A Tales of Lost Talent

It is always sad when we lose a driver in a motor sport accident. It's even more sad when that driver is a young and up and coming talent. Not only has that driver lost his or her life, he or she has also lost the opportunity to shine and like a bright star that may have been their talent is snuffed out in an instant.

So it was eighteen years ago when Paul Warwick at the age of 22 lost his life whilst in the lead of a British Formula 3000 championship race. He'd dominated that category all season and had a very strong lead when at the fifth round, whilst once again dominating the race, when near the end his car’s right front suspension failed at Knickerbrook, which was an extremely quick corner at that time. The car disintegrated in the ensuing accident and, despite prompt medical attention, Paul died without ever regaining consciousness.

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I recall at the time being very sad because his brother Derek was one of my favourite racers and we all knew that Paul was going to be as good if not better. We'd never see him shine brighter than in that last season though and the world of motor sport lost a real talent.

Fast forward to 19 July 2009 and an eighteen year old Henry Surtees is running down in ninth place in the second of two Formula 2 races at Brands Hatch. He'd finished on the podium in third place the day before and was in ninth because of a spin earlier in the race. Sadly as he was running back through the field he was hit by an errant wheel that had been torn off the car of Jack Clarke, who had spun into the armco at Westfield Bend. Although Surtees collided with the barriers at the following Sheene Curve he was unconscious and would not recover form the injuries he suffered from the collision with the wheel.

So where is the link in these two tragic accidents? Well firstly Henry was only just born when Paul lost his life and in that time many safety improvements have been made in single seater motor sport. That said it is impossible to tell if the tethers that have been introduced to retain wheels in the event of an accident, would have worked for Paul. It is certain that they didn't work for Jack Clarke at Brands Hatch.

But the one point of all this that has made me think, is the need for many people to find someone to blame. It seems that for some people the thought that motor racing is dangerous has just struck them like a bolt from the blue. Even more disturbing is that the finger pointing has gone as far as to accuse the organiser MSV, which is owned by ex racer Dr Jonathan Palmer, of skimping on safety. Frankly I find this attitude appalling and furthermore childish in the extreme. These finger pointers, fail to consider the feelings of those involved, not only Henry's family and friends but the marshals and medical staff who all tried so hard to save him. Don't these people realise that Henry was doing what he loved doing and he wasn't too shoddy at it either?

Ultimately we will get the findings of the enquiry and that will either suggest that something went awry or there is something that needs to be changed. However nothing will bring Henry back no more than it would Paul.

These two drivers are inextricably linked in my mind as two young guns who could never realise their full potential. That's a cruel enough fact on its own, it doesn't need a blame culture to make things worse.