9 replies to this topic

[snebka]

I just read some race summary from Belgian GP 1966. Crazy first lap. Lot of cars crashed in Burneville anothers slipped in Masta straight. For example i learned today that Bob Bondurant ended upside down with his BRM and then after he climbed up he immediately went to help Stewart. But what interests me is where crashed Bonnier and which house he drived through? I mean it must be really crazy accident because i read that Bonnier broke with his Cooper UPSTAIRS window so he must be catapulted by someone or something . And after all he stayed on the edge of track. And what i know he was uninjured after all this!

Does anyone have any other information about this crash?

+some pics from Bonnier crash

[gliebzeit]

The stone wall that Bonnier's car came to rest upon was at track level but had armco installed in front of it for 1967.

Here are similar views from 1970 and 1973.

Attached Files

•  Spa70.jpg   347.83K   53 downloads
•  Spa73.jpg   51.15K   56 downloads

Edited by gliebzeit, Jul 15 2017 - 06:37 AM.

[snebka]

gliebzeit, on Jul 15 2017 - 06:07 AM, said:

The stone wall that Bonnier's car came to rest upon was at track level but had armco installed in front of it for 1967.

Here are similar views from 1970 and 1973.

Oh thats a nice pics thanks! But it's interesting that windows in those two houses are very small and bulky Cooper didn't any chance to drive through ...

[twinpotter]

Maybe he was in the right Pit Stop Window 😊

TP

[Michkov]

Where did you hear the car went through a house? Looks more like the car went off and the trackside objects rearranged the suspension before coming to halt with the front hanging over the wall. Could be a missunderstanding and debris from the car damaged the window.

The section is Burnenville, the long lefthander at the end of the first third of the track.

[snebka]

Michkov, on Jul 15 2017 - 05:16 PM, said:

Where did you hear the car went through a house? Looks more like the car went off and the trackside objects rearranged the suspension before coming to halt with the front hanging over the wall. Could be a missunderstanding and debris from the car damaged the window.

The section is Burnenville, the long lefthander at the end of the first third of the track.

https://second-a-lap....-de.html?q=1966
https://en.wikipedia...gian_Grand_Prix
https://www.revolvy....item_type=topic
For example (they all pretty similarly). In other articles they just writes that Bonnier ended on the edge of track.

Edited by snebka, Jul 16 2017 - 01:36 AM.

[Paddy the Irishman]

From Denis Jenkinson's report of the first lap
"As they moved down to the start line An anxious Jochen Rindt was in the centre of the front row, with Surtees on his left and Stewart on his right, and rain-clouds could be seen over the hills ahead of them. It was indeed strange to see Clark and Graham Hill side by side on the fourth row of the grid as the flag fell, some seconds prematurely, Clark was not ready and got left behind. The leaders were over the Eau Rouge, with Surtees already in front, as Clark gave his Lotus-Climax a great bootfull of revs and stormed off in pursuit. The cars were still within earshot when the loudspeakers, announced that the rain previously reported at Stavelot had now reached Malmedy, and the order was Surtees (Ferrari), Rindt (Cooper-Maserati), Brabham (Brabham-Repco), Bandini (Ferrari). and Stewart (B.R.M.), and then there was an announcement that Bonnier and Spence had gone off the road at Burnenville but were unhurt"

No other mention..

Perhaps something got garbled in other reports and kept being repeated.  It seems unlikely that the car could have gone through a window and then ended up where it came to rest.  Bonnier was very lucky that it did not go over the wall backwards or he would have been underneath it down below.

[gliebzeit]

I agree with Paddy.  Probably "a piece of Bonnier's car" came off and flew through the house's window.  Maybe a glitch in translation or just an error in reporting over time is the cause of the reports.

[Michkov]

I tend to agree with Paddy and Greg the period sources make no mention of the car going through a house. The links supplied by snebka read all very similar. Probably someone made a mistake in a report and that was than copy pasted foreward.

Below is the full report for the race.

https://www.motorspor...6/16/belgian-gp

[Art-J]

If the car had gone through any building, even simple wooden latrine, it would've had much more visible damage than just broken left front suspension and slightly bulged tub.

I'd guess "through the window" was just a bit of overdramatic bullshit journalism, which did exist already back then.