Fatal crash of Stefan Bellof (Spa 1985)

[wermach123]

Ickx had the line into eau rouge, as is clearly shown in all the pictures you have shown. A driver with as much experience as ickx would never have attempted to pass there, or block there either. Ickx clearly couldn't see bellof because he was completely out of his LOS. So ickx believing bellof was behind him setting up for eau rouge took his normal line to try and keep bellof behind him in the run up to les combs. It was a racing accident, but more bellofs mistake if anything.

[TheChaosChamp]

Bellof himself explain before the racestart that it would be to dangerous to overtaker in the Eau Rouge.

THis was at the start of the Race so Bellof could catch Ickx later.

It wasn't Ickx fault - it was a race crash - sad but not his fault!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sensenbernd]

Hab auch schon eingiges über den Unfall gehört. Es kann schon sein dass Ickx dem jungen Bellof seine Grenzen aufzeigen wollte. Ickx war ja in Monaco 84 Rennleiter wo Bellof im unterlegenen Tyrrell dritter wurde. Ickx selber konnte nach anfänglichen Erfolgen in der F1 nie richtig Fuss fassen. Schon möglich dass er es dem in der F1 aufstreben Bellof zeigen wollte.

[hthedog]

Ickx is clearly in front and therefore the line is his. the mistake (if there was one) was Bellof's. he should have lifted to make space for himself. SHIT HAPPENS!!

[Dario911]

Please, explain me how Ickx was sure don't be to be him the one to die, closing the door to Stefan at that speed. Is it possible to predict what may happen hitting another car at Eau Rouge when you're well over 260 km/h?

It's stupid to accuse Icks to be the responsible of Bellof death. They were racing with sportscars, and were not walking around the track with bicycle. Bellof knew very well Eau Rouge, and if we want be honest, he has taken the biggest risk in the worst part of the track.

[marine224a1]

your just trying to push the blame on someone because a driver you liked died in an ACCIDENT (being the key word) and you dont think its fair. tell me if you think Ickx wanted Bellof dead, would he have tried frantically to get out of his car and run to the wreckage to check on him? i dont think so. its racing, once contact is made at those speeds its next to impossible to control the outcome.

[marimbaguy715]

You're going to blame the guy who was sticking to his racing line for that collision? Bullshit. It was a complete accident, no one was at fault, this kind of stuff just happens when you're racing at that competitive level.

[Conneisseur2]

i had read that the corner of eau rouge, that no driver whatsoever will try to overtake another driver because it is too risky

[indigoblue555]

Was it worth trying at Eau Rouge instead of taking Ickx's air stream in the long straight line out of the esses..? Just a question...not a criticism, as I also guess that Bellof was experienced enough to take risks if strictly needed.So,it could be that Ickx was faster on the straights and slower in cornering....thus,no way to overtake him on the fast sectors at Spa.

[totto210]

fuck Ickx fck fck fck

[gozney1987]

r.i.p it was a racing incident, from the pictures bellof was not far enough along side ickx for him to notice, especially at them speeds into an incredibly fast corner.

my opinion.

[jaymelbe]

This is just too dangerous what Webber and Bellof did... !

So sad to see this thing ending so badly but the risk does not worth the result..

[xwfokp3]

Same situation this year in Spa (F1). Webber overtook Alonso at Eau Rouge, but this time all went well. Alonso slowed down a bit and let Webber pass. Webber said "you can do this in Eau Rouge only against a very experienced driver, Alonso is such a driver".

.

[wigarmy]

what a deeply unpleasant (and moronic) little film

[NeeKroVal]

how does he climb out then die 50 minutes later wtffffffff scary as shit

[bangerke]

@NeeKroVal the guy that climbs out is Ickx. Bellof is in the other car who's pretty much completely destroyd.

[erasetoimprove]

This was just a racing accident, nobody was really to BLAME. Although it appears a lot of armchair viewers think they have a right to point blame. Unless you drive a race car, you are totally clueless no matter how long you have been watching racing.

[nunchuckerz]

he must have been mad trying to overtake on that corner, and it cost him his life

[deddlesknoxville]

is the dashcam in Ickx's car and not Bellof's? that would explain why the driver is seen moving after the car stopped.

[bygota]

You misunderstood the meaning of the blue flag and what a race is supposed to be. TheColinChapman is totaly right about it. It was Bellof's silly mistake that cost his life, not anything else. RIP Bellof, miss you. By the way, his 6:11 Nurburgring record is still to be broken!

[SilentTestify]

i didn´t see anyone killing anyone.. this is Racing... it was just a tragic crash...

[jujdejoo]

this bastard Ickx killed (Kenny) Bellof.

[MissEgasMoniz]

@jujdejoo No he didn't - grow up spud!

[Danny7930]

How did he die, he's moving in the video..?

Besides the point he died doing what he loves!

[DragaoMotorsport]

The blue flag was out for the car that had just been lapped by Ickx and Bellof and was about to be lapped by the 3rd placed car. It was not out for Ickx. Ickx and Bellof were racing for position!

Ickx did not move over on Bellof. He was on his normal line on the approach to Eu Rouge.

If you have ever sat in a 956 you will know about the massive blind spot in the mirrors. Bellof was in Ickx´s blind spot. Ickx could not see him.

[stzzla]

I think its sad that over 25 years have passed and people just sit here after all this time playing the blame game. What do you hope to accomplish, Bellof is gone and it happened 25 years ago. Add to the fact that this was a racing incident, two drivers jockeying for position going into a corner. There is no blame to be opportioned here, only sadness to be felt.

[brown9708]

That was a 956. An american version 962 was supposedly safer and he may have lived but that was head on into the wall

[gertvangelder]

this video is full of bullshit propaganda, made by a person with no brains at all.

[HIVisaLIE]

burned to a crisp

[BrunOhBEL]

Blue flag was clearly given to the car you can see Ickx passing down the straight... This is clearly, and sadly, a race incident. People blaming Jacky Ickx for the death of Stefan Bellof clearly don't know anything about racing and about Ickx or Bellof for that matter. Bellof was a great talent, and Ickx was one of the last real gentleman racers. Maybe his critics should look into the start of the '69 Le Mans and the statement Ickx made by walking to his car. Safety came first with Ickx, always.

[mattatdaw]

newromantic888 are you completly insane???!!!! It was a racing accident... and Jackie Ickx is one of the best drivers ever, even though he never won the F1 title... Bellof could have been one of the best ever too but so could Pironi, Villeneuve, Paletti, Courage, Severt, young Surtees, young Warwick I could go on for ages... thank God it doesnt happen that often any more....Massa was saved by his helmet, Webber was saved by good luck and an amazing chassis....and today Schumacher nearly died..

[geopan973]

I do not believe that any sane man would try to do that in purpose. It could have been him (Ickx) that crashed head-on to the barrier and be killed as well. Jesus guys you can't just block somebody with the intention of taking him out, when you are going at 250+ KPH!!!

[SynthieAl]

Finally a video that mentions the real circumstances and aftermath concerning the accident.

[newromantic888]

Jakie sux he basically knew Stefan was there and pushed him to death based on his inability to get a constant F1 position. Jacky should go to the Hauge for racing crimes.He is a criminal in my mind.

[newromantic888]

Jakie sux



[jamemarsh]

this video is a load of bollocks. drivers racing for position do not get blue flagged.

[Vizcaio]

@jamemarsh absolutely right. blue flag is for lapping slower cars only..... no exception!!!!

[austsb]

@jamemarsh the driver overtaken leading up to eau rouge is being blue flagged

[alfearless]

@jamemarsh

actually in those days a blue flag was not solely shown to a driver about to be lapped. Any driver with a faster car approaching was shown a blue flag. In the last laps of Monaco 1984 you'll see Prost gets shown a blue flag even though he was in the lead

[nonkeynes]

I think Jacky Ickx is just a stupid idiot that cannot loose - but for this accident he's definetly not responsible.

No one can expect to be overtaken at Eau Rouge, because its simply impossible to overtake there and especially outside. So Stefan Bellof was responsible for the accident and killed himself.

[villy27]

Good, some people with a little brain here. No racing driver would cause such an accident councioucly. This was a unfurntune misunderstanding between two great drivers.

[ImEastonianBitch]

Both drivers took to the track knowing at any lap, turn, second, they could lose their life in those cars. It's amazingly disrespectful to both drivers by making it look like Ickx intentionally tried to kill Bellof. Trust me, I know that's NOT what you're trying to do but this video certainly sends the wrong message. Both drivers were racing hard though in a motorsport that was strongly rivaling the success and money of F1. Ickx should have let him through sure, but this was endurance racing.

[AndrewWang1234]

Who was the man onboard?

[trevormurphy73]

It's a shame that this accident happened. I don't see anything but a very very unfortunate conclusion to a racing accident. Two very good drivers fighting hard for position a k a racing....

[Schumacher1886]

guys i think it was just racing accident and bellof was good driver who got frustrated being behind ickx and then tryed a brave but crazy move so sorry it ended that way

[ickxlotus]

Bellof did a stupid mistake trying to overtake on the outside where it`s impossible, and banged his head on. Thats all. He raced against Jacky Ickx and not against one of these ordinary drivers of the scene. Don`t forget this fact! You can`t overtake a pilot like Ickx on the outside or on the grass.

[crazeejosh]

What the fuck is that stupid shit at the end?

[TheColinChapman]

heavy contradiction.

1.) Of cours Ickx was blocking Bellof for laps,this is a RACE- forgotten?

2.) Blue flags (held steady) mean that there is someone close to you fighting for position. blue flags (waved) mean that you have to move over to let the faster car behind you overlap you.

3.) Ickx and Bellof made contact left rear wheel (Ickx) to right front wheel (Bellof). This leaves out any thoughts about having to give more space or whatever. Who reaches the corner first is to chose his line.

[OlDirty36wutang]

@TheColinChapman

Bellof hit Ickx' left rear because he tried a full braking (before contact).

In some videos of Group C, you can see 2 cars driving side by side thru Eau Rouge WITHOUT any contact...

[TheColinChapman]

By no means Stefan was on he brakes when the accident occured. Group C cars can decelerate by 2-3 G, only one tenth of a second on the brakes would have been more than enough to drop back by at least two car lengths. I am very sorry that Stefan died, but in all honesty, his manouvre was nothing but suicidal.

[Montreal95]

@OlDirty36wutang for sure but Ickx had no obligation to give Bellof room to go side by side with him because there's only one racing line thru there and that who reaches the corner first is entitled to take it-they were fighting for position not merely driving around. and as they were fighting for 3 laps already Bellof should've known that Ickx is prepared to defend his position so he should've backed off and tried to overtake at Les Combes instead. I see it as a racing incident.

[TheEvanovitch]

@OlDirty36wutang he didnt do a full brake, if he would have done that, they wouldnt have collided, and the group c cars can drive side by side cuz theyre driving way slower, try to take a corner on your bike at 5km/h, and then do the exact same corner at 25km/h. you will see it isnt possible anymore. ickx took the normal racing line, he couldnt see bellof since hes inside a canopy, and bellof should have known ickx would do that. he simply wasnt close enough to pull up aside.

[rdtli]

@TheColinChapman racing is racing.....they re fighting for position...of course there are points.... icks , belgian ....in the most prestigious circuit of that country..in the most prestigious curve...would never ever let him goes by!!!!! a kid trying to overtake a veteran that way ?!!! never;;in a private car against a manufacturer car ???!!!!!! never ever again..of course ´´if´´ icks would consider another way ...he could have make it easier for bellof ..but they re racers not drivers

[TheColinChapman]

@rdtli everyone trying to blame Jacky Ickx for causing this crash on purpose or at least having accepted the risk of a 250kph-crash needs to explain to me how in the name of Zeus's butthole Jacky Ickx might have known in advance the only Stefan Bellof would be killed. The crash could as well have turned out completely different, killing Jacky Ickx or both of them.

[ernete01]

@TheColinChapman  True.

[altroval]

@TheColinChapman It certainly looked to me like Bellof had the corner; Ickx (clearly slower) should have backed off.

I can't think of a worse scenario than being pitched into an uncontrollable spin at the entrance to the Eau Rouge.

[TheColinChapman]

@altroval That's a two sided story, the same logic applies to Stefan as well. I can't think of a worse scenario than to pitch someone including myself into an uncontrollable spin at the entrance to the Eau Rouge. And Ickx was ahead of Bellof, pictures show that. I agree that Stefan was faster than Jacky, but a race is not about letting the faster car behind you pass easily. It is part of the nature of a real race that the guy in front tries to defend his position, otherwise it's just qualifying.

[theothermexic]

@TheColinChapman actually a stationary blue means there is a faster car approaching that will overtake you within the next sector, waved means you have a faster car beginning to overtake you or already overtaking you, but at that it is only shown to cars that arent on the lead lap.

if the front of the car is past the c pillar you must leave room, you cant turn in and claim you were just following your line, and a skilled driver wont turn in at all if there is a possibility of contact

[theduude10]

@TheColinChapman they were almost neck to neck @ 2:39, and Bellof was pushing hard to overtake. youre not making any sense.

[Rubs54]

very interesting