Man on the track!

[DNQ]

We all remember that idiot on the track at Germany this year. Some will also remember the streaker at the start of the British GP 1998, or maybe the Brazilian GP of 1989 when some moron stood on the side of the track.

But, I read today of another 'track invasion', this time at the 1991 US GP. In qualifying, Eric Van De Poele was speeding along, when a man on crutches, recently released from hospital, tried to jump in front of Van De Poel's car to commint suicide. Apparently, he got past all the marshall's and official's without notice.

This leads me to ask, on what other occasions have people 'invaded' the track?

[Quino]

At Canada 1996 (or 1997) the crowds took the track when still somewhat cars had to finish. Mika Salo came onto to an almost fully crowded start/finish straight and lifted fully. Someone (can't remember who) took advantage of that and overtook him.

And off course the rabbit at the Nurburgring in 1995 getting a far too close a look at Coulthard's Williams (the poor thing was smashed to pieces) and I can remember someting vaguely of a dog he wandered on to the track. Believe it was Hockenheim late 80's or late 90's

[Gerard]

I can't remember any track invasions from the old days, although if you consider the amount of people almost standing on the track at the start of a 1950's or 1960's Grand Prix, the absence of guard rails and a lack of security precautions, i.e. spectators standing on the edge of every corner, almost able to look into the cars, I think every race in those days had a track invasion.

Stirling Moss once said: 'We didn't have the track invasions you saw occasionally in the Nineties. People were very enthusiastic but they didn't get quite so worked up here as they did overseas. I particularly remember the way the spectators behaved in Buenos Aires! People here would run to the side of the track, but they wouldn't cover the track itself. It wasn't the Nigelmania of the early Nineties! They'd come over the fence in the early days, but they were quite intelligent, because they left room for the car and you just slowed up and went through.'

I do however remember the British Grand Prix of 1987, Nigel Mansell's victory caused track invasions and mass hysteria amongst the crowd.

At the 1992 British GP, a hot and crushed crowd got over the fences and invaded a still active track. Nigel Mansell actually hit one spectator who, luckily, was OK to tell the tale and collect a few souvenirs from Mansell.

Track invasion at the 1996 San Marino Grand Prix saw the organizers fined one million dollars by the World Motor Sport Council although 70 percent of the fine was suspended.

The Hungarian GP of 1998. As drivers completed their cool-down laps, they found themselves weaving through a sea of spectators who came out of the grandstands to celebrate the victory by Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher of Germany.

Although Max Mosley stated that: 'Our first duty, even before ensuring the safety of the participants, is to keep the public away from competing cars, track invasions are not acceptable and will not be tolerated under any circumstances,' I think there will always be the occasional track invasion. It's hard to control a huge crowd, especially when a 'local driver' wins.

[Valve Bounce]

The most serious accident I can recall happened at Kyalami when a track marshal ran across the track with a fire extinguisher in front of a car, a Shadow I think. The driver was killed instantly when the fire extinguisher hit his head, and to the horror of the spectators, the car continued down the track. I don't know the full details, but I am sure Dino will be able to fill in the gaps for me.

[DNQ]

Valve Bounce, that crash you are describing was terrible. Tom Pryce, in a Shadow, smashed into to a marshall who was attending to what he thought was a fire in Reno Zorzi's car.

The marshall ran over to Zorzi's car, thinking it was on fire, when it was actually just steam coming out of the ford powered car.

Pryce was speeding along, and came over a crest, where he saw the stationary car. He could not avoid a collision, and smashed into the marshall and car. The marshall was sadly killed, and his fire extinguisher was catapulted into the chest of Pryce, killing him too. Pryce's car kept going though, ramming Jacques Laffite's Ligier.

It was a terrible accident. The video footage is sickening. Thank goodness that safety has progressed so far.

[TimD]

Yes, I would like to reiterate what DNQ has said. The video footage of the Tom Pryce incident is deeply, deeply distressing.

I for one wish I had never seen it.

[Valve Bounce]

Death in any form of motorsport is always a tragedy that strikes at most of the fans. There are always those who love to view crashes, and the introduction to our F1 races on channel 9 is full of sickening crashes. I couldn't care less if there was never another crash in F1, I could'nt care more when I read about how efforts are made to make tracks safer. Anyone who complains that F1 is not dangerous enough these days makes me sick. And now I just found out that Dale Earnhardt died.