Hurtubise in the '63 race. Back then the color films were slow, so most of the action shots were black/white. The car was FLORESCENT ORANGE!
Posted on 05/24/2014 5:02:09 PM PDT by Loud Mime
More people have died from heart attacks and heat stroke sitting in the stands watching the Indy 500 than have died racing in the event.
Should they stop the race because someone dies in the stands?
and 9 years later I was 8 watching the 73 Indy with my Dad too.
That was a bad month too. Do you remember Salt Walther and his crash South Side?
You remind me of how the America I grew up in is gone. Too bad. The men got thrown out with the bathwater.
I was there. Didn’t see the crash as I was in Turn 3, but will never forget the bloodthirstiness of the crowd, feeding on every word of every detail of the accident.
Swore I’d never return to the race, but I went back on my word to myself in ‘66 as a good friend’s dad was a top USAC official and we had special escort getting in, pit passes, and tickets to the awards banquet afterwards where AJ Foyt was at the table next to ours.
Went to 6 or 7 Indy 500 races, but this one left a big hole in my gut.....
“More people have died from heart attacks and heat stroke sitting in the stands watching the Indy 500 than have died racing in the event. Should they stop the race because someone dies in the stands?”
No, silly! People have died while eating ice cream.
I am only saying that if people were horribly burned to death in this one race it says something about the crowd of people who stayed on to watch.
“You remind me of how the America I grew up in is gone. Too bad. The men got thrown out with the bathwater. “
This was not the America you miss. Real men — true men — never exult in the loss of human life. Life is precious.
The America you grew up in was an America where life meant something. Before we murdered 60 million of our unborn.
Hogwash. Everyone was very solemn, at least where I was sitting. A few were crying.
My favorite driver from back then was Jim Rathmann. I also favored Jim Hurtubise. Those guys were old school even back then.
I’ve been to many racing events, even ones where some participant died. I’ve watched people talking about the crash, but never in a bloodthirsty manner that you write about.
But, your comment reminds me of the Gulf War, as people at the news conferences giggled as bombs blew people away.
Care to give some examples of those who 'exulted' in the loss of the two drivers at Indy?
People are people. Some stayed because they were fascinated by the thought of crashes. Others stayed because they were there to watch the race.
Automobile racing is exciting because death is waiting around every turn. The drivers know this when they chose to get into the profession. These are brave men who risk their lives at every turn of the wheel. People go to races primary to watch brave men in action. We would dishonor their lives and their sport if every time a driver suffered a serious crash, they stopped the race. Crashes are part of the sport. If nobody risked death, nobody would ever go to the races.
This was all very big news, and what I'm saying is, that I remember the time and place where I was, and all that.
I do, but not quite as vividly. Later in the summer of ‘64, we passed through Indianapolis on vacation, and I think that helped solidify the memory . Lots of memories from that year, including watching the GOP convention with my parents in our motel room!
I was just looking up that crash
Swede Savage Horrifying Fatal Crash: Rare Footage Alternate
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=3159827%2C32
Hurtubise in the '63 race. Back then the color films were slow, so most of the action shots were black/white. The car was FLORESCENT ORANGE!
Your link doesn’t work.
I went to Indy maybe three times as a fill-in for a group that drove down there every year. The first year I went was Teo Fabi’s rookie year, and I see that was ‘83. I was rooting for him, but my group was having none of that.
I was also there in 1987 when a spectator was killed by a loose tire which was launched into the stands when struck by another car. I actually had a view of this from where I was sitting, but did not see it happen, although I was aware of the race track incident involving Roberto Guerrero. I only learned about it when we got back home.
It’s a huge venue, and I was very impressed by many elements of the spectacle ... and it did very much make me think of ancient Rome. Heh. I see that Dan Quayle was Grand Marshall in 1990, and I remember him being flown in over the infield by a small fleet of helicopters. That’s three years right there, so maybe I went 4 or 5 times ... but not lately!
Well they paid to see a race so lets race
No hogwash. All around me it was so clear most were loving the grim details, eager to pass them on.....
I don’t question what you said about those around you. It was different where I was.......and at that time I typically wasn’t at all sensitive to such things - I was a very self-centered 18 year old.......don’t remember anyone crying.......
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.