Driver deaths in open wheel cars with no head protection
List of deaths in open wheel race cars that had no head protection. List does not include midgets and sprint cars after the 1960s when roll cages were added. Table is in alphabetical order.
This list ties in with the following article on why IndyCar and F1 cars should have closed cockpits – IndyCars for sure – many more deaths.
No. | Name | Date of accident | Discipline | Circuit | Event | Cause |
1 | Les Adair (USA) | 19-Sep-48 | Sprint car | Franklin Speedway | Qualifying heat race | Locked wheels with another car, went through a fence and the other car landed on Adair's car |
2 | Marcel Albers (NED) | 20-Apr-92 | Open wheel | Thruxton Circuit | Unknown | Hit the back of Elton Julian's car, went airborne, somersaulted, and hit guardrail |
3 | Mario Alborghetti (ITA) | 11-Apr-55 | Open wheel | Circuit de Pau-Ville | Pau Grand Prix | Went over a straw barricade and crashed into barriers |
4 | George Amick (USA) | 4-Apr-59 | Open wheel | Daytona Speedway | USAC 100-mile race | Crashed into wall, front end sheared off, and flipped |
5 | Bob Anderson (GBR) | 14-Aug-67 | Open wheel | Silverstone | Unknown | Crashed into marshal's box |
6 | Keith Andrews (USA) | 15-May-57 | Open wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Andrews stepped into Giuseppe Farina's car for a test run, but crashed. Down the frontstretch, Andrews began to slide, and when he attempted to correct, the car backed into the inside wall separating the pit area. Andrews was crushed to death between the cowl and the fuel tank, but no fire broke out. |
7 | Antonio Ascari (ITA) | 26-Jul-25 | Open wheel | Autodrome de Montlhéry | 1925 French Grand Prix | Crashed into a fence, rolled and was thrown out |
8 | Manny Ayulo (USA) | 16-Jun-55 | Open wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1955 Indianapolis 500 | Steering broke and he crashed into a wall |
9 | Lorenzo Bandini (ITA) | 7-May-67 | Open wheel | Circuit de Monaco | 1967 Monaco Grand Prix | Car skidded, hit straw bales and an iron bollard, caught fire and rolled several times, landing upside down |
10 | George Barringer (USA) | 2-Sep-46 | Open wheel | Lakewood Speedway | Atlanta 100-Mile National Championship Auto Race | Hit by the car of George Robson, spun and got hit by another car |
11 | Carel Godin de Beaufort (NED) | 1-Aug-64 | Open wheel | Nurburgring | 1964 German Grand Prix | Left the road at Bergwerk, went down an embankment and hit a tree |
12 | Don Beauman (UK) | 9-Jul-55 | Open wheel | Rathnew | Leinster Trophy | Crashed down a hill, hit a tree and caught on fire |
13 | Tony Bettenhausen (USA) | 12-May-61 | Open wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1961 Indianapolis 500 | An anchor bolt fell off the front radius rod support, causing the front axle to misalign when braking, which in turn caused the car to turn into the wall, roll along the wall and land upside down in the grass |
14 | Jules Bianchi (FRA) | 5-Oct-14 | Open wheel | Suzuka Circuit | 2014 Japanese Grand Prix | Lost control, crashed into a recovery vehicle suffering a diffuse axonal injury |
15 | Gerry Birrell (SCO) | 23-Jun-73 | Open wheel | Rouen-Les-Essarts | XXI Grand Prix de Rouen | Front left tire deflated and crashed into the guardrail: he went under the guardrail and was decapitated |
16 | Art Bisch (USA) | 4-Jul-58 | Open wheel | Lakewood Speedway | Atlanta 100-Mile Race | Lost control and flipped twice |
17 | Pietro Bordino (ITA) | 22-Apr-28 | Open wheel | Alessandria, Italy | Unknown | Car hit a dog, jammed the steering, the car lost control, flew in the air and fell into the Tarano |
18 | Wilfred Bourque (CAN) | 19-Aug-09 | Open wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race | Suffered a suspected rear-axle failure resulting in his car flipping end over end on the front stretch. |
19 | Baconin Borzacchini (ITA) | 10-Sep-33 | Open wheel | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | Italian Grand Prix | Veered of the road, hit the car of Giuseppe Campari and was thrown out |
20 | Guy Bouriat (FRA) | 21-May-33 | Open wheel | Péronne, Somme | Picardy Grand Prix | Crashed into another car, left the road, crashed into a tree and caught fire |
21 | Joe Boyer (USA) | 1-Sep-24 | Open wheel | Altoona Speedway | Fall classic | A tire blew out and he crashed into the upper guardrail |
22 | Bobby Ball (USA) | 3-Jan-53 | Midget | Carrell Speedway | Unknown | Crashed into the car of Andy Linden and flipped |
23 | Don Branson (USA) | 12-Nov-66 | Midget | Ascot Park | Unknown | Crashed into by the car of Dick Atkins after coming off the wall and rolled over |
24 | Josef Brázdil (CZE) | 27-Aug-34 | Open wheel | Masaryk Circuit | Masaryk Grand Prix | Left wheels went into a ditch, failed to control the car, crashed into a tree and was thrown out: the car continued, hit another tree, went into the air and somersaulted |
25 | Gastone Brilli-Peri (ITA) | 22-Mar-30 | Open wheel | Tripoli | Tripoli Grand Prix | Car bounced on the rough surface of the road, went into the right embankment, hit a small wall, rolled and he was thrown out |
26 | Chris Bristow (ENG) | 19-Jun-60 | Open wheel | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Belgian Grand Prix | Touched wheels with the car of Willy Mairesse, lost control, crashed into an embankment, rolled and he was thrown into barbed wire |
27 | David Bruce-Brown (USA) | 1-Oct-12 | Open wheel | Wauwatosa road track | Vanderbilt Cup | Tire blew out, car flipped and he was thrown out |
28 | Jimmy Bryan (USA) | 19-Jun-60 | Open wheel | Langhorne Speedway | Langhorne 100-Mile Race | Slid, dug in the dirt, touched the car of Jim Hurtubise, went in the air and flipped end over end |
29 | Ivor Bueb (ENG) | 26-Jul-59 | Open wheel | Clermont-Ferrand | II Trophée d'Auvergne | Overshot the corner, crashed and was thrown out |
30 | Giulio Cabianca (ITA) | 15-Jun-61 | Formula 1 | Modena Autodrome | Unknown | Gearbox failure caused the car to not slow down in a turn, went through a gate to find an escape route, hit a bystander, crossed a street and crashed into the wall of a workshop |
31 | David Caid (USA) | 12-Mar-61 | Sprint car | Imperial Valley Speedway | Unknown | Car bumped into the back of another car, ran over the back wheels and went end-over-end several times |
32 | Giuseppe Campari (ITA) | 10-Sep-33 | Open wheel | Monza | 1933 Italian Grand Prix | Crash |
33 | Marco Campos (BRA) | 15-Oct-95 | Open wheel | Magny-Cours | Magny-Cours F-3000 | Crash |
34 | Eugenio Castellotti (ITA) | 14-Mar-57 | Formula 1 | Modena Autodrome | Unknown | Crash |
35 | François Cevert (FRA) | 6-Oct-73 | Formula 1 | Watkins Glen | 1973 United States Grand Prix | Crash |
36 | Gaston Chevrolet (FRA) | 25-Nov-20 | Open wheel | Beverly Hills Speedway | Beverly Hills 200-Mile Race | Crash |
37 | Jim Clark (SCO) | 7-Apr-68 | Open wheel | Hockenheim | II Deutschland Trophae | Crash |
38 | Graham Coaker (GBR) | 12-Apr-71 | Open wheel | Silverstone Circuit | Unknown | Crash |
39 | Peter Collins (ENG) | 3-Aug-58 | Open wheel | Nurburgring | German GP | Crash |
40 | Piers Courage (ENG) | 21-Jun-70 | Open wheel | Circuit Zandvoort | 1970 Dutch Grand Prix | Crash |
41 | Stanislaus Czaykowski (NED) | 10-Sep-33 | Open wheel | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | Monza Grand Prix | Crash |
42 | Paul Dana (USA) | 26-Mar-06 | Open wheel | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 2006 Toyota Indy 300 | Crashed into the disabled car of Ed Carpenter at 176 mph |
43 | Jimmy Davies (USA) | 11-Jun-66 | Midget | Santa Fe Speedway | Unknown | Crashed into a wall |
44 | Lex Davison (AUS) | 20-Feb-65 | Open wheel | Sandown Raceway | International 100 | Heart attack |
45 | Patrick Depailler (FRA) | 1-Aug-80 | Open wheel | Hockenheimring | 1980 German Grand Prix | Suspension failure caused the car to crash into the wall with fatal head injuries |
46 | Mark Donohue (USA) | 19-Aug-75 | Open wheel | Ã-sterreichring | 1975 Austrian Grand Prix | A tire failure caused the car to crash into the wall and vault over the fence: died of a blood clot in the brain two days later |
47 | Ronnie Duman (USA) | 9-Jun-68 | Open wheel | Milwaukee Mile | Rex Mays 150 | Crashed into the car of Bay Darnell, caught fire and was hit by another car |
48 | Cameron Earl (UK) | 18-Jun-52 | Formula 1 | MIRA Ltd. | Unknown | Lost control, went off the track and rolled several times |
49 | Ed Elisian (USA) | 30-Aug-59 | Open wheel | Milwaukee Mile | Milwaukee 200 | Fuel cell ruptured in crash and he burned to death |
50 | Bertrand Fabi (CAN) | 21-Feb-86 | Formula 3 | Goodwood Circuit | Unknown | Left the road because of icy conditions, hit the barriers and rolled |
51 | Frank Facenda (USA) | 12-Sep-47 | Midget car | Seekonk Speedway | Unknown | Overturned and spun into a rail |
52 | John Gall (USA) | 8-Aug-75 | Midget | Indianapolis Speedrome | Unknown | Struck a concrete wall, flipped over it, and slammed into a light pole: caused by a stuck throttle |
53 | Frank Galvin (USA) | 3-Dec-16 | Open wheel | Uniontown Speedway | Universal Trophy | Crashed into grandstand |
54 | Dean Gardner (USA) | 3-Oct-46 | Midget | Phoenix Speedway | Unknown | Crash |
55 | Johnny Garrett (USA) | 15-Mar-53 | Sprint car | Clovis Speedway | Unknown | Hit car of George Amick, hit wall and flipped |
56 | Jean Gaupillat (FRA) | 22-Jul-34 | Open wheel | Dieppe | 1934 Grand Prix de Dieppe | Crashed into a tree |
57 | Fritz Glatz (AUT) | 14-Jul-02 | Open wheel | Autodrom Most | Unknown | Hit curb, somersaulted and was destroyed |
58 | Jack Habermehl (USA) | 21-Jun-48 | Midget | Los Angeles Coliseum | Unknown | Crashed into a wall and flipped |
59 | Hugh Hamilton (NIR) | 26-Aug-34 | Open wheel | Bremgarten | 1934 Swiss Grand Prix | Left wheel broke, overcorrected the turn, hit a tree, slid and hit another tree |
60 | László Hartmann (HUN) | 15-May-38 | Open wheel | Mellaha | XII Gran Premio de Tripoli | Overturned after the car of Giuseppe Farina clipped his left wheel |
61 | Bert Hawthorne (IRE) | 14-Apr-72 | Open wheel | Hockenheimring | VI Deutschland Trophäe, Jim Clark Gedächtnisrennen | Hit by another car and pushed into a guardrail, where he caught on fire |
62 | Ralph Hepburn (USA) | 16-May-48 | Open wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Went into the grass, overcorrected and hit the wall at a 45-degree angle |
63 | Jim Hickman (USA) | 31-Jul-82 | Open wheel | Milwaukee Mile | Tony Bettenhausen 200 | Crash |
64 | Bill Hollowell (ENG) | 9-Aug-25 | Open wheel | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 1925 Belgian Grand Prix | Crash |
65 | Ted Horn (USA) | 10-Oct-48 | Open wheel | DuQuoin State Fairgrounds | Duquoin 100 Mile Race | Equipment failure |
66 | William Horstmeyer (USA) | 22-Aug-64 | Open wheel | Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack | Tony Bettenhausen Memorial 100 | Crash |
67 | Markus Höttinger (GER) | 13-Apr-80 | Open wheel | Hockenheimring | Jim Clark Rennen | Debris |
68 | Jerry Hoyt (USA) | 10-Jul-55 | Open wheel | Oklahoma City State Fairgrounds | Unknown | Crash |
69 | Anthony Imbimbo (USA) | 2-Jul-48 | Midget | Hinchliffe Stadium | Consolation race | Spun trying to avoid a crash, hit a car and flipped |
70 | Bill Ingram (USA) | 14-Aug-40 | Midget car | Balboa Stadium | Unknown | Crash |
71 | Hengkie Iriawan (INA) | 23-Apr-72 | Open wheel | Ipoh Temporary Circuit | 3rd BP Kart Prix | Crash |
72 | Masazi Iso (JPN) | 6-Mar-82 | Open wheel | Suzuka Circuit | Unknown | Hit while walking away from crash |
73 | Lewis Jackson (USA) | 18-Nov-16 | Open wheel | Santa Monica | 1916 American Grand Prize | Went off the track, hit several palm trees and a lemonade stand |
74 | Harry Jastrow (USA) | 15-Sep-35 | Midget | Milwaukee Mile | Unknown | Car locked wheels with another car, flipped and crushed him |
75 | Frank Jenkinson (USA) | 27-Jul-30 | Open wheel | Jungle Park Speedway | Unknown | Spindle broke on the right front axle and car went through a fence into the woods |
76 | Van Johnson (USA) | 19-Jul-59 | Open wheel | Williams Grove Speedway | Indianapolis Sweepstakes | Hit by the car of Joe Barzda and flipped |
77 | Ray Keech (USA) | 15-Jun-29 | Open wheel | Altoona Speedway | Altoona 200-Mile Race | Crashed into a loose piece of guardrail, rolled several times and caught fire at the bottom of the track |
78 | Al Keller (USA) | 19-Nov-61 | Open wheel | Arizona State Fairgrounds Track | Unknown | Right wheel got caught in a rut, car spun, rolled broadside several times and landed upside down on a chain link fence |
79 | Csaba Kesjár (HUN) | 24-Jun-88 | Open wheel | Norisring | 200 Meilen von Nurnberg | Brakes failed, hit a guardrail, was thrown into the air and landed upside down |
80 | Johnny Key (USA) | 30-Jun-54 | Midget | Cincinnati Race Bowl | American Automobile Association Midget Championship | A broken radius rod caused the car to crash into a wall and he was thrown out of the car: he was then run over by the car of Jack Turner |
81 | Helmuth Koinigg (AUT) | 6-Oct-74 | Open wheel | Watkins Glen | 1974 United States Grand Prix | Deflated right tire caused the car to crash head-on into crash mesh: the car went straight under the guardrail and he was decapitated |
82 | Alexander Nikolaevich Konshin (RUS) | 22-Sep-12 | Open wheel | Elenino-Klin-Elenino | First Russian Automobile Club Moscow 100 km | Explosion |
83 | Jeff Krosnoff (USA) | 14-Jul-96 | Open wheel | Toronto Road Course | 1996 Molson Indy Toronto | Crash |
84 | Roy Lake (USA) | 24-Sep-38 | Sprint Car | Allentown Fairgrounds | Unknown | Crashed into a concrete wall |
85 | Catullo Lami (ITA) | 13-Aug-39 | Open Wheel | Pescara Circuit | XV Coppa Tito Acerbo | Went off the road and rolled |
86 | Jerry Landon (USA) | 29-Apr-89 | Open Wheel | Kalamazoo Speedway | Unknown | Crashed into another car, went airborne and hit the outside wall |
87 | Jud Larson (USA) | 11-Jun-66 | Sprint Car | Reading Fairgrounds Speedway | Unknown | Crashed into another car, rolled and hit a fence |
88 | Vern Leech (AUS) | 2-Jan-39 | Open Wheel | Lobethal | 1939 Australian Grand Prix | Crash |
89 | Marcel Lehoux (FRA) | 19-Jul-36 | Open Wheel | Deauville | Grand Prix de Deauville | Crashed into the car of Giuseppe Farina, flipped and he was thrown out |
90 | Stuart Lewis-Evans (UK) | 19-Oct-58 | Open Wheel | Ain-Diab Circuit | 1958 Moroccan Grand Prix | Crash |
91 | Scott Liebler (USA) | 13-Oct-89 | Open Wheel | Road Atlanta | SCCA National Championship Runoffs | Crash |
92 | Dick Linder (USA) | 19-Apr-59 | Open Wheel | Trenton Speedway | Trenton 100-Mile Race | Crash |
93 | George Christian von Lobkowicz (CZE) | 22-May-32 | Open Wheel | AVUS | Internationales AVUS Rennen | Car swerved, crossed the straight, cut through three trees and hit a railway wall |
94 | Frank Lockhart (USA) | 25-Apr-28 | Open Wheel | Daytona Beach | Unknown | Equipment Failure |
95 | Jean Lucienbonnet (ITA) | 19-Aug-62 | Open Wheel | Pergusa | XI Gran Premio Pergusa | Crash |
96 | David Ma (HK) | 19-Nov-71 | Open Wheel | Guia Circuit | Guia Race of Macau | Crashed into a street lamp after losing control |
97 | Dave MacDonald (USA) | 30-May-64 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1964 Indianapolis 500 | Lost control of the car, hit the wall, exploded and was hit by the car of Eddie Sachs |
98 | Marco Magaña (MEX) | 30-May-93 | Open Wheel | Autódromo Monterrey | Fórmula Dos championship | Rock launched from another car went into his visor, ran off the track, hit an embankment, went airborne and hit a commentating box |
99 | Jim Malloy (USA) | 14-May-72 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Lost control and crashed into the wall at 186 mph |
100 | Jovy Marcelo (PHI) | 15-May-92 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indianapolis 500 | Crashed into a wall backwards and hit his head on the cockpit |
101 | Onofre Marimón (ARG) | 31-Jul-54 | Open Wheel | Nurburgring | 1954 German Grand Prix | Careened down a hill |
102 | Bobby Marshman (USA) | 27-Nov-64 | Open Wheel | Phoenix International Raceway | Unknown | Suddenly turned into the wall and crashed head on |
103 | Timmy Mayer (USA) | 28-Feb-64 | Open Wheel | Longford Circuit | South Pacific Trophy | Lost control of the car, landed crooked, launched into a group of trees and was thrown out |
104 | Rex Mays (USA) | 6-Nov-49 | Open Wheel | Del Mar | Del Mar 100-Mile Race | Hit a rut, flipped, was thrown out and run over |
105 | Jack McGrath (USA) | 6-Nov-55 | Open Wheel | Arizona State Fairgrounds | Bobby Ball Memorial Race | Axle broke and car flipped |
106 | Chet Miller (USA) | 15-May-53 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Car went into the dirt, Chet overcorrected and slammed into the wall |
107 | Guy Moll (ALG) | 15-Aug-34 | Open Wheel | Pescara Circuit | X Coppa Tito Acerbo | Tried to overtake the car of Ernst Henne, lost control of the car, hit the parapet of a bridge, somersaulted and flung Guy out |
108 | Greg Moore (CAN) | 31-Oct-99 | Open Wheel | California Speedway | 1999 Marlboro 500 | Jumped loose coming off of turn 2, became inverted, and crashed top first into concrete barrier |
109 | Jimmy Murphy (USA) | 15-Sep-24 | Open Wheel | New York State Fairgrounds | Syracuse 150-Mile Race | Crash |
110 | Luigi Musso (ITA) | 6-Jul-58 | Open Wheel | Reims | 1958 French Grand Prix | Tire Deflation |
111 | Mike Nazaruk (USA) | 1-May-55 | Sprint car | Langhorne | Unknown | Veered into the wall, swerved, hit the wall again, went partway through it, rolled several times and caught fire: he was thrown out of the car |
112 | Harry Neale (AUS) | 6-Feb-59 | Midget | Claremont Speedway | Unknown | Crashed into another car, rolled several times, belt broke and was thrown out |
113 | Hank Nykaza (USA) | 24-Aug-57 | Midget Car | Milwaukee Mile | Unknown | Rear wheels locked up, car skidded, jack-knifed, seat belt snapped and was thrown out |
114 | Pat O'Connor (USA) | 30-May-58 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1958 Indianapolis 500 | Hit the car of Jimmy Reece, flipped, skidded, hit a wall and caught fire |
115 | Eddie O'Donnell (USA) | 25-Nov-20 | Open Wheel | Beverly Hills Speedway | Beverly Hills 200-Mile Race | Crashed into the car of Gaston Chevrolet |
116 | Hitoshi Ogawa (JPN) | 24-May-92 | Open Wheel | Suzuka Circuit | Million Card Cup Race Round 2 | Crashed into the car of Andrew Gilbert-Scott, flew into the gravel trap and hit a pole supporting a fence |
117 | Rance Olds (USA) | 23-Jun-23 | Open Wheel | Roby Speedway | Unknown | Crash |
118 | Senkichi Omura (JPN) | 7-Apr-74 | Open Wheel | Suzuka Circuit | Unknown | Crashed into a guard rail |
119 | Pete O'Shea (IRL) | 13-Aug-11 | Open Wheel | Castle Combe Circuit | Castle Combe August Cup | Heart Attack |
120 | Jim Packard (USA) | 1-Oct-60 | Midget | Fairfield | Unknown | Steering broke, car flipped over a wall and hit a tree |
121 | Don Padia (USA) | 16-Sep-51 | Midget | Englewood Speedway | Unknown | Locked wheels with another driver and flipped into a parking lot |
122 | Riccardo Paletti (ITA) | 13-Jun-82 | Open Wheel | Montreal | 1982 Canadian Grand Prix | Crashed into the stalled car of Didier Pironi and caught fire |
123 | Carlo Pedrazzini (SWI) | 22-Apr-34 | Open Wheel | Circuito Pietro Bordino | Circuito di Alessandria Gran Premio Pietro Bordino | Crashed into a parapet on a bridge, somersaulted, hit a wall and he was thrown out |
124 | Ronnie Peterson (SWE) | 10-Sep-78 | Open Wheel | Monza | 1978 Italian Grand Prix | Hit by the car of James Hunt, spun into a wall and caught fire: died of a fat embolism the next day |
125 | Art Pollard (USA) | 12-May-73 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | International Motor Speedway | Crash |
126 | Tom Pryce (WAL) | 5-Mar-77 | Open Wheel | Kyalami | 1977 South African Grand Prix | Hit in the head by a fire extinguisher |
127 | Ian Raby (ENG) | 30-Jul-67 | Open Wheel | Circuit Park Zandvoort | Grote Prijs van Zandvoort | Crash |
128 | Paul Rademacher (USA) | 4-Jul-69 | Midget | Waukegan Speedway | Unknown | Smashed against a concrete wall, flipped and skidded on the track for 50 feet |
129 | Roland Ratzenberger (AUT) | 30-Apr-94 | Open Wheel | Imola | 1994 San Marino Grand Prix | Crashed into the wall head on due to a front wing failure |
130 | Jimmy Reece (USA) | 28-Sep-58 | Open Wheel | Trenton Speedway | Trenton 100 | Touched a dirt part of the track, went up the track, hit a fence and was thrown out |
131 | Lionel Régal (FRA) | 15-Aug-10 | Open Wheel | Saint-Ursanne – Les Rangiers | 67ème Course de Côte Internationale Saint-Ursanne – Les Rangiers | Slid and crashed into a tree |
132 | Tony Renna (USA) | 22-Oct-03 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | IndyCar | Spun, went airborne into the catch fence and disintegrated |
133 | Peter Revson (USA) | 22-Mar-74 | Open Wheel | Kyalami | 1974 South African Grand Prix | Lost control, slid, crashed into the barriers and caught fire |
134 | Red Riegel (USA) | 11-Jun-66 | Sprint Car | Reading Fairgrounds | Unknown | Crashed into the car of Jud Larson and both cars flipped over a wall |
135 | Jochen Rindt (GER) | 5-Sep-70 | Open Wheel | Monza | 1970 Italian Grand Prix | Right front brakeshaft broke apart, causing the car to veer left and hit the guardrail: the nose went under the guardrail and he was pulled into the cockpit |
136 | Floyd Roberts (USA) | 30-May-39 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Crash |
137 | George Robson (ENG) | 2-Sep-46 | Open Wheel | Lakewood Speedway | Atlanta 100-Mile National Championship Auto Race | Crash |
138 | Chuck Rodee (USA) | 14-May-66 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1966 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Crash |
139 | Gonzalo RodrÃguez (URU) | 11-Sep-99 | Open Wheel | Laguna Seca | Honda Grand Prix of Monterey | Crash |
140 | Ricardo RodrÃguez (MEX) | 1-Nov-62 | Open Wheel | Magdalena Mixchuca | 1962 Mexican Grand Prix | Crash |
141 | Peter Ryan (USA) | 1-Jul-62 | Open Wheel | Reims | Coupe Internationale de Vitesse des Juniors | Crash |
142 | Eddie Sachs (USA) | 30-May-64 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1964 Indianapolis 500 | Crashed into the flaming car of Dave MacDonald and caught fire |
143 | Sergio Santander (CHI) | 26-Sep-87 | Open Wheel | Las Vizcachas | Round 8 of the 1987 Chilean Formula 3 Championship | Crashed into another car, both veered off the track and hit the inside pit wall |
144 | Swede Savage (USA) | 30-May-73 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1973 Indianapolis 500 | Car veered off of track, hit wall and caught fire: died in hospital 33 days later from kidney infection |
145 | Harry Schell (USA) | 13-May-60 | Open Wheel | Silverstone | 1960 BRDC International Trophy | Car got sideways in the mud, flipped over, slid through a safety barrier and hit a wall of breeze blocks, which fell on the car |
146 | Bill Schindler (USA) | 20-Sep-52 | Open Wheel | Allentown Fairgrounds | Unknown | Hit a loose wheel from another car, crashed through a fence, went down an embankment and crashed into a ticket booth |
147 | Jo Schlesser (FRA) | 7-Jul-68 | Open Wheel | Rouen-Les-Essarts | 1968 French Grand Prix | Lost control of the car, slammed into an embankment, flipped and burst into flames |
148 | Richard Seaman (GBR) | 25-Jun-39 | Open Wheel | Spa-Francorchamps | 1939 Belgian Grand Prix | Went off the road, crashed into a tree and caught fire |
149 | Ayrton Senna (BRA) | 1-May-94 | Open Wheel | Imola | 1994 San Marino Grand Prix | Struck by debris after crash |
150 | Neil Shanahan (IRE) | 31-May-99 | Open Wheel | Oulton Park | Round 5 of the 1999 British Formula Ford Zetec Championship | Crash |
151 | Jo Siffert (SWI) | 24-Oct-71 | Open Wheel | Brands Hatch | 1971 World Championship Victory Race | Crash |
152 | Gordon Smiley (USA) | 15-May-82 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1982 Indianapolis 500 | Crash |
153 | Raymond Sommer (FRA) | 10-Sep-50 | Open Wheel | Cadours | Grand Prix de l'Haute Garonne | Crash |
154 | Lester Spangler (USA) | 30-Mar-33 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1933 Indianapolis 500 | Crash |
155 | Mike Spence (GBR) | 7-May-68 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1968 Indianapolis 500 | Crash |
156 | Alan Stacey (GBR) | 19-Jun-60 | Open Wheel | Spa-Francorchamps | 1960 Belgian Grand Prix | Crash |
157 | Robbie Stanley (USA) | 26-May-94 | Sprint Car | Winchester Speedway | Unknown | Crash |
158 | Max Stewart (AUS) | 19-Mar-77 | Open Wheel | Calder Park Raceway | Calder F5000 race | Crash |
159 | Tom Stewart (USA) | 5-Jul-80 | Open Wheel | Lime Rock Park | Unknown | Crash |
160 | Henry Surtees (GBR) | 19-Jul-09 | Open Wheel | Brands Hatch | Round 7 & 8 of the FIA Formula Two Championship | Hit in the head by an untethered wheel causing severe head injuries |
161 | Bob Sweikert (USA) | 17-Jun-56 | Sprint Car | Salem Speedway | Unknown | Crash |
162 | Dennis Taylor (ENG) | 2-Jun-62 | Open Wheel | Circuit de Monaco | IV Grand Prix de Monaco Junior | Skidded, crashed into a tree and bounced off a barrier coming out of the tunnel |
163 | John Taylor (ENG) | 7-Aug-66 | Open Wheel | Nurburgring | 1966 German Grand Prix | Ran into the back of Jacky Ickx's car, crashed and caught fire |
164 | Marshall Teague (USA) | 11-Feb-59 | Open Wheel | Daytona Speedway | IndyCar | Crashed into wall, flipped and he was thrown out still attached to the seat |
165 | Tommy Thompson | 23-Sep-78 | Open wheel | Trenton International Speedway | IndyCar | Crashed into a wall with John Barringer. Thompson succumbed to his injuries on 28 September 1978, Barringer made a full recovery. |
166 | Václav Uher (CZE) | 24-Sep-49 | Open Wheel | Brno | Velká Cena Československa | Crash |
167 | Jerry Unser, Jr. (USA) | 17-May-59 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1959 Indianapolis 500 | Crashed in Turn 4 and died of injuries and burns |
168 | Ants Vaino (RUS) | 30-May-71 | Open wheel | Borovaya | USSR Championship, round 1 | Crash |
169 | Roy Valentine (USA) | 25-Jun-50 | Sprint car | Mendota Fairgrounds | Unknown | Lost control in a curve, hit another car, went over a fence and crashed into a tree |
170 | Achille Varzi (ITA) | 1-Jul-48 | Open Wheel | Bremgarten | 1948 Swiss Grand Prix | Lost control, hit a barrier and flipped |
171 | Mathieu Vidal (FRA) | 18-Sep-00 | Open Wheel | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | Unknown | Crashed into the barriers |
172 | Gilles Villeneuve (CAN) | 8-May-82 | Open Wheel | Zolder | 1982 Belgian Grand Prix | Crashed into the car of Jochen Mass, barrel-rolled and was thrown out |
173 | Rich Vogler (USA) | 21-Jul-90 | Sprint Car | Salem Speedway | ESPN Thunder | Hit another car and crashed into a fence |
174 | Wolfgang Von Trips (GER) | 10-Sep-61 | Open Wheel | Monza | 1961 Italian Grand Prix | Car went sideways, went up a hill, flipped and he was thrown out |
175 | Bill Vukovich (USA) | 30-May-55 | Open Wheel | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 1955 Indianapolis 500 | Hit by the car of Johnny Boyd, went over the back wall and hit a civilian car |
176 | Paul Warwick (UK) | 21-Jul-91 | Open Wheel | Oulton Park | Gold Cup | Steering locked, crashed into the barriers and was thrown out |
177 | Barry Westmoreland (GBR) | 13-Apr-08 | Open wheel | Cadwell Park | Unknown | Heart attack |
178 | Dan Wheldon (UK) | 16-Oct-11 | Open Wheel | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | IZOD IndyCar World Championship | Involved in a 15 car crash on the 11th lap of the final race of the season. Wheldon's car was launched into the air and impacted the catch fencing cockpit first, causing fatal head injuries. The race was abandoned after news of Wheldon's death was announced. |
179 | Howdy Wilcox (USA) | 4-Sep-23 | Open Wheel | Altoona Speedway | Altoona 200 Mile Race | Crash |
180 | Roger Williamson (UK) | 29-Aug-73 | Open Wheel | Circuit Park Zandvoort | 1973 Dutch Grand Prix | Asphyxiation from fire and smoke from crash |
181 | Justin Wilson (UK) | 24-Aug-15 | Open Wheel | Pocono Raceway | ABC Supply 500 | Struck in the head by debris from the crashed car of Sage Karam |
182 | Jean-Pierre Wimille (FRA) | 28-Jan-49 | Open Wheel | Palermo | Gren Permio General Perón | Crash |
183 | Adam Wyllie (SCO) | 16-Jul-65 | Open Wheel | Dunboyne | Leinster Trophy | Hit by another car, struck an electricity transmission ESB pole and somersaulted into a field |
184 | Aray Xavier (BRA) | 5-Apr-87 | Open Wheel | Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit | Champion of Snetterton FF1600 series | Hit by another car and flipped onto barriers upside down |
185 | Floyd Yaeger (USA) | 29-Jul-60 | Sprint car | Scotland County Speedway | Unknown | Went over a bank, plunger over and rolled |
186 | Takahashi Yokoyama (JPN) | 19-Oct-97 | Open Wheel | Fuji Speedway | 1997 Japanese Formula 3 Championship | Crashed into another car, went airborne and hit the gantry carrying a signboard |
187 | Louis Zborowski (POL) | 19-Oct-24 | Open Wheel | Monza | 1924 Italian Grand Prix | Went off the road and crashed into a tree |
188 | Paolo Zuccarelli (ITA) | 13-Jun-13 | Open Wheel | Amiens | 1913 French Grand Prix | Crashed into a horse cart and was thrown out |