Anupam- The Dreamer

The Ferrari boys who gave up their life for racing

Peter Collins- gone too soon….

Image courtesy: Museums Worcestershire

Yes, that’s what it takes to take your life- just one second! Things move here and there, bizarre and unexpected, and wooooshhhh!!!! Before you could even think what happened, life’s gone out of the mortal body!

That’s what happened with the Ferrari drivers in the 1950s. A total of 39 racing drivers vanished in a spilt second between 1950 and 1960 doing what they loved to do! It was a pure passion that flew in their veins! It was sheer madness that made them drive beyond the limits of the car! It was their unlimited love for the sport that drove them on the verge of death! But, still they did. A few legends among them were:

• Eugenio Castellotti: A brilliant Italian driver who died in March 1957 while attempting to set a lap record at the Ferrari test track in Modena.
• Alfonso de Portago: A charismatic Spanish aristocrat who died in May 1957 when a catastrophic tire blowout caused his Ferrari to crash into the crowd during the Mille Miglia road race.
• Luigi Musso: The highly talented Italian driver who was fatally injured during the 1958 French Grand Prix.
• Peter Collins: A young, dashing British driver and close friend of teammate Mike Hawthorn, who died at age 26 after spinning off into the trees at the treacherous Nürburgring during the 1958 German Grand Prix.
• Mike Hawthorn: The first British Formula One World Champion (1958). Though he retired from racing immediately after winning his title, he was tragically killed in a road accident on the A3 in Surrey, England, in January 1959.

I recently happened to watch a movie called “Ferrari: the race to immortality”, which showcased the raw passion that was espoused in unlimited quantities in the Ferrari boss, Enzo Ferrari and in no small measure, in his drivers as well. Mr. Enzo Ferrari was a passionate car manufacturer who knew nothing but “winning”. Racing was in his nerves and he wanted his drivers to feel his passion. He wanted them to push the car even beyond its limits! And he knew too well the dangers of his passion- that the life of the driver hanged from a single thread, which could break anytime when there is slightest of errors or faults- either in the mechanics of the car or a mistake by a driver or any other reason like poor weather conditions etc, over which neither Mr. Ferrari nor the poor driver had any control!

But, despite knowing that they could not live after the given race, the drivers with nerves of steel and resolve of iron, still drew those cars. In 1950s, you know, the safety of the cars and even the race circuits was not good! And the dangers were very real. Just imagine yourself to be that racing driver for a moment, and imagine you driving that car at speeds of over 200 kmph, and you know that any error could throw you away out of the car and kill you instantly, or could impart severe burn injuries which could result in excruciating death, or even if you are lucky to survive then you could be crippled for your life! You will sweat from head to the toe, I bet! And probably, 99.9% of us would say that we won’t take that risk with our lives.

Whenever there was a race accident, and the fellow drivers saw the death of one of their very close friends from such close quarters, they very well knew in the hearts and minds, that it could have been them also! It was just a matter of luck that they survived through the race! The tragedy could have struck them also. Just today, they were lucky enough to survive! But, still they fought, still they raced. They were actually warriors, who only knew two options- either to win or to die! And they were true champions of Mr. Enzo Ferrari who famously said- Win or die, you’re going to be immortal!

It really takes nerves of steel and heart of a warrior to go out do to something that you know could take your life! These champions knew that were playing with fire, but they enjoyed their lives to the fullest! They wanted to become world champions and they knew exactly that it could come at a huge cost! They even knew that they will leave behind a grieving family, wife, girlfriend, friends who couldn’t even imagine their lives without their heroes! But, they didn’t baulk or shy away from their missions! And even when death came to them, it was graceful in a way that they died doing things that they loved to do. How many of us could imagine this for ourselves? Dr. Kalam passed away doing thing that he loved most- teaching students!

To me, these people are the true fortunate people. They may have died, but they became immortals in the annals of history. FTW  ✌️