David Purley

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

With no disrespect to Cevert, I'd dare to say that repeated fact that Purley was the only man on the track that day among famous or famous to become drivers like Stewart, Beltoise, Hunt, Pace, Regazzoni, Peterson, Hill, Lauda, Hulme and Amon (including Cevert) who didn't stop to help Williamson, pushed Purley's heroic act at the bottom of F1 history drawer - not to raise any dust of unpleasant questions that might dim the glow of some champions and OBEs fame.

I Dont want to jump on the bandwagon here, because I think Strad was just being a bit protective over F1 history.
But I have to second Manchild on this. The guys going round that corner barely lifted for a car wreck on fire. The names Manchild mentioned all had opportunity to do what Purley did, but still the fact remains only Purley did this. It shouldnt take away from these drivers reputation, but in my humble opinion when a champion gets out and of his motor to look out for a fellow driver it resonates that little bit more with me.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGiguIUyZ4[/youtube]

I dont know if we will see this again, such is the PC and health and safety driven world we live in. But its always heart rendering to see.
Carlos' post smashed the preverbial nail on the head...

Everyman is plagued, by the knowledge, of the good he could have done.

Its good to see guys going flat out at ten tenths still have the capacity to think about the mortality of their peers.

[Giblet]

Before callout out the other drivers as cowards, remember that most drivers as they went buy were unaware there was a driver in the car. The tragedy of the incident, and this is something I watched in the 74 season review just a couple of days ago, was that the drivers going by thought Purley was the driver of the car on fire, so they just thought it was a driver tending to his own flaming car.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Making it all the more tragic, Giblet.

[manchild]

the drivers going by thought Purley was the driver of the car on fire, so they just thought it was a driver tending to his own flaming car.

No one is calling other drivers cowards, merely pointing out fact that they were egoists, while Purley was not just unselfish and stopped to help, but risked his own life.

Someone already mentioned those statements from other drivers, but there were two cars at spot, one intact and other in flames. It sounds as poor excuse, that's all. No driver would try to signal fellow drivers to stop and help him put out the fire on the worthless burning wreck and ruin their race. That is absurdity. No one has ever done something like that.

Senna wasn't stopping anyone when he was saving Comas, and others passed by in identical way - thinking only about their own success.

[Giblet]

Williamson was also Purley's friend, so he was more in tune. I don't know what the drivers were thinking but the account of the incident historically was recorded as the drivers not being aware what was truly going on.

[nipo]

Gentlemen, I thought this was to pay tribute to a brave man and to remind us what the sport used to have been like. It is a good opportunity to reflect on the kind of safety we have today which comforts not only the guys in the cockpits, but also viewers in front of the TV like ourselves.

As for the drivers who did not join Purley, you do have the liberty to doubt the validity of their excuse. But even so, I'd like to think we have all done the same, when we turned a blind eye to, say, a charity campaign to save children somewhere in Africa from dying of starvation.

And we did that on the way to the cinema, or a drink... Not driving flat-out towards a chequered flag in F1.

So, please, give them a break, gentlemen.

Hats off to Purley and to everyone of those greats who rushed to save their fellow drivers' lives.

[Just_a_fan]

Was Williamson's death lesser tragedy than Cevert's, only because Cevert was more successful and drove for the top team?

You can change those names to Ratzenberger and Senna for a more recent version of the same thing.

I'm sure every F1 fan (and many others who are not fans) could tell you who died during the Imola GP in 1994. But how many would remember to include poor Roland?

And how many others would remember that Rubens was extremely lucky not to give Death a hat-trick on that awful weekend...

To answer your question, no Williamson's death was not any less tragic but histories are written by humans and humans are imperfect things - they make mistakes.

[gridwalker]

To be honest, I've been following F1 for nearly 25 years, I used to have a small shrine to both Senna & Ratzenberger AND I try to study the history of any topic that I am interested in, yet this is the first time I've heard anything about Williamson ... Some stories are just harder to uncover than others, no matter how hard you look.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

To be honest, I've been following F1 for nearly 25 years, I used to have a small shrine to both Senna & Ratzenberger AND I try to study the history of any topic that I am interested in, yet this is the first time I've heard anything about Williamson ... Some stories are just harder to uncover than others, no matter how hard you look.

I wonder how many more instance like this werent caught on Cameras back in the day 50s and 60s?
Back then you always hear stories of camaraderie and brotherhood between the drivers, almost as if the common enemy was the track and not each other.

[gridwalker]

Agreed. Just look at what happened during Lauda's infamous 1976 crash at the Nürburgring :

Lauda's Ferrari swerved off the track, due to a suspected rear suspension failure, hit an embankment and rolled back into the path of Brett Lunger's Surtees-Ford car. Lauda's Ferrari burst into flames, but, unlike Lunger, he was trapped in the wreckage. Drivers Arturo Merzario, Brett Lunger, Guy Edwards and Harald Ertl arrived at the scene a few moments later, but before they and Lunger were able to pull Lauda from his car, he suffered severe burns to his head and inhaled hot toxic gases that damaged his lungs and blood. Although Lauda was conscious and able to stand immediately after the accident, he later lapsed into a coma.

I can't remember the last time I saw one driver attempt to help another following an incident, let alone a whole group of them.

[marcush.]

Arturo was actually hating Lauda and refused to speak to him before and afterwards...as stated in Laudas Book..

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Arturo was actually hating Lauda and refused to speak to him before and afterwards...as stated in Laudas Book..

Wow... a bit pig headed. Im pretty sure Lauda didnt intentionally try and incinerate himself.

[jakeconway]

I can't remember the last time I saw one driver attempt to help another following an incident, let alone a whole group of them.

The last person I know of (I am welcome to be corrected) who jumped out of his car to help another driver was a certain Ayrton Senna da Silva in the 92 Belgium Grand Prix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOGiguIUyZ4

As I think Frank Williams said...Ayrton was actually a greater man out of the car than he was in it!

--------

Edit ref below - aaah. I see the difference in interpretation of your statement. Seen live, or seen on YouTube .
Sentiment remains though. It is great to see the human (and sometimes superhuman) sides of drivers outside of their cars sometimes.

[gridwalker]

I spotted that video earlier, but I remember missing that quali session ... In the context of my statement, if I didn't see it happening live then I don't classify myself as having "seen" it (if you know what I mean).

[Carlos]

I post The List of Formula 1 Fatal Accidents - with respect:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Fo ... _accidents
May God Cherish Their Souls