Racing back in the day, Hats off to these men!!

[donnj]

Amazing how many of these guys walked away.....
http://youtu.be/-N9-QrRl1Uk

[redsoxsstink]

you find the best videos. those videos are gruesome, its insane how seat belts werent even though of back in those days. it seems like common sense in an open cockpit

[Jensend]

Seat belts were actually a controversial topic among most drivers until the early 1960s in many forms of racing. The main argument against belts was the fear of being trapped in a fire. Most race cars had unprotected fuel tanks and most open wheel cars had tanks flanking the driver. Almost any serious crash resulted in a fuel fire. Many drivers prefered the risk of being thrown out of the car rather than being stuck in an inferno. Luckily, safety became a major focus in most racing beginning in the mid 1960s.

[WiMiMc]

what about roll cages?

[Jensend]

Early openwheel cars used rollbars only to an absolute minimum as they were thought to be unecessary weight! Consequently, most of the early roll bars on openwheelers were barely above helmet height and essentially almost pointless. Cages were a later addition to sedan/NASCAR racing where space was somewhat less of a design issue. After the volume of driver fatalities threatened to cause racing to be banned both here and abroad safety became a required concern and mandate in professional racing.

If you check F1 history, you'll find that until the late 1960s a driver could expect to be killed in a race incident if their career lasted more than 4 or 5 seasons- some had poorer luck than that. Several retired due to the loss of friends and concern for their own mortality. The death rate back then was horrific.

[transmaro93]

this is all very interesting.. amazing video thanks for sharing....

[donnj]

Plain and simple these guys LIVED racing, no crying or pouting, when men were men. A far cry from the racers we all know today both past and present. With the exception of Senna! "Simply the best"......

[donnj]

Many questions are answered in this video, DIFFICULT TO WATCH AT MOMENTS, but a plethora of infomation shared by the greats!http://youtu.be/-N9-QrRl1Uk

[btownws6]

video is gone now

[Kat]

Wow that was well worth the watch. Good find.