Looking back at Niki Lauda’s 1976 Nurburgring crash – and his miraculous comeback
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Niki Lauda
The year is 1976. Defending world champion Niki Lauda, driving for Ferrari, is in a commanding position going into the 10th race of the season at the Nurburgring, 23 points ahead of his championship rival, McLaren’s James Hunt. At this moment, he seems to be the favourite, but that is all about to change.
The Nurburgring, especially with the ‘Nordschleife’ section was the most demanding circuit on the calendar, and the longest by some margin as well, clocking in at 22.8 km. It had (has) a long list of fatalities, and the characteristics of the track made it next to impossible to update it to the safety standards of the time. And so the stage was set, for a terrifying crash – and for a miraculous recovery.
Niki Lauda, as was famously portrayed in the 2013 movie ‘Rush‘ tried to organize a boycott, citing safety concerns, especially as rain was forecasted. But he was outnumbered by just a single vote, and the race went through. The grid was determined on Friday, and James Hunt started on pole, and Lauda started second. Hunt would finish where he started, but Lauda would suffer the greatest setback of his career.
Also Read: When Niki Lauda nosed out Alain Prost to win the 1985 Dutch GP
The accident left Niki Lauda fighting for his life
The race began after a 45-minute delay due to rainy weather, and a poor start meant that Niki Lauda quickly dropped back. The conditions quickly changed, and a change of tyres later, Lauda was stuck trying to make his way up the field. After a fast left turn, Lauda’s car snapped to the right and went into the wall.
It ‘ricocheted’ off the wall onto the track, and caught flames. The oncoming driver, Guy Edwards avoided the wreckage, but Brett Lunger and Harald Ertl were caught in the ‘crossfire’. Eventually, the three, joined by Arturo Merzario doused the fire and pulled him out of the car. Lauda had severe burns to multiple parts of his body, the scars of which he would bear for the rest of his life.
He had also inhaled toxic fumes, and he spent weeks in the hospital fighting for his life. After such a horrific accident, not many would have expected that Lauda would return just 2 races later, in Monza. He finished fourth in that race, an incredible result despite terrible circumstances. In his absence, James Hunt had significantly cut down the gap with two wins at the Nurburgring and Zandvoort.
Despite his valiant efforts, Lauda would lose the championship by just a single point. But such resilience and dedication is to be applauded, and even if Lauda lost that particular bout, his recovery was a triumph of the human spirit. There was also more to come in his career, and Lauda would win his second world title just the very next year, with one more in 1984 to cap off a wonderful career.
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)