Word: lauda
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...difficult (172 corners), and by far the most dangerous circuit in all of racing (nine Grand Prix drivers have died there). Uneasiness over safety at the track had been growing each year among drivers. Before the race, they met to decide whether or not to boycott the event. Niki Lauda voted not to race. Said he: "I felt that to risk a human life just to please the organizers of the race is not right. But the vote went against me, and I decided that I would go along with the majority...
...second lap, a rear wheel fell off Lauda's car and he skidded into a guardrail. His car burst into flames, searing his lungs with intense heat and poisonous flames from the volatile fuel. Unable to trigger the car's fire extinguisher, Lauda lay trapped while three fellow drivers struggled to free him. His face and head were badly burned and disfigured, the oxygen count in his blood fell below the level necessary, in theory at least, to sustain life...
...crash, he left the hospital for his farm near Salzburg. With the help of a physical therapist, he worked himself back into shape. Precisely six weeks after his accident, he entered the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and finished fourth. But first had come a terrifying practice round. Said Lauda: "It was raining, really horrible conditions, and I had to go out to see if I could still do my work. The car was aquaplaning. I was really scared and I stopped. But the next day, it was dry, so I got in the car. It took me 15 laps...
...Limit. Lauda and Hunt seesawed through races in Canada and at Watkins Glen, N.Y. Then came Japan and once more the rain. As track attendants tried to whisk water off the course with bamboo brooms, drivers met twice to decide whether or not they would run. The drizzle continued as fog settled on the track; twilight was coming. Finally, a last vote was taken, and the decision to race was made. Hunt, starting in the first row, skidded through the first turn and took the lead. Lauda, one row back, went once around the course in the blinding spray from...
Mario Andretti, the eventual winner in his first Grand Prix victory this year, was critical of Lauda's decision. Said he: "Once the race was on, he should have battled to the finish." Hunt was more understanding: "It was better for me because I was leading. I didn't have the spray problems the others did. I felt very sorry for Niki. It wasn't fair that he should have to race in these conditions. I wanted the race postponed because I didn't think it was safe...