A decade ago: Imola 94

[f1atic]

SpeedTV is running the season's races 10 years ago each race weekend. They ran Imola this weekend.

I had forgotten a few details:
I remembered, as we all do that Senna was killed.
I didn't remember that another driver (Ratzenberger) was killed the day before.
I didn't remember that there was a pit lane accident with injuries when a right rear wheel came off of a car leaving the pits.
I didn't remember that Berger, when he was radioed the AS had died, pulled off the track, not finishing the race.

A sad day in F1, but one which brought about many changes to the rules for the safety of all concerned.

[Richy_Rich]

I remembered all those things (when you said them), but Berger. Hats off to him.

[Irv the Swerve]

Not to be morbid or anything, but watching that day unfold live on TV (without editing of any kind) would bring back all sorts of memories of the little things that went wrong, and especially those laps behind the pace car while Murray was chatting away and the world was about to turn upside down.

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by f1atic
I didn't remember that another driver (Ratzenberger) was killed the day before.

Can't believe anyone wouldn't remember that.

[DriverT]

I remembered...

[jj2728]

one of the blackest of all racing weekends.....SPEED channel's re-airing was very tastefully done, kudos to them....

[F1Pete]

Yeah, I watched the race again on Speed yesterday. First time since it aired live. I didn't see the qualifying until yesterday and I couldn't believe that Rubens didn't break his neck after going airborne into the wall. He was extremely lucky to get away relatively unscathed.

[Pitstop]

Very, very, sad time.

It's thanks to that week-end/time, we have so much more safety bracketed into F1 now.

[Testure]

I don't think I could watch that again at all What an awful, awful weekend. That wasn't sport.

I didn't really follow F1 that year after what had happened at Imola and I think I'm glad I didn't. Y'know, if I'd been born twenty years earlier I'd probably never have gotten interested in motorsport, it was just too dangerous for me to comfortably watch. Biggest reason I hate oval racing.

[Panzer]

I remember it well it was late night here in OZ.

[EERO]

I taped it, but haven't steeled myself to watch it yet. I frankly don't care to remember the terrible funk I was in for a month afterward. I also know that facing demons can be a cathartic.

I remember how complacent we all had become. Heck, Berger survived a far more horriffic crash at Tamborello five years earlier, there was no way that hit could have been fatal let alone dangerous...only it was.


I did continue to follow F1 that season as I had continued to follow it after the deathsd of Clark, Rodriguez, Siffert, Cevert, Revson, Donahue, Peterson, Gilles, De Angelis. These are the ones that affected me the most, though there were others.., too many others. But none knocked me down more than that of Senna. Perhaps tomorrow, after the house has gone to sleep, I'll pour a sotch and play the tape.

[enemy-ace]

Originally posted by f1atic

I didn't remember that another driver (Ratzenberger) was killed the day before.

An Austrian flag was found in Senna's cockpit. The intention supposedly was for Senna to fly the flag after the race in honour of his fallen compatriot. Sad day indeed!

[jetsetter]

The suprising thing when people recall that weekend is how many people don't remember Ratzenburger's accident, it was a black weekend for the sport & i must admit that i've never been as anxious for the chequered flag to come out as i was that race.

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by jetsetter
The suprising thing when people recall that weekend is how many people don't remember Ratzenburger's accident, it was a black weekend for the sport & i must admit that i've never been as anxious for the chequered flag to come out as i was that race.

I remember that season being so anxious to get each race over with.

I still tend to get apprehensive at the likes of Monza and Spa.

[mark_l]

What about the startline smash with the wheel going into the crowd, I believe it either seriously injured or killed a policeman.

[Edmonton]

After watching F1 decade I'm going to say that Senna got killed by the track. Look at the poor### paving job the track had one with all the patches and bumps/dips with now runoff. I now think whoever was/is trying to charge th Williams team is just trying to save there butts because the ones who should have been charged was whoever was in charge of the circuit!

[Adam43]

merged, although it was EERO that did it, he beat me to it by a minute this time!

[beau]

I remember that it is my birthday on that terrible day

[1 Lotus]

I haven't been watching F1 all that long. I knew of Senna's death. That is actually the focus it seems for all discussion. I liked the way Speed covered the weekend. I think the main reason so many people don't remember some of the other matters is that there was such an intent focus on Senna.

It was a tragic weekend, no doubt and F1 is better for it. Too bad we so often learn only from tragedy.

[paulzinho]

I've always felt a big part of F1 died that day, I was only 9 but had been watching F1 for as long as I can remember but even so its never been the same since.

[mark_l]

I was marshalling an F3000 practise session at Silverstone that day.

I remember walking back towards the paddock past a Rothmans Stand, the staff on the stand were just starting to cover up an Ayrton Senna show car, although the news of the accident was known about, his death was not.

I then went back to the car and sat and listened to radio 5 when the sad news was confirmed.

[avsfan733]

That was a very hard thing to watch but I felt as if I had to because when it happened it was really before my time. SEeing that first Barrichelo crash I just shuddered because I knew what was coming down the road

[racefanatic]

I was only seven at the time but Ayrton's death drove me away from F1 - I guess because I didn't have anyone to follow anymore, but also because I never wanted to see anyone else die. I had started watching CART the year before because of Nigel Mansell, so I pretty much gave up on F1 and only watched CART for the rest of that year. Well, 10 years later my current favorite driver was hired at Toyota, so I'm following F1 again! It's not the same, but I still love it.

I know I could not have watched that race again. I think I've gotten past it, but it makes it hard when it keeps coming back up.

[Kicking-back]

Lets make this thread about remembering Ayrton and Roland, rather than raking over the circumstances of their deaths.

[Adam43]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
Lets make this thread about remembering Ayrton and Roland, rather than raking over the circumstances of their deaths.

Check this thread out: Senna Season

There are also a couple of tribute threads in the tribute forum:
Roland Ratzenberger
Ayrton Senna