Austrian motor racing great niki lauda, whose comeback from a nearfatal. Lauda was injured many times in race crashes and once nearly killed. Niki lauda, formula one champion who defied death in. Lauda had retired from racing and was the chief executive of lauda air, an airline he would build into. Niki lauda, formula one great, has died at 70 cbs news. Niki lauda, the austrian racecar driver who won three world. Austrian motor racing great niki lauda, who survived fiery. Remembered for returning to formula 1 just weeks after a catastrophic crash that saw his car engulfed. Niki laudas comeback from horrific wreck in 1976 was the. After starting out with a mini, lauda moved on into formula vee, as was normal in central europe, but rapidly moved up to drive in private porsche and chevron.
British racing driver guy edwards says he didnt think twice when he. There are good drivers and bad ones and then there are the really talented ones. Autoweek may earn money from the links on this page. Lauda s fastmoving career took a dramatic halt in 1976 when he was badly burned in a crash at the nurburgring during the german grand prix. After a huge crash during the south african grand prix, he was pulled from the blazing wreckage by mike hailwood, who was later awarded the george medal for his heroism in saving regazzonis life. Niki s widow, birgit, and his son, mathias lauda whos also a pro racecar driver. Niki lauda, the austrian racecar driver who won three world championships in formula one, the sports highest level of international competition, and was regarded as one of the greatest racing. Niki lauda, austrian racecar driver who won three formula one f1 grand prix world championships 1975, 1977, and 1984, the last two of. Formula 1 racing legend niki lauda who once made a miraculous recovery from a horrific crash that left him badly burned died monday at the age of 70, his family said. Rush perfectly captures the danger and excitement of 1970. Lauda was severely burned in a crash at the 1976 german grand prix. Six weeks after his devastating crash in 1976, lauda. Niki lauda faced the press at the launch of the jaguar r3, the austrian triplechampion discussing his hopes for the team he now heads in the 2002 season.
Formula one great niki lauda, who won two of his world titles after a horrific crash that left him with serious burns and went on to become a prominent figure in the aviation industry, has died. As such, he is widely considered the greatest f1 driver of all time. Niki lauda was the only race car driver in formula 1 history to win championships driving both mclarens and ferraris, widely considered the sports most successful cars. Niki lauda, f1 legend who survived horrific 1976 crash. Legendary austrian racing driver niki lauda died aged 70 on monday in his home city of vienna.
The driver who dragged niki lauda from the 1976 crash that almost. Lauda almost won that seasons formula one driving championship. Niki lauda, the austrian racecar driver who survived a nearfatal crash to win three formula 1 world championships and went on to found his. Berlin formula one great niki lauda, who won two of his world titles after a horrific crash that left him with serious burns and went on to become. Racing drivers niki lauda left and james hunt after both were involved in a multiple collision and forced to retire at the start of the belgian grand prix, belgium, may 21, 1978. Niki lauda was born in vienna, austria on february 22, 1949. Niki lauda, austrian racecar driver who won three formula one f1 grand prix world championships 1975, 1977, and 1984, the last two of which came after his remarkable comeback from a horrific crash in 1976 that had left him severely burned and near death. Racing driver niki lauda, threetime formula one champion, has passed away surrounded by family. A new generation of fans was introduced to lauda in the acclaimed 20 film rush, which detailed his rivalry with british driver james hunt, the 1976 world champion. The uncompetitive marches meant niki was unable to prove his worth as a driver. Lauda had stepped away from racing for a few years at the end of the 70s, and came back in 82, something of an old hand.
Niki lauda is at the top of the driver s championship and sparring with alain prost. Niki lauda, champion racecar driver who survived fiery grand prix. Manual gearboxes, prost vs lauda and a senna masterclass. He returned after missing just two races and won his second f1 title the following season. He is currently the only driver to have been champion for both ferrari and mclaren. Vienna reuters austrian motor racing great niki lauda, whose comeback from a nearfatal crash made him a global symbol of resilience and determination, has died at the age of 70. Formula one legend niki lauda has passed away at the age of 70, his. He was also a consultant for scuderia ferrari and team manager of the. The original 8mm home footage of lauda s rescue from his firey german grand prix crash. Niki lauda was born andreas nikolaus lauda on february 22, 1949, into an affluent vienna family. All 2 passengers and the 10 crew members on board were killed. His death has triggered an outpouring of praise for a man whose comeback from a horrific crash. Given up for dead after an appalling accident he recovered by what the medical.
See more ideas about formula 1, race cars and formula one. Niki lauda, the austrian race car driver who won three world. Former formula one driver niki lauda poses with his. Later, his aviation entrepreneurship resulted in three airlines, lauda air, niki, and lauda. In his remarkable life lauda astounded everybody by overcoming severe injury to triumph again and the story is no less impressive coming straight from the horses mouth. Niki lauda, byname of andreas nikolaus lauda, born february 22, 1949, vienna, austriadied may 20, 2019, vienna, austrian racecar driver who won three formula one f1 grand prix world championships 1975, 1977, and 1984, the last two of which came after his remarkable comeback from a horrific crash in 1976 that had left him severely burned and near death. He kept getting his fix parking relatives cars and racing around the austrian farmland in a 1949 volkswagen beetle convertible. Threetime formula one world champion niki lauda died monday at the age of 70, his family said in a statement. Starting in a mini in 1968, he crashed his way through formula vee and formula three and in 1972 he bought his way into the march formula two and formula one teams with another bank loan secured by his life insurance policy. Back then, cars ran the full nordschleife coursewhich was as dangerous as ever in 1976. Lauda s family issued a statement saying the threetime world champion passed away peacefully on monday, the austria press agency reported. Highly detailed hasegawa 120 plastic scale model kit of the ferrari 312t2 formula one race car. That may sound trite when writing an appreciation in the immediate aftermath of his passing but, in the case of andreas nikolaus lauda. See more ideas about race cars, formula one and formula 1.
Lauda s ferrari caught fire after his tires lost grip in the rain. Lat images he fought valiantly to defend his title over the remaining races of the season, taking an astonishing fourth in italy, and third place in the usa. His paternal grandfather was the vienneseborn industrialist hans lauda lauda became a racing driver despite his familys disapproval. Ove andersson swedish rally race car driver and manager. Quite simply irreplaceable f1 pays tribute to niki lauda. Hes known by many for the serious crash he suffered the next year, in the 1976 german grand prix at the nurburgring race track, where he. Andreas nikolaus niki lauda born 22 february 1949 is an austrian former formula one driver and a threetime f1 world drivers champion, winning in 1975, 1977 and 1984. Niki lauda was an icon of our sport and a man whose achievements place him firmly in the pantheon of formula 1 greats. In fact, lauda was involved when lewis signed with mcclaren ahead of the 20 racing season.
Lauda raised concerns about the safety of the course ahead of the 1976 race. Another 10 seconds and i would have died, lauda recalled. This model kit depicts the ferrari 312t2 as it appeared during the 1976 monaco grand prix, in which the 312t2 driven by andreas nikolaus niki lauda won the race. He wound up falling in love with auto racing at a youthful age through a general admiration of vehicles.
Niki lauda, champion racecar driver who survived fiery. When i look back at his career as a driver, its niki s singular approach that marks him out methodical, calculated, analytical and precise. You can unsubscribe from this at any time, by clicking the. He founded three airlines lauda air, niki, and laudamotion. He bought his way into formula 1 racing and very nearly paid for it with his life. Niki lauda was born on 22 february 1949 in vienna, austria, to a wealthy paper manufacturing family.
Former formula one driver niki lauda is still a fixture at races, chiming in on every controversial move of the frontrunners as the nonexecutive chairman of the mercedes f1 team. Niki lauda may have been more famous as a formula one racing driver, but he left a lasting impression on the european aviation industry. My life is worth more than a title, niki lauda is reported to have said after he parked his ferrari 312t2 two laps into the rainbattered 1976 grand prix of japan. Former formula one world racing car champion niki lauda. No story of niki lauda better summarises what sort of man he was than the crash in which lauda air flight 004 from bangkok to austria perished on may 26 1991, when an engine on this boeing 767 deployed reverse thrust of its own accord. Niki lauda net worth 2020 how much is niki lauda worth.
Niki lauda wife, crash, net worth, james hunt, age, children. Threetime formula one world champion niki lauda, who won two of his titles after a horrific crash that left him with serious burns and went on to become a prominent figure in the aviation. This is the video footage of niki laudas crash on the nurburgring in 1976 where the legendary driver almost lost his life during the german grand prix. Here he joined young driver niki lauda, and the two became firm friends. Niki lauda was more than a brilliant racing driver he is a sporting. He pursued a career in auto racing despite his family being staunchly against his dreams.