Jim Clarke rally :-(
- Thread starter Andy Monty
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Jim Clarke rally :-(
Just seen this on the news, very sad although I found it interesting that the reporter was asked if this kind of thing has happened before to which the answer would be yes...in the late 80's... it was called group B and it was insane.
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Aye Group B was awesome. Put your life into your hands being a spectator then!
not to be cold, and not saying who was at fault as not read much on this yet but it amazes me where some people stand on rally stages.. There might not be hundreds of spectators like there was back during group b, but people still stand in as stupid places :shrug: you never going to be able to marshall entire stages, rallying is always going ot be dangerous for participants and spectators.
We've just had a few days in Lindisfarne and just before leaving to come home we had a brew and a piece of cake sitting in the sun outside the Post Office. Post Office? Don't worry about it, it's not worth explaining. As the lass brought our food and drinks out, I happened to mention that it was sod's law that the best weather since we got there was on the day we were going back home.
In return she said that she and her boyfriend go to the Jim Clark Rally every year but this time she had to cover for someone who was ill and couldn't make it she was even more hacked off because of the beautiful weather. Had things turned out differently, that could be her and her boyfriend among those lying in the mortuary.
We don't yet know the full details but in previous years spectators stood so close to the cars that it was incredible how there weren't dozens of deaths, especially in places like Greece, Spain and Portugal. As well as remembering those who were killed, perhaps we ought to remember the words printed out and posted up at every motor sport event throughout the country.
"MOTORSPORT IS DANGEROUS!"
In return she said that she and her boyfriend go to the Jim Clark Rally every year but this time she had to cover for someone who was ill and couldn't make it she was even more hacked off because of the beautiful weather. Had things turned out differently, that could be her and her boyfriend among those lying in the mortuary.
We don't yet know the full details but in previous years spectators stood so close to the cars that it was incredible how there weren't dozens of deaths, especially in places like Greece, Spain and Portugal. As well as remembering those who were killed, perhaps we ought to remember the words printed out and posted up at every motor sport event throughout the country.
"MOTORSPORT IS DANGEROUS!"
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ive not been to a rally since probably 1980 but even deep in dalby forest at 5.30 in the morning watching audis come out of the woods and only seeing 4 glowing discs i always made sure i was stood by a very stout tree just in case
i only went to see sidecar racing once too frightening for me
stock car racing every friday 2 people died when a sump guard came off into the audience ,i always stood by the pit entrance
bangor racing a mate was crushed by a car running him down in the pits
speedway racing at hoddesdon i say a lad get tangled in the fencing
santa pod i saw mad slamming sammy miller do his jet car runs and the hairy cornflake doing commentaries as funny cars flipped on their backs but never into the audience
happy days but as said and its the first thing you see is the signs
motor sport is dangerous
rip all those that die following their dreams
weve all been reckless occasionally
i only went to see sidecar racing once too frightening for me
stock car racing every friday 2 people died when a sump guard came off into the audience ,i always stood by the pit entrance
bangor racing a mate was crushed by a car running him down in the pits
speedway racing at hoddesdon i say a lad get tangled in the fencing
santa pod i saw mad slamming sammy miller do his jet car runs and the hairy cornflake doing commentaries as funny cars flipped on their backs but never into the audience
happy days but as said and its the first thing you see is the signs
motor sport is dangerous
rip all those that die following their dreams
weve all been reckless occasionally
That's a good point about following your dreams. Sometimes it's purely down to luck, good or bad. In the mid '70s I went to Oulton Park to watch a round of the Transatlantic Trophy. Before, between and after the main races there were a number of 125, 250 and 350 races, some at National Championship level with others simply being Clubman events. Oulton Park, although having held Grands Prix in the 1950s was an old fashioned circuit with very little run off areas on some bends, mainly the last few on the way back to Lodge Corner. During one of the Clubman's races a rider slid off and just missed the Armco which was covered with straw bales to reduce impact on the rider. Sadly, just after the Armco and straw bales there was a short length of track whereby the earth bank was only lined with old railway sleepers. Because of the year, although ACU approved helmets were mandatory, there was no requirement for them to be of the "full face" style which is now worn by all open wheel car drivers and motorcyclists.
As bike and rider struck the sleepers he was thrown back up into the air..... and so was his helmet. The race was stopped as the doctor and arrived. At the time the ambulance was elsewhere on the track. After two or three minutes the medical staff just picked up the rider and unceremoneously dumped him onto a stretcher on the embankment and carried him up to the Bailey Bridge and into an ambulance that had now arrived.
The mess was cleared up and after about 15 minutes a brief announcement was made over the tannoy and the next race began. I've no idea who the unfortunate chap was; whether he was young, middle aged, or old. I never found out if he was married with kids or single. He would have been an enthusiast. He quite probably had a run-of-the-mill job with his Transit parked in the Paddock and someone waiting at home for him to come back for his tea and then down the pub for a few hours. Except that he didn't go home.
I'm guessing that this was possibly the most important race meeting he'd taken part in, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barry Sheene, Percy Tait, Mick Grant, Kenny Roberts and all the other factory riders with their motor homes and articulated trucks with mechanics and PR girls.
The important part of this ramble is that he was following his dream. And he died for that dream.
Edit: After all that, I thought that perhaps the poor chap deserved an identity, but, via Google the closest I can get is Derek Best and the year would have been 1976. If anybody knows differently then please correct me.
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