WEST GERMANY: JAMES HUNT WINS GRAND PRIX AFTER AUSTRIAN WORLD CHAMPION WAS CRITICALLY INJURED IN CRASH.

Record ID: 648010

  • Title: WEST GERMANY: JAMES HUNT WINS GRAND PRIX AFTER AUSTRIAN WORLD CHAMPION WAS CRITICALLY INJURED IN CRASH.
  • Date: 2nd August 1976
  • Summary: 1. GV Care and people in pit area 0.03 2. CU Niki Lauda 0.16 3. GV Start of race 0.26 4. GV Cars around bend and into straight (2 shots) 0.38 5. GV Officials flagging cars down because of crash and GV crowd (2 shots) 0.43 6. GV Race re-started 0.51 7. GV Cars along straight and into bend (3 shots) 1.18 8. GV Hunt through chequered flag 1.23 9. SV Newsmen and Hunt with victory garland (2 shots) 1.34 Initials OS/GD/PN/1945 SPORT - MOTOR RACING Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 17th August 1976 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NUERBURGRING, WEST GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA1U4BYO98V6VKYYUAGIFZWLPS6
  • Story Text: The Austrian World Champion motor-racing river, Niki Lauda, was critically injured in a fiery crash during the West Germany Grand Prix on Sunday (1 August) at the Nuerburgring circuit. Lauda was badly burnt when his Ferrari exploded into flames after crashing into the side of the track. Two other cars ploughed into the wreckage.

    SYNOPSIS: The Nuerburgring circuit, known as the ring, has been criticised by many drivers. Before the race, Lauda himself described the track as very dangerous. One hundred and thirty one drivers have died in accidents on the notorious Ring.

    At the start of the race, Lauda had been leading in this year's World Championship with Britain's James Hunt in second place. At the time of the accident, Lauda was passing through a wet patch on the track and had just stopped in the pits to change tyres.

    After the crash, other competitors were flagged down and the race was stopped.

    The event was restarted with only 21 of the original 26 starters. James Hunt had little difficulty winning the event in his McLaren. South African Jody Schekter finished second. The racing drivers have renewed their campaign to make the Ring safe. At present, the circuit is 18 miles long and the drivers want to see this shortened to six. They say the length of the track can mean long delays for emergency vehicles trying to reach the scene of an accident.

    It was Hunt's third successive Grand Prix victory and it took his points total to 44....still 14 points behind the World Championship leader Niki Lauda. Schekter's second place at the Ring puts him third in the World Championship.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register