Racing is dangerous, and racing drivers have been crashing since the sport began. Because our species is drawn to spectacle, competition accidents tend stick in our minds. What's the most infamous crash in racing history?
Naturally, there is no right answer. For the average speed-loving Brazilian, May 1, 1994 stands out as the darkest day in motorsport — it's the day that F1 legend Ayrton Senna died, forever changing the course of Formula 1. If you're a member of the NASCAR nation, you'll likely point to Dale Earnhardt's deadly Daytona crash in 2001. Jim Clark; Bernd Rosemeyer; Mike Hawthorne dying on a public highway; the Mercedes-Benz Le Mans tragedy? The possibilities are endless, and perspective, as with most things, has a lot to do with how you feel.
I don't have a clue what the answer is. There are too many choices, too many factors to consider. Is one death or accident really more important than the other? Do you count emotional losses — Stirling Moss's 1962 Goodwood crash, for example, which dashed his championship hopes and deprived England of an active hero, even though he lived through it — as much as those of flesh and blood? What about the crashes, like Senna's or Earnhardt's, that changed the face of a sport? Do you consider the number of people who were affected? I don't know. What do you think?
What's the most infamous crash in racing history?
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