

To date, some twenty-seven drivers have lost their lives trying to complete the twenty-two-day, nearly 8,000 mile Dakar, and that figure is likely to climb as time goes on. See, at the Dakar, there’s no meticulously managed pavement - dirt roads (even that’s a stretch sometimes) are about as comfortable as it gets. However, in its thirty or so years of existence, it has quickly garnered a reputation for being one of the most grueling and driver-unfriendly events in the racing world. Next to Le Mans, the Dakar Rally - which first began in 1979 - seems almost infantile.
#World most dsngous racr driver#
Most recently, just last year as a matter of fact, Danish driver Allan Si monsen crashed in the fourth lap of the race in his Aston Martin, marking the twenty-second and most recent death at the fabled circuit. “ was made to reduce speeds in excess of 250 mph from being reached,” the Le Mans website says. “This began a trend by the race, the ACO (Automobile Club de L’Ouest), to attempt to reduce excessive speeds on certain sections of the track.” Most of the accidents at the track occurred on the Mulsanne straights, and before the 1980s, there were no chicanes to force the cars to slow down. Levegh was one of the twenty-two drivers killed at the infamous Circuit de la Sarthe, including Swedish driver Joakim Bonnier in 1972, when he was thrown into the woods off the Indianapolis section where he died instantly. With it, as a sort of grotesque silver lining, came sweeping safety standards that revolutionized racing safety. Le Mans, Circuit de la Sarthe - 22 driver fatalitiesįor Le Mans, what has been perhaps the absolute most grueling moment in the nearly 100 year history of the 24-hour endurance race happened in 1955, when driver Pierre Levegh “ vaulted off the rear deck of the Austin-Healey and crash-landed in the middle of a spectator enclosure.” Levegh, who was driving a Mercedes 300SL, was killed - along with more than eighty spectators, making it one of the most horrific accidents in racing history. Here they are - seven of the deadliest racing venues in the world, which have taken so many from what is truly one of the few global sports.Ī tip of the hat to the guys at Autoblog for providing a solid foundation for this material.
#World most dsngous racr crack#
And as tragic as that is, it doesn’t crack the top seven deadliest venues for racing - in fact, seventh place has over four times the number of driver casualties as Pikes Peak. That’s the fifth racing-related death to occur at Pikes Peak, the last one being in 2005, Autoblog said.


The bike veered right, Goodin was thrown over the edge, and he landed among several boulders. Just this passed weekend, veteran motorcyclist Bobby Goodin was killed following an accident at the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, when he raised his hand to celebrate making it to the finish, and lost control of the front end on the unpaved section at the top.
#World most dsngous racr drivers#
The amount of danger that the drivers put themselves into for the sake of sport surpasses nearly that of every other game that is as organized as automotive or motorcycle racing.

In the entertainment world, there are few activities more dangerous and more filled with risk for life and finances than racing.
