stories of his father’s dealings with Evel.

The “Juan” I enjoyed best was about a 50-car pyramid that Evel jumped in the Los Angeles Coliseum, which included a “teaser” demolition derby with pristine luxury cars… Such as Rolls Royce, Jaguar’s, etc.

Now these cars which had been used as part of the promotion had been “tweaked” for demolition derby duty, i.e.; all glass removed, fuel tanks drained and disconnected, etc. Driving the white Rolls was none other than Bobby “Slippery Liquids” Unser, whom managed to get the Rolls, stuck on one of the courses hay bales. Supposedly ‘ol Bobby was so infuriate with this that he got out of the car, disconnected the fuel line from the “Jerry cans” in the rear seat… Which immediately sent fuel flowing everywhere into the rear of the burl wood appointed Rolls. Then Bobby lit a match and threw it into the rear seat of the doused Rolls which immediately set the classic car onto fire… To which J.C. claims made every single newswire around the world with photos of this “”Dumb Yokel Yank’s” Rolls engulfed in flames!

Meanwhile, after the conclusion of the demolition festivities all of the cars were dragged into the center of the Coliseum where ramps had been built to the upper reaches of the stadium atop the seating, which Evel utilized to successfully clear the 50-car pyramid…

This was just “Juan ‘O” the countless exploits of the legendary No. 2 “Bad Ass” Evel Knievel, who’ll be truly missed…

Colin McRae

I found it disheartening to learn that former World Rally Champion Colin McRae has perished in a helicopter accident along with his five year old son and two family friends of whom one was a six year old boy this past weekend.

Unfortunately the Eurojet helicopter that McRae (39) was piloting erupted in flames upon impact, with their deaths having been confirmed this past Sunday morning.

Adding further insult to injury, this tragic accident occurred just a half mile away from McRae’s residence of Lanarkshire, Scotland and must surely be devastating to McRae’s wife and nine year old daughter whom were not aboard the stricken craft.

The extremely well liked Scot became the first British WRC Champion in 1995 along with winning 25 rallies before retiring from full time WRC competition in 2003.

While doing a few “one-off” WRC drives in 2005-06, McRae was busy pursuing other motorsports challenges. Having become a regular fixture of the Paris Dakar Rally as a Nissan “Works” driver, Colin had also been a regular competitor in the Race of Champions (ROC) along with contesting the X Games.

And this surely is another terrific blow for the WRC which in recent years has seen the passing of Champion Richard Burns along with the retirement of Marko Martin after the death of his co-driver.

McRae’s death follows the just announced news of current point’s leader Marcus Grönholm’s impending WRC retirement at the end of 2007…

Regazzoni

Former Ferrari & Williams Formula 1 driver Clay Regazzoni has perished in a fatal road accident near Parma, Italy. Regazzoni contested 132 Grand Prix's and finished runner-up to Emmerson Fittipaldi in 1974, just 3 points shy of winning that years World Championship for Ferrari. Regazzoni captured 5 Poles and 5 Victories during his accident shortened F1 career…