One of the real greats in motorsports died yesterday at the age of 70.
I remember his horibble crash at the Nurburgring in 1976.

Rest in Peace Niki

Sure, rest in peace Niki. 70 is a bit to early.

Yes way too early. He went downhill quickly didn't he? Seems only a couple of weeks he was with Toto Wolff in the Mercedes garage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-05-21 12:37 by exhpart.

Rest in peace Niki.
My dad is a massive Ferrari fan, a strong spirit and part of my childhood has passed.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-05-21 19:38 by desertblues68.

I've been a big fan of F1, and Ferrari in particular, for a long time...

Niki was a legendary figure and grand ambassador for the sport.

A huge loss...

RIP Niki Lauda

Farewell legend

Great driver. Up there with Sterling Moss and Jimmy Clark, IMHO. There's a movie made by Ron Howard of Lauda's rivalry with James Hunt called "Rush" which is very good. RIP, Mister Lauda.

RIP Niki Lauda

Iconic and legendary Austrian driver. Niki never was bashful about speaking his mind for better or worse. He led an amazing life, and his recovery from the aforementioned accident at the Nurburgring was nothing short of remarkable.

RIP Niki

I saw an "Air Disasters" on Smithsonian channel when there was a Lauda Airlines crash. He worked for years to prove it was not pilot error but a mechanical problem that caused the crash and it helped air safety in the future. I gained a lot of respect for him after watching that.

From an interview with Niki... shows his kind of humour:

"Well, that was one of those american morningshows, they came to the Nürburgring, and such a woman, tall, blond, everything, wanted to interview me at the accident site. They all had said: Ui, he will cry for sure, that will be a very emotional moment! But I've taken a kipferl (kind of a croissant) from the hotel buffet and put it in the grass first. It starts: "Mister Lauda, how is it to be here ..." I say: "Just a moment!" And I go a few steps into the grass. She asks, "What are you doing?" I say, "Oh look, here's my ear!" That was done. She has lost her composure. They had to do everything again. "

Quote
MrBird65
"Oh look, here's my ear!"

LOL !!

Rip Niki
An exceptional man.

Still remember the accident. I was only 8 years old them but already a huge Ferrari fan. Niki was my hero!

It was a complete shock: the crash, the fire, the endless seconds before they were able to take him out of the cabin, the motionless body lying on the grass then, finally, the ambulance.

Ferrari is a sort of religion here in Italy, for following days newspaper or tv followed step by step the miraculous recovery.

One month and a half later, Niki was back on his Ferrari in Monza (I was there, my first live Formula 1 race)

Epic!!! But unfortunately not enough to win the championship. One of the most unjust virdicts of the history of all sports.

C