1971 - JO SIFFERT CRASH : BRANDS HATCH - RACE OF CHAMPION

[brownson1970]

where does that idiot get off on saying stuff like that??

must be a 7 year old,and thats a discredit to 7 yr olds

[hoiman95]

today 40 years ago R.I.P

[hybris159]

Seppi is a true idol - RIP.

[D5Parkett1893]

Rest in Peace Jo

[greenstone74]

mi father was learn driving from him and i have learnt driving from my father

[HalalKafir]

July 7, 2011 would be Jo's 75th birthday.

Gone but never forgotten.

[thevmanvj]

This was an example of just how in Jackie Stewart's words" pathetically ill-prepared" safety crews were in those days.Fire and safety crews didn't have proper training or quantities of equipment for fighting and controling gasoline fires not to mention access roads so safety crews could get to a burning car within seconds.Example,Monza 1978.Although Petersen died later of infection from a broken leg,the crew (along with Driver James Hunt) did a fantastic job in getting him out of the car fast.

[ysgol3]

frying tonight.

[hassetaw]

if he dies in a crash, its obvious that this is fatal ¬¬

[Serge192]

Being trapped in his car, Jo Siffert died of asphyxia, having survived the initial impact with a broken leg.

[RickyJ46]

A nightmare.

[rotterdam1953]

@RickyJ46 Even the fire marshalls in their aluminised suits couldn't get near, showing just HOW hot it was. Poor Siffert in his 'lesser' suit never stood a chance.

[autoromeo1]

schaffe,mache,welle..richtige schwizer,vom feinstem!

[weallfollowmanutd]

jerryaltman - I have the full footage of the 1973 Dutch Gp (Roger Williamson crash) and I can tell you there was full footage of it from start to end, when the crash occured to when the flames were put out.

[twixbits]

was there on the day he died and was there yesterday after 38 yrs went to the place he crashed to say a prayer

R.I.P. JO SIFFERT

[jerryaltman]

Yes, I found full reports on web. The most revoltant of all is that the fucking tower control have no TV. Everyone saw the car burning by watching TV, but the dumb race director had not one. Nobody sent a darned fire engine when the fire was small.

I think many circuits and marshalls directors were so stupid or worse back then, but get luck to do not had a accident in the race day.

[fearbeforefearbefore]

And there was a fire engine 200 feet down the track.. that stayed put and watched it happen, because it was against regulations for it to travel in the opposite direction as the race. Everyone at the track that day except David Purley and a handful of spectators, fighting police to get to the car, should hang their fucking heads in shame.

[erasetoimprove]

@fearbeforefearbefore I don't think any of the drivers should hang their head in shame. You forget to mention them.

[jerryaltman]

The longest Roger Williamson crash video on Youtube, do not show 8 minutes. Articles report a long time, but no video showed the entire unedited crash, from begining to tragic end.

It was bether for hin died from asphyxiation than fealing, agonizing burning to dead.

[jerryaltman]

Roger Willianson beforew burn much had died from oxigen deprivation too. IF after Siffert crash regulation put oxigen tubes on car, why Willianson died from asphyxiation?

[Anseller531]

I too was there,it was my first race meeting a sad intro to the sport.I believe Gethin won,after a duel with Stewart.

[tekitezi]

I was there i remember it vividly

[jackiejayetv]

I was there,awfull day.

[JKZX14]

IHM.... Brands Hatch is in England.... not Switzerland !!!

[IllinoisHighwayMan]

I thought car racing was banned in Switzerland!

[Holdudiladio]

That's true, but that doesn't means that a Swiss guy must not race in an other country

[Thilo1001]

Thank you for posting...

Joseph Siffert is an all time swiss star for motor racing and a dear friend of my previous boss.

[F1LotusFan]

In 1971 they didn't have foam lined, Kevlar coated gas tanks as regs require today.

F1 racecar hits barrier at high speed = ruptured gas tank + sparks = instant explosion. See Roger Williamson's fatal crash, similar situation plus track officials did nothing.

[GejamalProductions]

Due to the fact that they was not trained properly ..

[indigoblue555]

to GejamalProd.-... and with poor equipment overall - formula cars had just the roll bar and I recall that production stock cars as well had equally unexisting safety equipments.

So it was back then...in the tracks and on everyday's roads =

[rikki87sufc]

He damaged his suspension on lap 1 after tangling with ronnie peterson and crashed later and died of lack of oxygen and smoke inhalition RIP Seppi

[Michi1374]

How is that at all happend that the car did go up in flames? Did he crash in a wall or so?

[nutty1957]

This video is mis-titled. The Race of Champions took place at the very start of the season. This was the Victory Race, Oct 24th 1971. I was there that day and was shocked to see the death of one of my boyhood heros.

[probablygraham]

I was there too nutty - was a terrible day. I still remember the silence as the last engine was switched off and all you could see was the smoke. They didn't say anything until after the race which made it even worse.

[nutty1957]

Yeah, I know; I think that made it even worse, somehow. It was lovely weather and the mood was festive. Then we all came crashing down to earth. BRM had had a good end of season too, but then lost another driver. A sad year.

[iestyn16]

why the hell do all these formula one cars burn for?

surely they should have fuel that doesnt burn in them

[ChiliFan06]

This was 1971. They knew very little about safety, and fatal accidents were common.

[Radoye]

And what fuel doesn't burn?

[iestyn16]

Isn't that why indycars have moved to ethanol for example or is that just to slow them down.

Is it just that the fuel tanks always rupture..

I thought leaded fuel didn't burn in accidents?

[Radoye]

Methanol burns too, it just won't explode the way gasoline does. Gasoline is outlawed at Indy 500 since the 1964 disaster and all fires you saw there since then (for example the ones in 1973) were methanol fires.

Fuel has to burn, that's why it's a COMBUSTION engine

[schumacher500]

hey smartass, perhaps we should convert all racecars to diesel so there wouldn't be even methanol fires? prick.

[chrisy2654]

F1 cars now have Kevlar fuel tanks which cant be ruptured easily, all fuel burns otherwise it wouldn't be a fuel...

[jerryaltman]

I think I misunderstood the accident. Perhaps wasn't a mnagnesiun fire, since was othe pilot that died in a magnesium body frame car fire. But I researched and founf that in Jo Siffert accident the track side fire extinguisher near the accident didin't work, not load, and took time to other firemans with charged fire extinguishers arrive.

[SabuPtolemy]

What a horrible way to die - I hope Jo was knocked unconscious before the fire and/or smoke killed him. R.I.P. Seppi.

[jerryaltman]

Is that the magnesium car's body frame that burned so intense? See that the marshal can't get close to fight the fire, and only a fireman with asbestos clothes get close. Magnesium it's flamable and can't be extinguish by water. Piers Courage crash fire was in a car with mafnesium body frame too, and they had to earth the car with hin since couldn't extinguish the fire with water from fire truck, and they had no chemical fire extinguishers. Scarring jut to think about.

[Agustinsupergroxxx]

strange video

[sithlordess]

Rest in Peace Jo! Great man!

[ElizabethCoral]

Very very sad. Poor Seppi. RIP.