Formula 1 car road racing in Europe from the 1940's into the late 1960s was fast, furious, competitive, violent and often calamitous. F1 racing then was extremely popular in Europe, and winning races was very prestigious for racers. For about 20 years almost 1 driver died per race on average. Funerals were common. On the straightaways speeds could hit 250 miles per hour. The drivers lived on the edge. They loved what they did. They tried hard to be in "the zone", that space where they can see ahead and react well to all of the other drivers. Racers looked for "the limit" also, the theoretical speed where the car is on the verge of spinning out of control. It's a gut feeling. Drivers were addicted to "a nodding acquaintance with death." Many expected to die on the track.
Most courses then had no protective barriers for spectators. In the 1955 Le Mans race a Mercedes car crashed and killed 80 spectators. In the race for the Formula 1 championship in 1961 at the Italian Grand Prix a car crash killed 14 spectators and 2 drivers.
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