Car Racing

The science behind the high-speed world of car and bike racing is about two things - making the vehicle go as fast and safe as possible.

There have been some horrific and tragic accidents along the way and, each time, mechanics, designers and engineers have worked to learn quickly from such catastrophes.

The great Le Mans race in France is a test of endurance as well as speed where teams of drivers have to cover the greatest distance around the course in 24 hours. However, in 1955, 83 spectators were killed due to a tragic accident.

Driver Pierre Levegh, who was famous for completing the 24-hour drive alone in previous years, crashed in his Mercedes, dying instantly. Pieces of the car flew over the spectators’ barrier and into the crowd. The crash is regarded as one of the worst in the history of motor sport.

The world-famous Brazilian Formula 1 driver, Ayrton Senna, was just 34 when he died while racing in the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy in 1994. Senna had scored 35 victories for McLaren before switching to the Williams team at the start of the Grand Prix season in which he was to lose his life. It was only his third race for the team, when Senna lost control of his car on the track’s Tamburello curve and crashed straight into a concrete wall.

New Austrian driver, Roland Ratzenburger, was killed on the same track during a qualifying race only the day before and Rubens Barrichello had suffered serious injuries after crashing during an earlier practice race on the San Marino track. Senna’s death was the culmination of three days that shook the course of Formula 1 and set in motion a series of safety measures that are in place to this day.

The last ten years of motorsport have seen the industry’s technicians focus increasingly on safety. Work continues to make the driver’s cockpit impact-proof without compromising on speed. The result of these safety measures saw the Indy driver, Ritchie Herne, walk away from the highest ever recorded impact with only a broken foot, though controversy continues to rage about the speed and safety restrictions in place in motor sport.