5. The German Grand Prix (Nurburgring)
The world’s most famous racing series, Formula One features the most talented drivers negotiating the most technically difficult courses, often at speeds of over 200 mph. It’s a sport that’s become notorious for its high fatality rate, thanks to treacherous courses like Spa-Francorchamps and Italy’s Monza circuit. But perhaps no track has proven to be as dangerous as Germany’s famed Nurburgring, which once claimed the lives of 5 F1 drivers in a fifteen-year span. The track was first built in 1927, but it has been redesigned several times over the years, as its fast speeds, elevation changes, and tight corners have time and again proven to be too dangerous. In 1969, the track was even boycotted by Formula One drivers who, wary of deaths at the Nurburgring and other tracks like it, refused to race unless changes were made to the course. Since then, no fatalities have occurred at the track in Formula One competition, but the course has continued to be one of the world’s most deadly places to hold an auto race: since 1970, as many as 25 drivers have been killed during other races at the track, and famed F1 driver Jackie Stewart has since declared it “the most dangerous circuit in the world.”
Most Famous Incident:
One of the most famous accidents at the Nurburgring occurred in 1958, when F1 driver Peter Collins became the last competitor to be killed during the actual running of the German Grand Prix. Collins was racing for the lead when he lost control of his Ferrari and spun over one of the course’s banked turns. In the ensuing crash, he was thrown from the car into a grove of trees, and sustained a deadly head injury.
4. The Indy 500
The Indy 500, held every May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is arguably the most famous auto race in the world. It’s list of winners—among them Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Juan Pablo Montoya—reads like its own racing hall of fame. But along with being the track at which every driver wants to win, Indianapolis also has the dubious honor of being one of the most high-tension, dangerous, and downright deadly courses in the world. Over 40 drivers have been killed in competition or practice since the race first began in 1911, along with several crewmembers, track personnel, and spectators. In the race’s early days, just being near the track was deadly, and in one bizarre incident in 1931, a young boy playing in his yard across the street from Indy was killed when a wheel from a race accident flew over the fence and struck him. The track itself consists of two long straights with flat, sweeping turns at each end. But it’s the simplicity of the Indianapolis course that makes it so dangerous: drivers enter the corners at extremely high rates of speed, and the low degree of banking makes for what has been described as one of the most dicey turns in motor sports.
Most Famous Incident:
One of the most famous crashes at Indy remains the 1973 incident where driver Swede Savage, running in second place, lost control of his car in turn four and hit the inside retaining wall head on. His car exploded in spectacular fashion, and he was thrown from the vehicle only to land against the outside wall in a puddle of burning race fuel. Amazingly, Savage survived the accident and was taken to the hospital. Doctors expected him to survive, but he died 33 days later, supposedly due to complications from a transfusion of contaminated plasma.
3. The Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, or TT, is a famous series of motorcycle races that takes place every year on the blustery Isle of Man, a small island located off the coast of England. At more than a hundred years old, the TT is one of the most storied competitions in all of racing. It’s held over several days and is scored on a time trial format, with racers averaging over 120 mph around the perilous Snaefell Mountain Course. Because the races take place on public roads, the circuit is lacking in safety, and the TT has often been the subject of controversy because of the extreme dangers it presents to riders. The roads are severely narrow, and where traditional courses would have safety barriers, the TT often just has stone walls, fences, and cliffs. 227 participants have been killed at the race since 1907, an average of more than two a year, and with the speeds and cornering abilities of the bikes only improving with each season, it seems there is little hope to ever truly minimize the level of danger at the track.
Most Famous Incident:
The Isle of Man TT was once one of the highlights of the Grand Prix Motorcycle Championship, but concerns about track safety eventually caused it to be stripped of its championship status. Since the late eighties, it has operated as an independent festival. The biggest catalyst for the change was the death of Gilberto Parlotti, an Italian racer who was killed when his bike crashed during a race held in heavy rain. His death led many riders to begin boycotting the TT, and after a few years it was eliminated from the competition calendar altogether.
2. The 24 Hours of Le Mans
One of the most unique and prestigious events in all of motor sports, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a nearly 90-year-old endurance race held every June in France. Unlike most car races, which prize speed above all else, the 24 Hours not only tests car reliability and performance, but also the stamina and awareness of the drivers. These challenges have made Le Mans a crown jewel of the racing calendar, but they’ve always ensured it to be one of the most dangerous auto races in the world. The modern supercars that race at the track today are capable of blistering speeds of over 250 mph, and with competitors in all classes on the same track simultaneously, cars often close in on one another at an astonishing pace. Up until the 1960s, Le Mans also featured what many would now consider to be a downright psychotic starting procedure: drivers would line up several feet from their cars, and at the start would sprint to their vehicles on foot and speed off from a dead stop, often without properly fastening any kind of safety harness. This lead to a number of tragic accidents at the race, which has seen as many as 24 drivers die since its inception.
The Deadliest Sporting Accident Ever:
In addition to being the home of the most storied race in the world, Le Mans also has the sad distinction of being the site of the worst accident in racing history. In 1955, driver Pierre Levegh crashed after he made contact with the back of another car. The accident made his car ramp over the retaining wall and into a dirt mound, which sent it somersaulting into the nearby crowd of spectators. Levegh and 84 spectators were killed in the crash, and as many as 100 people were injured. The accident had far-reaching effects in the world of racing. Most competitions for the year were abruptly canceled, and France, Spain, Switzerland, and Germany briefly banned car races altogether. Though tragic, the accident did signal a change in auto safety. When the 24 Hours of Le Mans and other competitions were reinstated, they were better equipped to deal with the inherent dangers of high-speed racing.
1. The Dakar Rally
For sheer danger, excitement, and outright insanity, no race compares to the Dakar Rally, a yearly off-road extravaganza that traditionally begins in Paris, travels across Europe and the deserts of Africa, and ends in the Senegalese city of Dakar. The race, which includes drivers in classes ranging from SUVs to motorcycles, has been called “the most dangerous sporting event in world” for its scale and degree of difficulty. Because the race course is so expansive, drivers can easily become separated from the pack or veer off course, and in the event of an accident, it can be hours before proper medical care is available. These dangers, along with the environmental impact of the race, have seen the Dakar Rally become perhaps the most controversial competition in all of motor sports. Drivers have been known to tear up the countryside, accidentally hitting livestock and other vehicles, and on at least one occasion the race was blamed for starting a wildfire that killed three people. Meanwhile, the toll on the drivers has proven to be equally tragic. Since its inception in 1978, the race has claimed the lives of 49 people, nearly two a year, but this figure is thought to be extremely low, as many claim the rally to be responsible for the deaths of countless pedestrians. In recent years, political turmoil in Africa has forced the race to be relocated to South America. As such, the 2010 race, which kicks off January 1, will be held in Argentina and Chile.
Most Famous Incident:
In 1982, Mark Thatcher, son of the English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was competing in the Dakar Rally in a Peugeot 504. While traveling through the Sahara Desert, Thatcher, a mechanic, and his co-driver, Anne-Charlotte Verney, had to stop and make repairs to a damaged fuel arm. But by the time the problem was fixed, the trio found the other drivers had left them behind, and they soon became lost in the desert. They were missing for six days before they were spotted some 30 miles off course by a search plane. Luckily, the three all escaped their ordeal without injury.
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