While there might be more statistically treacherous sports, auto
racing, particularly the less mainstream brands of rallying and
motocross, still remains the most prominent—and often deadly—daredevil
sport in the world. Drivers often reach speeds of over 250 mph, and that
kind of pace, while exciting, has often been a recipe for disaster.
Even with today’s more sophisticated safety equipment, not a year goes
by that the sport doesn’t claim the lives of several competitors. With
the new year about to mark the start of what has been called “the
deadliest sporting event in the world,” the following is a list of the
most dangerous auto races in history.
10. The Paris-Madrid Race of 1903
As soon as there were cars, there were car races, and 1903’s Paris to
Madrid endurance race stands as one of the most ill conceived of these
early attempts. 275 vehicles, 59 of them motorcycles, began the race in
Versailles, and it was not long before the mayhem began. Spectators, not
yet aware of the real dangers involved in motor sport, crowded the
sides of the course, and the contestants had not made it 45 miles out of
Paris before a woman was struck and killed by one of the cars.
Competitor Charles Jarrott would later write that the spectators were
“insane and reckless, holding themselves in front of the bullet to be
ploughed and cut and maimed to extinction.” But this was only the
beginning. A dangerous combination of inexperienced drivers and
unreliable cars combined to produce numerous collisions and crashes.
Several drivers were killed when their cars struck trees, while others
died after their vehicles flipped and caught fire. The extreme rate of
attrition caused the race to be abandoned before it passed into Spain,
and the French government, fearful of even more deaths, ordered that the
cars be towed back to Paris by horse. At least eight people were killed
in the contest (though the number is probably much higher), and the
papers would later dub it “the race to death.”
A Deadly Accident:
There were a number of tragic driver and spectator deaths in the
Paris-Madrid race, but the most famous is probably that of French racing
pioneer Marcel Renault, co-founder of the Renault car company, who died
in an accident after leading the race for several miles.
9. Motordrome
Motordrome refers to a type of racing that was popular in the United
States in the 1930s. A precursor to the oval-style races later
popularized by NASCAR, the contests were held on small wood plank
courses with as much as 60 degrees of banking. This allowed the cars,
among them early Ballots and Duesenbergs, to reach breathtaking speeds,
but it also led to a number of tragic accidents. Breakneck speeds of
over 120 mph meant that collisions were common, and out of control cars
often spun over the track’s outside walls and into the stands, killing
spectators. Newspapers eventually began reporting on the sport’s extreme
mortality rate—several competitors would often die over the course of a
single race—and started calling the circuits “murderdromes.” This,
along with the extreme amount of upkeep needed to keep the tracks
intact, eventually led to the sport being abandoned, but not before it
claimed the lives of many drivers.
A Deadly Accident:
One of the most famous examples of the dangers of board track racing
occurred during a motorcycle race in Atlantic City, NJ. Rider Eddie
Hasha was competing for the lead when he lost control of his bike and
crashed into the wall. Four boys who were watching by the fence were killed, and several other bystanders were injured. Hasha died after he was thrown from his bike into the grandstands.
8. The Mille Miglia
After the debacle that was the Paris-Madrid race, open-road endurance
races were abandoned for several years. The Mille Miglia, a
thousand-mile long race through Italy first held in 1927, marked their
return. The race featured high-powered touring cars—among them some of
the first racing vehicles designed by Porsche, Alpha Romeo, and
Ferrari—tearing along public roads from the city of Brescia to Rome. In
addition to becoming known for featuring some of the world’s fastest
cars and top drivers, the Mille Miglia was also notorious for terrifying
crashes. Benito Mussolini briefly banned the race in 1938 after a
tragic accident took the lives of several spectators, but it was
restarted in a different format in the years following WWII, where it
continued to be famous for the all-around reckless behavior of its
competitors. In one famous example, German driver Hans Herrmann and his
navigator were approaching train tracks with the barrier gate lowered.
To the astonishment of spectators, Herrmann floored it and the duo
ducked their heads under the gate and crossed the track just as a
high-speed train came flying by.
A Deadly Accident:
The Mille Miglia Came to a tragic end in 1957, when it was banned after a horrific crash took the lives of
12 people. Ferrari driver Alfonso de Portago was running in third place when his car blew a tire
around a high speed corner, sending it flying into a crowd of
spectators standing nearby. The race disappeared for nearly 25 years,
before it was revived in 1982 as a safer event devoted to racing vintage
cars made between 1927 and 1957—the span of years in which the original
race was held.
7. The Baja 1000
One of the most famous rally races in the world, the Baja 1000 is an
off-road race that takes place each year on the arid Baja peninsula
south of California. Racers drive everything from trucks and rally cars
to dirt bikes and ATVs, with the singular goal of being the first one to
go from start to finish across the rocky and barren course. In addition
to the usual rallying threats of near-inaccessible roads, blind turns,
and equipment failure, the Baja 1000 also features more
creative
hazards in the form of course sabotage. Since the race is open to the
public, it has become common for spectators to place booby-traps around
the course. These might include buried jumps, deadfalls, and other
dangerous attempts at illegal track alteration. This sabotage has led to
many unfortunate accidents when drivers and riders, unaware that they
are about to encounter an obstacle, approach the traps at dangerously
high speeds.
Crime More Dangerous than the Race:
The Baja 1000 race has had its share of spectacular wrecks, but these
days the most dangerous aspect of the race might just be the high level
of crime that happens in and around the course. One of the strangest
incidents occurred during the 2007 race, when a helicopter crashed near
the circuit, killing several people. One of the deceased was revealed to
be a high-level member of a Mexican drug cartel, and in a bizarre turn
of events, a group of unknown gunmen later raided the local morgue and
stole the bodies of the crash victims, killing two police officers in
the process.
6. The Macau GP
China’s Macau GP is a massive series of auto races held every November
that features everything from motorcycles and touring cars to
high-powered Formula 3 machines. The races take place on a specially
designed course that is set up on the city streets, and because of its
insanely tight corners and long straights (cars often reach speeds of
160 mph), it has become known as one of the most challenging and deadly
circuits in the world. The street setup means Macau is unusually narrow,
and steel walls stand where there would normally be tire barriers. It
only took one year for the Macau track to record a fatality, when a
motorcycle rider crashed in the 1967 race, and since then the track has
become notorious for dishing out some of the worst accidents in motor
sports. As a result, drivers and motorcycle racers have come to regard
Macau as one of the most bare-knuckle and potentially deadly courses in
the world.
Worst Incident:
Macau has seen a number of tragic crashes over the years, but one of
the most unusual incidents happened off the track. In 1993, Andely Chan,
a member of the infamous Triad crime organization, was competing in one
of the car races at the circuit. After his car was disqualified for
having illegal parts, Chan and his mechanic returned to their hotel,
where a rival gang gunned them down in a hit.
5. The German Grand Prix (Nurburgring)
The world’s most famous racing series, Formula One features the most
talented drivers negotiating the most technically difficult courses,
often at speeds of over 200 mph. It’s a sport that’s become notorious
for its high fatality rate, thanks to treacherous courses like
Spa-Francorchamps and Italy’s Monza circuit. But perhaps no track has
proven to be as dangerous as Germany’s famed Nurburgring, which once
claimed the lives of 5 F1 drivers in a fifteen-year span. The track was
first built in 1927, but it has been redesigned several times over the
years, as its fast speeds, elevation changes, and tight corners have
time and again proven to be too dangerous. In 1969, the track was even
boycotted by Formula One drivers who, wary of deaths at the Nurburgring
and other tracks like it, refused to race unless changes were made to
the course. Since then, no fatalities have occurred at the track in
Formula One competition, but the course has continued to be one of the
world’s most deadly places to hold an auto race: since 1970, as many as
25 drivers have been killed during other races at the track, and famed
F1 driver Jackie Stewart has since declared it “the most dangerous
circuit in the world.”
Most Famous Incident:
One of the most famous accidents at the Nurburgring occurred in 1958,
when F1 driver Peter Collins became the last competitor to be killed
during the actual running of the German Grand Prix. Collins was racing
for the lead when he lost control of his Ferrari and spun over one of
the course’s banked turns. In the ensuing crash, he was thrown from the
car into a grove of trees, and sustained a deadly head injury.
4. The Indy 500
The Indy 500, held every May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is
arguably the most famous auto race in the world. It’s list of
winners—among them Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, and Juan Pablo
Montoya—reads like its own racing hall of fame. But along with being the
track at which every driver wants to win, Indianapolis also has the
dubious honor of being one of the most high-tension, dangerous, and
downright deadly courses in the world. Over 40 drivers have been killed
in competition or practice since the race first began in 1911, along
with several crewmembers, track personnel, and spectators. In the race’s
early days, just being near the track was deadly, and in one bizarre
incident in 1931, a young boy playing in his yard across the street from
Indy was killed when a wheel from a race accident flew over the fence
and struck him. The track itself consists of two long straights with
flat, sweeping turns at each end. But it’s the simplicity of the
Indianapolis course that makes it so dangerous: drivers enter the
corners at extremely high rates of speed, and the low degree of banking
makes for what has been described as one of the most dicey turns in
motor sports.
Most Famous Incident:
One of the most famous crashes at Indy remains the 1973 incident
where driver Swede Savage, running in second place, lost control of his
car in turn four and hit the inside retaining wall head on. His car
exploded in spectacular fashion, and he was thrown from the vehicle only
to land against the outside wall in a puddle of burning race fuel.
Amazingly, Savage survived the accident and was taken to the hospital.
Doctors expected him to survive, but he died 33 days later, supposedly
due to complications from a transfusion of contaminated plasma.
3. The Isle of Man TT
The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, or TT, is a famous series of motorcycle
races that takes place every year on the blustery Isle of Man, a small
island located off the coast of England. At more than a hundred years
old, the TT is one of the most storied competitions in all of racing.
It’s held over several days and is scored on a time trial format, with
racers averaging over 120 mph around the perilous Snaefell Mountain
Course. Because the races take place on public roads, the circuit is
lacking in safety, and the TT has often been the subject of controversy
because of the extreme dangers it presents to riders. The roads are
severely narrow, and where traditional courses would have safety
barriers, the TT often just has stone walls, fences, and cliffs. 227
participants have been killed at the race since 1907, an average of more
than two a year, and with the speeds and cornering abilities of the
bikes only improving with each season, it seems there is little hope to
ever truly minimize the level of danger at the track.
Most Famous Incident:
The Isle of Man TT was once one of the highlights of the Grand Prix
Motorcycle Championship, but concerns about track safety eventually
caused it to be stripped of its championship status. Since the late
eighties, it has operated as an independent festival. The biggest
catalyst for the change was the death of Gilberto Parlotti, an Italian
racer who was killed when his bike crashed during a race held in heavy
rain. His death led many riders to begin boycotting the TT, and after a
few years it was eliminated from the competition calendar altogether.
2. The 24 Hours of Le Mans
One of the most unique and prestigious events in all of motor sports,
the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a nearly 90-year-old endurance race held
every June in France. Unlike most car races, which prize speed above all
else, the 24 Hours not only tests car reliability and performance, but
also the stamina and awareness of the drivers. These challenges have
made Le Mans a crown jewel of the racing calendar, but they’ve always
ensured it to be one of the most dangerous auto races in the world. The
modern supercars that race at the track today are capable of blistering
speeds of over 250 mph, and with competitors in all classes on the same
track simultaneously, cars often close in on one another at an
astonishing pace. Up until the 1960s, Le Mans also featured what many
would now consider to be a downright psychotic starting procedure:
drivers would line up several feet from their cars, and at the start
would sprint to their vehicles on foot and speed off from a dead stop,
often without properly fastening any kind of safety harness. This lead
to a number of tragic accidents at the race, which has seen as many as
24 drivers die since its inception.
The Deadliest Sporting Accident Ever:
In addition to being the home of the most storied race in the world,
Le Mans also has the sad distinction of being the site of the worst
accident in racing history. In 1955, driver Pierre Levegh crashed after
he made contact with the back of another car. The accident made his car
ramp over the retaining wall and into a dirt mound, which sent it
somersaulting into the nearby crowd of spectators. Levegh and 84
spectators were killed in the crash, and as many as 100 people were
injured. The accident had far-reaching effects in the world of racing.
Most competitions for the year were abruptly canceled, and France,
Spain, Switzerland, and Germany briefly banned car races altogether.
Though tragic, the accident did signal a change in auto safety. When the
24 Hours of Le Mans and other competitions were reinstated, they were
better equipped to deal with the inherent dangers of high-speed racing.
1. The Dakar Rally
For sheer danger, excitement, and outright insanity, no race compares to
the Dakar Rally, a yearly off-road extravaganza that traditionally
begins in Paris, travels across Europe and the deserts of Africa, and
ends in the Senegalese city of Dakar. The race, which includes drivers
in classes ranging from SUVs to motorcycles, has been called “the most
dangerous sporting event in world” for its scale and degree of
difficulty. Because the race course is so expansive, drivers can easily
become separated from the pack or veer off course, and in the event of
an accident, it can be hours before proper medical care is available.
These dangers, along with the environmental impact of the race, have
seen the Dakar Rally become perhaps the most controversial competition
in all of motor sports. Drivers have been known to tear up the
countryside, accidentally hitting livestock and other vehicles, and on
at least one occasion the race was blamed for starting a wildfire that
killed three people. Meanwhile, the toll on the drivers has proven to be
equally tragic. Since its inception in 1978, the race has claimed the
lives of 49 people, nearly two a year, but this figure is thought to be
extremely low, as many claim the rally to be responsible for the deaths
of countless pedestrians. In recent years, political turmoil in Africa
has forced the race to be relocated to South America. As such, the 2010
race, which kicks off January 1, will be held in Argentina and Chile.
Most Famous Incident:
In 1982, Mark Thatcher, son of the English Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher, was competing in the Dakar Rally in a Peugeot 504. While
traveling through the Sahara Desert, Thatcher, a mechanic, and his
co-driver, Anne-Charlotte Verney, had to stop and make repairs to a
damaged fuel arm. But by the time the problem was fixed, the trio found
the other drivers had left them behind, and they soon became lost in the
desert. They were missing for six days before they were spotted some 30
miles off course by a search plane. Luckily, the three all escaped
their ordeal without injury.
Better known as the Crocodile Hunter, Irwin was a wild man who performed stunts involved species of many kinds. His show the Crocodile Hunter was shown in 130 countries and had 50 million viewers. Sadly, his love for animals came to an abrupt end. He was pierced in the chest by a stingray and died
Not many people battle the great white sharks and can live to tell the tail. While surfing with his brother and friends, Ainslie was ambushed by 2 Great White Sharks. Thankfully, he survived. With 3 stitches and two reattached fingers, Ainslie still holds scars from the ambush. This; however, does not keep him from surfing.
This is one of the most bizarre fights I’ve ever heard of. In China, a man dresses up like a clown and fights a kangaroo. Kangaroos are great fighters especially their forepaw jabs, grappling, and their own unique style of kickboxing.
A number of people in the town of Nisak decided to thrown stones at a leopard to distract it. The leopard caught on to them and kidnapped a man who was one of those disturbing the leopard. The spectators ended up saving the man and were able to get rid of the leopard by clubbing it to death.
This fight ended well. Morrow was snorkeling in Florida. While snorkeling, he found his head inside of an alligator. He is one of the few to have lived to survive. The alligator put Morrow’s head to its taste buds and let go.
Araujo was playing in a park in Brazil with his friends when an Anaconda tightened itself around his body. The 16 ft. anaconda was about to make food out of Araujo when the grandfather came to save the day. He hit the anaconda over the head for 30 minutes before it disappeared.
This actually happened to one tourist on the same trip as myself in Gibaltrar. The tourist decided to eat ice cream as he was watching apes. The ape loved ice cream and decided to mount on the tourist’s head. The tourist did not see the money mounting and accidentally hit it in the genitals. The ape came back even angrier. In the end that stubborn tourist survived, but did not give the ice cream away.
My whole street was terrorized by this bull dog on our street. The dog would never be leashed and would chase neighbours on the block. As I was cornered by the dog who was on the road, I tried to lead it away to another direction. Sadly, it was lead right into an oncoming car. This was after 30 minutes of me holding on to dear life.
