Ever since it started in the last century, Formula One has always been touted as one of the most dangerous sports in the world. It involves racers defying gravity and the laws of physics as they travel at speeds as high as 220 miles per hour. Thus, naturally, the potential for accidents on the race track is at an all-time high every time the racers take to the circuits for a Grand Prix. While the safety measures have improved by leaps and bounds now, they were not the same in the 1970s. And that is when a massive accident occured at the South African GP that completely shook the F1 world at that time.
As it is known to the fans of today, the Kyalami Circuit in Johannesburg used to hold the much-awated South African Grand Prix during the 1970s. In 1977, it was supposed to be the season starter race and thus, the anticipation was naturally at an all-time high. But the race turned out to be a tragedy that resulted in the untimely demise of Welsh F1 racer Tom Pryce as well as race marshal Frederick Jansen van Vuuren.
Tom Pryce’s car was never supposed to be caught up in an accident as he experience no issues during his run and drove at a speed of 170 mph. But then, race marshal Frederick Jansen van Vuuren came up in front of his Shadow Racing car while he was on his way to help another driver with a fire extinguisher. While van Vuuren did signal Pryce to slow the car by frantically waving the fire extinguisher, it was too late as the car collided with the marshal and killed him in the most brutal way.
How did Tom Pryce die at the 1977 South African GP accident?
As a Formula One racer, Tom Pryce saw enormous success ever since his career kicked off in 1974. He was recruited under the Shadow Racing team and he even earned a podium finish in his second year at the pinnacle of motorsports. In 1976, he managed to bag his first-ever Grand Prix win. Unfortunately, in the 1977 South African GP, the race collided with race marshal Frederick Jansen van Vuuren and killed him in a freak accident.
The impact of the collision sent Pryce’s car flying in the air. As the racer hurtled down, van Vuuren’s fire extinguisher, which had also gone up into the air, struck the racer’s helmet.
Pryce was killed instantly as well. The incident was caught on camera and remains etched in the memories of motorsport enthusiasts worldwide. The driver was mourned by his teammate Renzo Zorzi and the entire motorsports world as he breathed his last.
The 1977 Grand Prix just goes to show why the FIA-initiated regulations mandating Yellow Flags and Red Flags are so important. While they do stall the race and sometime even cause the drivers to get irritated due to the slow speed of the safety car, they are a must to uphold the safety measures in Formula 1.
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