As a young boy, I watched the horrific crash in the Nurburgring race track in Germany as it happened, live, on TV during the German GP of 1976.
Niki Lauda was the top Ferrari driver at that time, the reigning Formula 1 world champion.
The notoriously dangerous track was wet since it had been raining. Lauda’s Ferrari lost control, spun, hit the side rail and back to the track in flames and ended up getting hit by other cars unable to avoid him.
The sheer size of the circuit also meant that weather and track conditions around it could vary wildly with some sections dry and others wet, making a safe choice of tyres difficult or impossible.
He was seriously burned, but survived the accident and resumed racing that same year, once he recovered from his injuries.
This was the second tribute to a racing driver painting I made these past few weeks.