I spent an evening with Sir Jackie and lady Helen. This was at Beaulieu and Murray walker was there. Jackie gifted me a signed copy of his autobiography which I will always treasure and spoke in depth about Francois death and this era of the sport. Sir Jackie is a true gentleman,ambassador and legend of motor sport and has done so much to raise the safety of F1 and the lower formulas.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

What a great story and an amazing gift. So many drivers owe their lives to Jackie’s war on unsafe cars, tracks and procedures.

@luvsilly60

2 ай бұрын

Not a fan of racing but Stewart is everything you say.

@sergemaurizi5091

Ай бұрын

Merci pour cette évocation d'une autre époque de la F1 qui n'est plus que l'ombre d'elle-même. Enfin un reportage qui sonne vrai. Expérience, passion, nuance, et pondération y font merveille. Qu'elle différence avec autant de prétendus jeunes érudits qui sont inévitables autant qu'ils sont simplement incompétents. Le plus dramatique est que cette sensation qui vient des tripes est incommunicable. Rien, absolument rien ne l'etaye ni ne l'explique. Pas plus la raison que l'analyse. Pourtant elle est là, palpable et vraie. Merci encore pour cette réussite.

@rolux4853

Ай бұрын

@@WhenF1WasRealStewart openly told Dale Earnhardt that driving without a HANS device is insanity. That was during the 24 hours of Daytona, just weeks before Earnhardt died at the Daytona oval race because he didn’t wear a HANS device. It’s such a shame, if je just acquired on like Jackie told him Earnhardt would be alive to this day! Maybe a controversy figur, calling out the travesty modern NASCAR is. That’s at least what I’d imagine him to do. Doing the Podcast together with his son, voicing his unfiltered opinions on what’s wrong with today’s NASCAR and how amazing the golden era was.

They died like flies in those days. Car, motorcycle... From the perspective of today's, nearly sterile standards, the races of the day seem almost suicidal. Great storytelling, thank you.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thank you. Yes, looking back at the speeds of the cars and the limited safety measures, I sometimes wonder how more drivers didn't die. The proximity to WW2 and its horrors perhaps made violent death feel more commonplace than it does today.

@borisbabich

2 ай бұрын

@WhenF1WasReal Good point. I never thought about that angle. I'm sure they wanted more safety, but pushing tech obviously had priority. In any case, the idea of safety was so underdeveloped in comparison with the present - enough to seem alien to us. Of course, they didn't have a death wish - in your story, Stewart wanted to and did get to walk away. Double the hero!

@bigantplowright5711

2 ай бұрын

The drivers knew this, hence they were decent guys. Not like todays prima donnas.

@UncleKennysPlace

2 ай бұрын

Certainly the only thing like those days still in existence, in terms of "acknowledged danger", would be the Isle of Man TT.

@carlsaganlives6086

2 ай бұрын

@@UncleKennysPlace ...or driving around Chicago on the the Tri-State.

As gruesome as Cevert's death was, it was instantaneous. The accidents of Piers Courage and especially Roger Williamson (both, coincidentally at Zandvoort) were worse because the drivers did not die immediately but instead were consumed by fire.

@huwgrossmith9555

2 ай бұрын

Add Bianchi

@SteveT-0

2 ай бұрын

@@huwgrossmith9555Cevert's accident was 1000x worse than Jules (no disrespect to him)

@ot77racing27

2 ай бұрын

Sadly, Roger Williamsons one is the standout. Marshall’s stood and watched while David Purley stopped his car and tried in vain to help. Another being Roland Ratzenberger, being almost overlooked by what happened the following day. But its not a competion to compare ones who died instantly, or suffered. All were lost doing something they loved.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Williamson's story is an interesting one, which I have considered doing a video on, but which has been well covered elsewhere. David Purley's efforts to save his friend rightly won him the George Medal. But his fireproof race suit and military training gave him an advantage over the Marshalls who were little more than boys in very flammable suits. Had Purley managed to flag down one of the other drivers, they may have been able to right the car and extract Williamson, but I suspect he was long dead of asphyxiation before that could have happened. Like Elio de Angelis, 23 years later, this was a ghastly way to die.

@tedsmith6137

2 ай бұрын

It is believed that Courage died instantly from a broken neck, as one of his front wheels hit him in the head, tearing off his helmet. Jack Brabham said he knew it was bad when he saw Courage's helmet rolling across the track in front of him.

Man Jackie Stewart is a legend in every sense of the word, the survive that era being one of the fastest men in the world and winning races while he lost so many colleagues and friends.. it must’ve seemed hopeless at times for him.. helped so many young drivers and seeing them die in such horrific ways before their careers could get going must’ve been one of the hardest things to be a part of.. he is one of the most important people in motorsports history.

@ralphaverill2001

2 ай бұрын

"[Jackie Stewart] is one of the most important people in motorsports history." Amen, brother. Amen. What are they going to name after him when he's gone? There damn well better be a statue of him somewhere.

@Snotzalotz

2 ай бұрын

@@ralphaverill2001 name a racetrack after him.. or maybe change a corner of Silverstone to the Jackie Stewart corner, as a Scotsman I’d love a f1 race in my country and for that track to be named after Sir Jackie Stewart but I doubt we’ll ever build an f1 standard track in Scotland

@alieffauzanrizky7202

Ай бұрын

He's also the driver that keeps pushing safety to become a priority for years even when he doesn't race anymore. His interview on Legends of Speed documentary was amazing too

@davidrice3337

Ай бұрын

Jackie Stewart - Class

@ZipZapTesla

Ай бұрын

Jackie Stewart was a true soldier, imagine the trauma he goes through every day...

I lived in France then and shortly before his death Francois Cevert was a guest in the biggest Sunday variety show. He was a great pianist and that day he played part of Beethoven ' s Pathetique. It was a very very moving moment. My first reaction when I heard about his death was to remember him playing the piano that day. He was a wondeful man and driver.

I was a young boy when I started following Formula 1. In short order, we lost Clark, Rindt, Cevert, Revson, and Williamson which was on live television. The following year, poor Helmuth Koenigs would die at Watkins Glen in an equally gruesome manner as Francois Cevert for almost the same reason: poorly mounted Armco barriers!! I still think about Cevert and that day. RIP

@user-hr1cp7wd3p

2 ай бұрын

Exactly,I feel the same

@sandralogue1774

2 ай бұрын

The tragedy is these deaths occurring at all but for negligence.

@chrisfitmr

2 ай бұрын

Not forgetting Tom Pryce

@Arvid_Goatblad

2 ай бұрын

@@chrisfitmrye ofc but that one in particular was by far the most avoidable

@adotintheshark4848

2 ай бұрын

even without the poor barriers, those cars were death traps once they got out of control.

It is true that the safety that is in F1 can be attributed to Sir Jacky Stewart I don’t think anyone can argue that point he was the one champion of safety!

@petermoss208

2 ай бұрын

without Jackie Stewart F1 would probably not exist anymore. The administration was way behind the technology and speed of the cars. Jackie was able to turn the tables regarding safety BECAUSE he was a 3 time winner. I don’t think a driver without a championship could have convinced everyone as he probably would have been driven out of the sport no pun intended. It’s absurd that he doesn’t own a chunk of modern F1. I’m sure he’s fine for cash but still. It was all him, anyone who argues otherwise doesn’t know anything about F1. His push for safety has saved probably 100 lives by now. The only exception being those horrible intermediate slicks they put on the cars after Senna’s death. They made the driving actually more dangerous.

@GoodMusicManiac999

17 күн бұрын

And Niki Lauda too.

@josephc3276

6 күн бұрын

Stewart and lauda are heroes for many forms of racing. They knew that racing was dangerous but they also knew it didn't have to be deadly. They also gave a voice and inspiration to other motorsport competitors to become proactive in pushing to promote safety as a Top priority. Thanks to you both 🙏.

I was at the Glen that weekend, but thankfully missed the crash. I've followed F1 pretty closely in the years since, but somehow that weekend was the day a lot of the music died for me.

@kaakeith3772

2 ай бұрын

i too was at the glen that weekend, with my dad. that was a very sad weekend to be sure i later spent 40 min with sir jackie in the pits and paddock in montreal in the mid '90s. that was a weekend to remember

@alexclement7221

2 ай бұрын

I used to go to the Glen for SCCA races in the 80's; a couple times as crew for friends who raced, and once as part of a flag crew. The old guy who headed our turn crew was in the crew that tried to put out Courage's car. They covered it with dirt and sand, and 2 hours later, when they removed the dirt, it re-ignited. A truly horrible accident.

@simonkevnorris

2 ай бұрын

I was at Imola in 1994. On the Saturday morning I was with some mates at Tosa. We moved to Variant Alfa for the afternoon. For the Sunday I was with some Italian friends sitting at Rivazza. It was a bad weekend for F1 with Reubens having a bit accident on the Friday.

@brianesbaugh6897

2 ай бұрын

I was there too as a 10 year old boy, my first race of any kind, let alone F1

What a sad sad story. Nothing but respect for Sir Jackie.

Now that's a voice over to tell a story , Bravo Sir Bravo

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your encouraging words

@electrichellion5946

21 күн бұрын

@@WhenF1WasRealhe speaks for many that agree with him and are yet silent. Well done. Thank you for using your voice.

Cevert couldnt have asked for a better Mentor than Jackie Stewart ..Good vid.

One of the best, if not the best storytelling I have ever listened to. I have seen and listened to lots of documentaries on F1. This was so sensitiv and respectful, though clinical in details and pictures. Thank you for all the work you put into it!

Thank you for recounting this story. I was there at the track that fateful day in October 1973, I still remember it with sadness.

I attended the USGP for many years, in my youth. I was present at the Glen for his victory there, and also for his last event, two years later. The weekend took a somber turn after news circulated that he had been killed.

So sad. In the documentary “1” Francois Cevert had such personality and looks. He seemed like a great guy and it was clear why Sir Jackie loved him so much.

Thank you for such a brilliant telling of such a sad and horrific story.

Denny Hulme didn't pronounce his name "Hume". He pronounced it with the L. His father, Clive Hulme VC said, "You can't knock the L out of a Hulme".

@ysgol3

2 ай бұрын

Plus it's Chris Aymon not Ahmon!

@scottawes921

2 ай бұрын

Good thing you clarified that important fact!

@Slakass55

2 ай бұрын

These are computer voices, the poor pronunciation is a dead giveaway. The guy that made this video likely doesn't have English as his first language, thus resorting to computer generated voices. Unfortunate but a sign of the times.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

@Slakass55 Sorry to disappoint, but definitely not a computer generated voice - and English is very much my first language, born and bred in the East End of London.

@Sangor

2 ай бұрын

@@Slakass55 It's a dead givaway that this is a London accent, and nothing like some of the piss poor AI voices that are infesting more and more videos on youtube. So in this instance matey you are very wide of the mark.

A very well put together documentary. Maybe it’s just me but I feel it’s more disrespectful not to watch content like this . It keeps their accomplishments alive for future generations . No words can express the admiration these drivers and many like them deserve. RIP ❤🇬🇧

@stefanu7215

2 ай бұрын

Thank You v.m. For this comment as well as thanks for this memorial film! I think it is the best possible and best designed and spoken memorial contribution I haver ever seen to one of the heroic F1 racers with all their racing passion.

This was my first time watching one of your videos. It was very well done. A very interesting and tasteful treatment for a difficult subject.

@davewilson4493

2 ай бұрын

Same here. Now subscribed.

@WhenF1WasReal

Ай бұрын

Thank you

Thank you for this piece of F1 history. A very sad story but told with the respect that it deserves. Just won a new subscriber to the channel. Congrats. Cheers.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Appreciate you kind words, thanks

Just found your channel, excited to see more of your storytelling going forward. Excellent so far, time to binge watch your other videos.

@WhenF1WasReal

Ай бұрын

Thank you

That was an extremely thoughtful and measured video. Thank you.

@WhenF1WasReal

Ай бұрын

Thanks for your kind words, glad you enjoyed it

Been a huge F1 fan and follower since forever but I have to confess that I had never heard of Cevert. Incredibly tragic and sad story. Reminiscent of Senna's story, except Cevert never got that far seeing how time was cut short. Being a protege of Stewart there's no doubt in my mind that he was set for great accomplishments in this sport. Sure he and Senna are now good friends.

Watch at 1.25 speed

@jotacalvo

Ай бұрын

One of the most helpful posts on KZread 👍

@richardlehoux

Ай бұрын

1.75 works very well to

It blows my mind that F1 left Piers Courage's charred body in his car with a sheet over it as the race continued (6:30). That shows how barbaric morals were in racing in the 1970's. It is barbaric enough to continue the race at all, but it is mentally depraved for F1 to casually toss a sheet over his remains as cars zoomed past his corpse for another 2 hours with women and children in the audience staring down at the scene of death. That's an ethical standard one would expect in a Roman Gladiator event thousands of years ago.

@wcads623

2 ай бұрын

Brutal times for so many F1 drivers! The only way to keep going was to keep going😣😣

@leonb2637

2 ай бұрын

Indeed with fatal crashes in recent years in various racing series, the races are terminated at that point.

@charlesfaure1189

2 ай бұрын

Even more telling is how F1 has lost so much popularity since it has become safer. Many people preferred it as a death sport. Much like fans of American football who criticize rule changes meant to reduce brain damage.

@irishvicar1963

2 ай бұрын

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Courage……….. didn’t die in the fire , a wheel that came off hit him on the head, dislodged his helmet, broke his neck causing fatal injury

@tonykan5576

Ай бұрын

David Ward Wednesday June 1, 2005 The Guardian The body of a motorcyclist who died during a practice race in the Isle of Man TT races was left in a body bag in a couple's garden on the island for 90 minutes until all other practice races had finished. Marjorie and Iain Forrest saw the motorcyclist die outside their home on Monday and yesterday called for a new approach to safety during the island's famous TT races. Mrs Forrest said she and her husband ran out of the house when they heard the crash. "The medics were with Mr Karlsson but he died relatively quickly. Officials dismissed the helicopter and put the body in a body bag. They then asked: 'Do you mind if we put the body bag a little further up your drive?' The alternative was to put him on the road." Mrs Forrest drew the curtains so that her twin 14-year-old sons and a 14-year-old friend would not see the body. "The helicopter could not stop to take the body away because it had to be available for the next crash."

RIP François Cevert...tu avaos tout d'un grand pilote avec une magnifique carrière. Tu restes dans les pensées des fans de F1 pour toujours.😢

Thank you for telling this tragic, but nevertheless, important story of a past warrior.

ABSOLUTELY 💯 BRILLIANT 👏, but a very sad result (RIP) one great video and voice over 😢 🙏 💔 💙.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much

Thank you for your moving narration.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words

@Slakass55

2 ай бұрын

It ain't his narration, it's a computer generated voice. Nonetheless this was a well written piece and a nice way to pay tribute to a great driver.

First video I've seen from your work. You are an excellent script writer and voice actor in my opinion therefore ... I have subscribed to your channel.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

You are very kind to say so, I hope you’ll enjoy future videos too

Thanks for the great storytelling of a tragedy. And sharing the photos of the young men and their machines.

@WhenF1WasReal

27 күн бұрын

Thank you for your support

I saw my first F1 race in 1970, in 1971 I started watching every race and soon I was a fan of Francois. I was so sure he would be a champion, he oozed class and style and was a damn good driver. I was 11 when I found out he'd died and I cried for days, Years later I did a lot of research into him and his fatal crash and it was utterly heartbreaking and horrific. I still have a photo of Francois on my wall and I'll never forget him. RIP Francois, you would have been champion for sure. I do wish you hadn't shown the gruesome images though.

very good vidéo ! thanks from france !

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Merci

Subscribed. Did you just start? You should have a lot more than a thousand subscribers!! Very good job!

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much, glad you’re enjoying the videos

Excellent video, great sounding voice over . Amazing two kiwis in f1 then, we are hoping Liam Lawson will fly the flag for NZ 🤞🏽I didn’t hesitate to subscribe.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your kind words, there are a couple of videos in the pipeline for fans of Kiwi drivers

A top quality and thoroughly professional account of this young man's time in F1. Well done.

@WhenF1WasReal

9 күн бұрын

Thanks so much for your kind words

An excellent production, on a sad story.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much; there were certainly too many of these sad stories in the 70s

Really interesting and a story I didn't RIP Francois. It's incredible to consider that Jackie is the last surviving Formula One World Champion from the 1960s, as well as the oldest living F1 winner.

A beautiful man, great driver, lovely person. Too sad for words.

A fitting, and somber, tribute to a great driver and likely an even better human being. I've been an avid follower of F1 since the early '60's. The carnage of the '60's and '70's nearly had me turning my back on the sport. The death of Jim Clark was particularly devastating. Then came Stewart and his enigmatic protege. To this day, the death of Francois Cervert is as upsetting as the first instance that I became aware of it. There is a photograph of Jackie, his wife Helen, and Francois. Helen is looking at Francois as if she were madly in love with him. I suspect that in a way she was. But so was Jackie and the three of them were as close as any family ever. Jackie and Helen's children adored Francois. I can't imagine the pain they all suffered and to this day, I have to suppress a tear when I recall the life and untimely passing of Francois Cevert.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for your words and thoughts on F1 in the 60s and 70s. Looking back now it seems amazing how matter of fact reporting of driver's deaths was back then.

@mazdaman0075

2 ай бұрын

@@WhenF1WasReal Similar to air accidents, in the 60's it seemed a major crash happened twice a month. It was certainly reported in the news on page 1 but quickly fell to the back pages as it was "just another crash", everybody knew there would be another crash somewhere in the world next month.

Excellent video, TY! I was at WGI that day. Thankfully, as a HS teenager, the car was covered by the time I reached the site on the circuit's lower road. I remember Francois' victory at WGI. It was my first ever F1 GP. Following, I had seen the 1-2 finish at WGI; a driving clinic by Team Tyrell. My hopes were with Sir Jackie for his 100th GP race, but I was a huge fan of Francois. I hitchhiked home after the crash.

@kyle381000

Ай бұрын

I was at Mosport for the 1973 Canadian GP, which would be the last starts for Stewart and Cevert.

The drivers in that era in of F1 were incredibly brave

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Indeed they were… of the drivers who took part in the 1970 World Championship, five died in a Grand Prix car, seven died in sportscast racing and one was paralysed in Grand Prix car. Those who raced back then must have had ice in their veins!

The pace of your narration is perfect. You say exactly what you want to say, in a way that allows the listener to absorb and appreciate every detail. Time slowed down for me as I listened to you tell the story - and the backstory - of a tragedy that occurred at 150 miles per hour.

@epluribusbigly1354

Ай бұрын

I appreciate the pace too. Great work

@Mynervas

Ай бұрын

Likewise. Too many narrators absolutely blast through it, and I simply can't retain any information when it is shoved down my ears so fast.

@timbrown4576

Ай бұрын

Pity you can't pronounce drivers and circuits name correctly. Very poor.

@batvette

28 күн бұрын

​@timbrown4576 yeah he is speaking english with an english accent how terrible of him. LOL.

The photo of Courage mid crash is a new one to me, had always kind of wondered the mechanics of how that crash happened. Was a horrible one, Ceverts being one of the few worse. What a horrible time of F1 that was. This was a really well done video, subscribed and look forward to seeing more!

@ClassicFormulaOne1

2 ай бұрын

New photo for me too

@ysgol3

2 ай бұрын

Hi, I'm not sure it's of the fatal crash - it's always been reported that Piers went straight into the bank with his helmet torn off immediately by a tyre. In the photo, his helmet appears to be still on (though I'm far from certain about that) and of course he's facing in the opposite direction to the impact. I think (again not sure!) that Courage had an incident at the same spot the previous day - maybe it's that??

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, finding artefacts from a period when cameras were less common can be time-consuming, made worthwhile by kind comments like this. For Courage, there's a small consolation that he was probably either killed, or at least rendered unconscious when his head was hit by either the loose wheel or one of the fence posts; and thus didn't suffer the same terror of Roger Williamson a few years later

@thetruereddevil1

2 ай бұрын

​​@@ysgol3certainly possible it is yes. Unless it was just after he'd ridden up the bank. Still not a photo I had seen before either way. Definitely a small mercy he was likely dead before the fire.

@hugolafhugolaf

2 ай бұрын

To me that was a great time, a golden era of gladiators. No pussification of the sport like today.

excellent work.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thank you

Total respect for the men who raced in that era. One thing's for sure is that none of them would have had any hair on their balls because hair doesn't grow on steel. There's not much I can say about Sir Jackie that hasn't already been said, true F1 royalty. Perhaps the security guards at the Miami GP should watch a few of these clips just so they know who they're dealing with.

Brilliant video mate, hope you have more to come.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks, definitely more coming

i was there at "The Glen" when the crash happened in 1973, camping with friends.. we were on an elevated location, west of the track..a lot of fire and smoke ...Team Tyrrell and Stewart pulled out afterwards..

Vackre Frasse, en av min barndoms stora hjältar... Thanx for sharing... Love from Sweden 💖

Powerful video. Man it was dangerous back then. My older brother was a huge Jackie Stewart fan so of course I am too! Thought the narration was well done too. 👍

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much… JYS achieved so much on and off the track, he is an absolute legend

Denny Hume passed away many years later, suffering a heart attack while racing at the Bathurst 1000km race in Australia. Ickx also raced a few times a Bathurst

Jackie Stewart told Francois to drive through the corner before, that in a higher gear, so the car would be more stable. It's on video. That actual conversation. Jackie never thought it would be the last time he would talk to Francois. Francois was loved by many people. His death really got Jackie Stewart angry about all the dying in auto racing and the ridiculous acceptance of it. To this day, Jackie Stewart remembers the young man fondly and it's clearly a painful memory for him to talk about.

Thank you for telling these people's stories and how does Sports have evolved and how people made them safer I remember these races I've been watching racing since I was a little girl

@WhenF1WasReal

27 күн бұрын

Thanks for you kind words, I hope you'll continue to enjoy future videos too

One of F1's greatest up and coming drivers. Over the years seeing his driving, i think he was one of france's best drivers ever to of lived. Life tragically cut short, no one deserves what happened to him, cars were so dangerous then, you had to have balls of steel to drive them hard like they did in the 80s and pre 80s cars. Even those who were last were still heros to of even drove cars like this, they were some of the best drivers ever to of lived, no matter where they were placed, purely because the cars were a handfull, manual gearbox, manual set up of suspension etc.

@lsrocha3296

Ай бұрын

To HAVE lived!

I don't think having fewer safety features both on the tracks and in the cars made F1 any more real in the '70s than it is today, just more deadly, which is cryptic measure of how real racing is.

@GrandTheftChris

2 ай бұрын

And it's still deadly today if we take a look at Grosjean's crash in Bahrain. He was very lucky to survive the impact due to safety systems like Hans and Halo and that he could free his food by himself quick enough and got away with a burned hand "only".

What an interesting and tragic clip. Such a promising star, but like many other amazing drivers taken far too soon. RIP 🙏

So horrific and sad.

Thanks for a great story. 👍

@WhenF1WasReal

Ай бұрын

Thanks for your appreciation, makes the effort worthwhile

Excellent video. Horrible accident. Race In Paradise, Legend.

Jackie Stewart’s words about Francois are just heart breaking.

Oh, I remember him so well. I was in my teenage years then and a great fan of his. Not because of F1 which never interested me but because I was in love. To me in those days he was the best looking man. That's why I never forget the day he died 😢

saw the doc “the quick and the dead” which featured stewart and cervert. at the end of the doc it gives a tribute to all F1 drivers who died and it mentions Cervert. no safety at all. these guys were essentially test dummies out there on the track.

I recently saw a documentary with Sir Jackie Stewart, and he was visibly shaken when the topic of this day came up.

Several years ago I spotted Sir Jackie Stewart's autobiography in a local charity shop - i couldn't believe my luck when I found it was a signed copy. Aside from being probably the best autobiography I've ever read, it's also extremely sobering. The sheer number of horrifying accidents during this period is almost beyond belief.

@WhenF1WasReal

Ай бұрын

What a great find and a something to treasure! Hearing Jackie talk about the friends he lost in racing does make you wonder how those men climbed into their cars knowing there was a good chance of never returning. Helen, as well as other driver’s wives and families, must have suffered incredibly through the years their husbands / fathers / sons piloted high speed death traps

@batvette

28 күн бұрын

Yeah but youd be thrown clear of the wreckage so there was that. We could say those that died just werent very good at flying.

@ianmacfarlane1241

27 күн бұрын

@@batvette @batvette I get the salty, edge lord routine, but these drivers died in unimaginably horrible ways, often in front of their friends, colleagues and family members. There really isn't anything funny about this - being decapitated, cut in half, or incinerated in a magnesium blaze, simply isn't funny at all. Very few drivers were ejected from their vehicles, and those that were suffered terribly. I get it - you're 14 years old, and think you're the original edgy shithead - sorry but you're decades too late. It's all been done before. Why not try to be original? Why not try a bit of humanity?

@ianmacfarlane1241

27 күн бұрын

@@WhenF1WasReal Why does KZread do this? Guy posts a shitty, distasteful, sick comment, and it stays up. I post a response questioning his humanity and mine gets taken down. Is this the way KZread wants to go?

@ianmacfarlane1241

27 күн бұрын

@@WhenF1WasReal That's three comments I've had removed criticising 'batvette's' attempt at humour. It would seem that I've misinterpreted the content of this channel, and that it's all about laughing at the horrifying deaths of F1 drivers. I suppose I should look elsewhere - a channel where drivers and their loved ones are treated with some respect. If I want a comment to remain I should probably post a joke about a tragic incident. Can't beat a magnesium blaze for laughs eh?

I can remember doing the research on this crash nearly 10 years ago and it still haunts me. I often wonder if track marshals and paramedics had PTSD just from being the first responders to that scene. At least it would've basically been a near instant death.

Gruesome stuff. I'm almost certain that they wouldn't have wanted to go out in any other way. Cool upload.

Perfect narration ❤️ May they rest in peace ❤

This piece is very well researched and written. I was a teenager during this time and access to information was every 30 days in print media.

@batvette

28 күн бұрын

Everyone talks about the good old days and they were, (Im 61) but we couldnt imagine the free and instant access to so much information that we have now.

Those roll bars back then were a joke " Designed only to save weight, Not lives ☠️

There have been many brutal deaths in F1. Helmuth Koinigg and Tom Pryce come to mind.

beautifully done,,,, nice one,,

brilliant documentary, what a sad story, RIP francois

I raced at the Glen a lot in the 80s and 90s in SCCA events. I can confirm that the curbs all the way around the track are brutal, and it's vital to stay off them because they'll throw you across the track if you hit them. Contrast those curbs to rumble strips that are used at most other tracks. Added to that is the fact that the ARMCO barriers are only a couple of feet off the track in most places. I crashed there in 1994 at the last corner before the front straight. I hit the barrier backward at around 90mph and bounced back onto the track, causing a red flag. There was no energy-absorbing material there at that time, although when I went back a few years later I noticed that they had installed material there and down into the entrance to the Boot. Those are the only places I remember that had it. Those guardrails are brutal.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for that info - I always suspected the unforgiving curb to be a factor, it’s great to have that confirmed by someone with experience of racing there

@SRFDriver

2 ай бұрын

@@WhenF1WasReal Thanks for your kind reply. I remember particularly the sharp left hander coming up out of the boot (the place where the NASCAR course rejoins) as being particularly unforgiving--I see the curb in my mind's eye as being not quite sharp enough to bend a steering link but way sharper than a rumble strip--and sharp enough that if you hit it when you're at the limit to bounce the car off of it and toward the guard rail on the other side of the track. I hit it once in 1994 IIRC, and had that result...I never did it again. With that said however, I just watched "A Lap Around Watkins Glen International" on YT. It's a guy driving a GT3 Porsche and was posted around 5 years ago. I watched the video and it looks like all the curbs are gone and have been replaced with rumble strips. I think that makes the course markedly safer than it used to be, although IMHO it removes a little of the "Separates the men from the boys" aspect of the course. On the other hand, the guard rails are still only a few feet from the edge of the track so there's still very little room for error. And finally, now that I think about it I may have some in-car video of a WGI race in around 2002. I'll see if I can find it. If I do find it I'll post it on my YT page. Apologies for writing a book about this...

@SRFDriver

2 ай бұрын

Update: I just found a video from around 2000. It's not the one that I was thinking about but it does illustrate a few things that I'll touch on in my description-and you can definitely see the curbs that were all the way around the track at that time. I'm just about to upload it.

@SRFDriver

2 ай бұрын

Okay, last one, I promise. I just uploaded it to y YT page. I made it private, so it's not publicly available. Leave me a message on my page and I'll send you the link.

If memory serves I recall see a picture of an F1 crash, involving double armco barriers, in Motor Sport Magazine. The car had split the barrier and the car stopped at about the steering wheel of the car. The photo was taken from the other side of the barrier showing the shocked face of the driver. I seem to remember the driver as Jody Scheckter and the circuit as Kyalami. I've tried multiple searches without success making me think time has clouded my memory.

Stewart referred to the 70's as "The killing years".

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Those extremely fast accelerating cars were so dangerous in the past. No in car fire extinguishers, no fire suit. Extremely volatile fuels and no fuel cell. It is not really apparent until you had attended one of those races back then. I go to CART and NASCAR races occasionally in Northern California now and even though these cars are so much safer, the speeds are unbelievable.

@MidgetRacer8192

2 ай бұрын

they had fire suits by the late 60s. many layers... they just were not as efficient as modern ones.

History would repeat itself when Mario Andretti won the championship, and his understudy died in the same race.

Sadly the 1970s claimed the lives of too many great drivers, the work of Jackie Stewart and also Syd Watkins is invaluable.

RIP French legend - would have won (with Stewart mentoring at races) the following WDC champion - one of France's finest.

Younger vieweres may not appreciate those were the days of armco barriers almost all around the track, dangerous for cars but incredibly so for bike riders. Today they have been replaced with wide run-off areas.

Yes i subscribed also. So many comments below or above this one. It's hard to put a tick on those comments, not because there bad, there not, it's because of the sad demise of a human being. So many F1 drivers gone, thirty years ago Senna went to drive with these deceased legendary driver's, the word dead is too permanent, i prefer the word deceased. I watched Senna"s last race on TV, it wasn't a happy weekend. LEST WE FORGET. 😢🇦🇺🏎️

I was at the Glen when this accident occurred. Rip

The past 3 french race winners were all one offs. It goes back almost 30 years!

@GBURGE55

2 ай бұрын

Your right. Gasly, Ocon & Panis. Considering how successful French drivers were in the late '70's & early '80's they've all but disappeared from the winners rostrum.

@MrSniperfox29

2 ай бұрын

@@GBURGE55Actually more than that Before Panis was Alesi, who also only won race

@GBURGE55

2 ай бұрын

@@MrSniperfox29 I'd forgotten him totally. I watched that race live too.

A very sad video, narrated with total respect. You've got a new subscriber.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much, hopefully you will enjoy future videos as much

In consecutive years, two horribly deadly crashes at the very same track and exactly with the same killing factor. Car racing often meant carelessness in those years, at least in that respect a lot has been improved, fortunately

Hi, very interesting, thank you - subscribed. Just one thing, there's no film of Stewart advising Cevert on gearing (or anything else) on that day at the Glen in 1973. The clip you show is from Monaco in 1971, there's another clip too, wrongly dated as 1973 by some, but in fact from earlier. Cevert had been injured in the previous race in Canada when he went straight into the barriers after a bump with Scheckter. His ankles were very badly hurt, he tried to recover during the holiday with the Stewarts to which you refer, and there's long been speculation that he still wasn't 100% at the Glen and that this caused or contributed to his fatal crash. The constructors' title was still up for grabs, hence Amon being used as a third driver looking for a point or two, of course the team withdrew letting Lotus in to win it. He also knew that Scheckter was joining Tyrrell in 1974 and, (as Jackie Stewart still insists all these years later) didn't know that Jackie was to announce his retirement and Francois's elevation to No 1 in the team immediately after the race. He may have overstated his recovery and insisted on driving to try to 'prove' something to Ken Tyrrell, or to other team bosses for 1974, if he thought Scheckter was going to force him out of Tyrrell. There's another Scheckter connection (allegedly). Cevert crashed at the esses soon after the start/finish line and the pit exit, and it's long been argued that Schecker exited the pits in front of Cevert, causing Francois, on a flying lap as you say, to change his line slightly, so he wasn't quite right at the esses a few seconds later, hence the crash when he tried to power through them. (It wasn't the end of practice BTW, he could have tried again in the afternoon.)

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Jackie Stewart recalls the conversation with Francois in an interview with Motor Sport a few years later, I suspect because he perhaps felt he should have pushed Francois to follow the gearing that Stewart and Amon were using through the Esses. The injured ankles theory has been floated before, and the affect of Sheckter’s pit exit timing can’t be ignored. But I feel that in those final laps, Jackie established to his own satisfaction, that Francois decision to take third gear was the main cause of his crash.

@ysgol3

2 ай бұрын

@@WhenF1WasReal Hi, thank you for replying. Indeed, but we'll still never know whether when the skittish Tyrrell, in 3rd, got into trouble in those esses, Francois's ankle damage delayed his 'saving' reaction just fractionally, but enough to kill him.

@Canadianshaker1234

2 ай бұрын

I witnessed the crash between Cevert and Scheckter at Mosport. It was on the short straight between corner 1 and the top of corner two. Both cars came to rest on the outside of the track next to the Armco barrier. Cevert exited his car quicker then Jody. Cevert then ran back to Scheckters car and began hitting Scheckters helmet with his clenched fists. Cevert was not a happy camper at that moment. Two weeks later, Cevert was killed at the Glen.

@ysgol3

2 ай бұрын

@@Canadianshaker1234 Hi, thank you very much for that information. I read about Cevert getting very annoyed - I didn't know he punched Jody's helmet! I reckon Cevert strongly believed he could win that day - for the first time that year of course - partly explaining his reaction. Whose fault do you think the crash was? Scheckter certainly had 'form' in 1973 didn't he. (I read recently that they shook hands about it at the Glen.)

@Canadianshaker1234

2 ай бұрын

It's been a long time ago but I remember thinking that Cevert was justifiably pissed off at Schecker at the time. Jody was a wild driver back then with a lot of oversteer.

A phenomenal and extremely dangerous era

I really appreciate the somber respect with which this tragic story is told. We live in a different world today from that of 1970s Formula racing. I doubt many of us could take that sort of carnage as a requisite for sport.

@WhenF1WasReal

Ай бұрын

Thanks for your kind words. I do think the world was different back then, WW2 was something many had lived through and the Vietnam War was still a thing - so violent death was more part of everyday life.

Stewart told two people he was going to retire; Ken Tyrell and the man in charge of Ford's motorsport division.

6:40 Piers Courage"s De Tomaso 505/38 had an aluminium monocoque and was not made from magnesium. The wheels might have been magnesium though. It was the Honda R302 from 1968 that had a magnesium skinned monocoque. Jo Schlesser was killed in one when it caught fire at the French Grand Prix that year. Even so, aluminium burns (obviously not as ferociously as magnesium and doesn't react adversely to water like magnesium does). It was the amount of fuel that was in the car when it crashed that caused such a large fire.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Several sources say the De Tomaso had magnesium used in parts of the chassis - but I have never seen definitive evidence either way; so you're probably right.

The poor fixing, gapping, and dimensions, of Armco barriers were responsible for several fatalities. I remember watching on TV as a lad, and thinking how brave the drivers were.

Please shift gears so we can continue listening!

Great storytelling. I recommend playing at 1.25x speed.

Well done you! A very nice 'narrators voice' I must say.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for your positive words, I hope you’ll enjoy future videos too

I watched the 1973 Argentinian GP live. Cevert took the lead over Regazzoni (who didn't last long) followed by Stewart, but a tire in Sir Jackie's car began to slowly lose pressure, and at that time teams were not prepared to change them quickly, so he stayed on track allowing Cevert to take the lead while focusing on blocking Fittipaldi who had a horrible start. To be honest Sir Jackie's tactics were pretty debatable, causing Emerson to drive the entire main straight with his fist raised to see whether the stewards took action (they didn't). Eventually Fittipaldi managed to get past Stewart, chased Cevert and passed him with ease to win the race. Amazingly, Stewart finished 3rd on what at that point was a noticeably flat tire.

@WhenF1WasReal

2 ай бұрын

Great story thanks. But for appalling reliability, either of the Lotus drivers could have won the Championship that year, Peterson didn’t score a point in the first five races but won three of the last four when it was too late to make a difference

I was at the Glen that weekend. When no one came around during practice, everyone knew something bad had happened, which was verified by loudspeakers announcing, in French, "Cevert et mort." Later that day, I joined the crowds walking the track. At the point of the accident, people were picking up bits of blue fiberglass lying along the track, as goulash souvenirs.

Beyond Tragic. GodSpeed, Francois ... ^v^

Watkins Glen racetrack has sadly seen too many deaths and injures in its history. Ironically, the track was built due to several spectators who were killed when they had races in the closed public streets and roads in the town of Watkins Glen in the late 1940's-early 1950's. My father saw those street races and also with my mom an F1 race in 1976 or 77. At least one NASCAR driver was killed there in the 1980's. A chicane was added to break up a long straight. Eventually due to the difficulty in making the track safer F1 stopped racing there. There is still a variety of racing there inducing the GT Weather Tech series. F1 did have to face its too deadly operations in the 1970's, making major improvements and continuing them to this day.

@glenmallory9982

2 ай бұрын

Only one NASCAR driver died there in the 90s . JD McDuffie. And it was a mechanic failure that threw him into the far wall of the Carousel. I was there that day. Yes the track was sued from lack of runoff. They settled out of court. They installed the bus stop chicane to slow the cars down. They have made a lot of changes since 1973 to improve safety but it needs more. They need an escape road at the end of the main strait and a few more at the end of the straights in the boot. The strip that cuts off the boot so the NASCAR guys can run the short course needs to be widened by about double what it is. The pits should be moved to get rid of that blunt concrete wall on entry. Thank God and Asplund logging for removing the trees in the boot in the nineties. Car went over the wall down the hill you were hitting maples and beeches of considerable size. Never liked that. I have no idea how NASCAR keeps saying that’s the most popular road course anymore. I love the place. I grew up going there to watch and on one occasion help out a friend in the pits for his Kart race. The place still has the potential to be an amazing track, but it’s in the middle of nowhere and the world has moved on. The townies just shrug their shoulders when asked about it. Old posters are in several stores in town. It’s sad. Faded glory.

A good documentary but with some mistakes...Servoz-Gavin's pole at Monaco was 1968, not 1967...Amon had joined Tyrrell for the last two GPs (Canada and U.S.) not just the last...Stewart also confided that '73 would be his last season with Walter Hayes.