I just got a copy of what must have been one of his last interviews in his life and boy is it a joy to read. The interviewer asks him whether he misses MS. Answer: "No The interviewer asks him what he thinks of MS: Answer: "A Hanswurst", which is kinda hard to translate. Moron or idiot would be closest. He goes on to wonder "why it took F1 5 years to figure out that JPM is nothing more than a Columbian cab driver". He lost interest after Senna's death, whom he calls the last real F1 pilot. The real fun part is, that the interviewer clearly is from the Dekra camp and just squirms and melts after each harsh answer. Finally he asks him, whether Clay was watching Schumacher's last race: "No, I was watching Alonso win his second title." Clay, you'll be missed.
Little curious as to why he was watching F1 if he lost interest after Senna's death; he seemed to know alot about JPM's "failings"... BTW, JPM won 7 races in 95 GP starts plus an Indy Car Championship; Clay won 5 GPs in 139 starts...I loved Clay as a driver but Clay may have been a little too harsh in his assessment of the "Colombian cab driver".... Biggest difference between Clay and JPM was outside the cockpit-Clay was a true gentleman and JPM is not.....
Well he says that F1 had become so boring to him, that often after the start he fell asleep. Why was he making all these statements? Well there are several reasons. One was that he had become a bit of a loner and bitter old man. The world had forgotten him and I bet life in a wheelchair doesn't help to brighten your mood. Also it must have been hard to be no longer of interest while his compatriot Surer, who had much less success in F1 is still in the media and reporting the GPs live for TV. But aside from that, he was one of the older generation who had no electronics helping them, who risked his health and life and who didn't bring back millions of $$$ every year for sitting in a carbon fibre tub. It is not his fault, that today's sports stars in any sport are much bigger news than they ever were. Regazzoni accomplished more than many other drivers of today, yet got almost nothing for it. The interview was in "Weltwoche" number 43. BTW: He has also some very interesting comments about Luca di Montezemolo: He blaims Luca for the loss of the 76 title. Basically if they hadn't packed up bags too early after Lauda retired, Rega wouldn't have the lousy pitstop he had and which cost him to fall from 2nd to 5th. Had he finished 2nd, Niki would have won. Apart from that example he seemed to carry a lot of negative feelings for Ferrari with him. So I'm not too surprised he wasn't a big MS fan.
You obiously never met the man. A "loner"? "Bitter"? Please... as for your comments about the disability, all I can tell you is that Clay didn't spend his "life in a wheelchair" anymore than you spend your life in a single pair of shoes. He drove and raced more cars than most of us can ever dream of. Perhaps you forgot about him, but countless race fans around the world didn't. Make fewer assumptions and show a modicum of respect for a man who has only just left us. C.
Hmmm, come on please stop with the PC bollocks. I didn't know Clay or even meet him, but he was from a generation of real men, not this 'stop saying this and that about him and her' generation of pansies that we currently have to suffer. Once upon a time we called a spade a spade (like Clay did in this interview), and took critisim like a man ... nowadays somebody else jumps in and defends you before you have a chance! BTW: I'm not defending Tifosi12, just making a statement about how life was so much richer back in Clay's day than it is now. All the clowns that have made our modern world so over safe and boring ... well please stop it!, and lets have some UN-PC PLEASE!!! No wonder suicide is on the up ... Here I'll start: Senna was a complete weirdo that I would have hated to share the track with. He and MS have caused the modern generation of drivers (other than the current crop of poofs that just circulate) to believe crashing in to the other car is fair game ... and in my view ruined the sport. I loved their edge and passion, but it was too out there!, but man could they drive Pete
Ahem, if I may....... PSk, meet Tiger Racing....... *polite hand shake... nod head.........* She did in fact, not only know Clay, but worked with him closely on several technical systems applicable to the Ferrari 355C cars.. so she can say whatever she wants to about him. Here, let me help you with that foot, there............................................. C., not many people know you here...I read a lot........so I knew........ Sorry PSK, thought I'd get you up to speed on that!
While I agree, PSk, Clay could speak for himself, this thread is somewhat different....... Maybe best to let the tone follow the Tribute Thread...or not..... Sounds like a tie rod broke, on the d@mn Chrysler, to me....... Although I have a dear friend here, who has had her wheelchair anchorage fail, in a modifed transport van.........food for thought.
Thank you BigTex, and yes I owe C. an appology. Thus C. I appologise . I'm just so sick and tired of how we all have to be so careful nowadays because somebody will get offended. This ofcourse is/was not the right place to let it out. Pete
Clay knows........that's all that matters... IMO Lauda is bitter, Clay enjoyed life to it's fullest...you are right, that breed may be gone. I'll have to read the whole thing...too easy to be quoted out of context.....
Actually I did meet him personally (but to be honest I was a kid asking for an autograph, so that didn't really tell me much about him). I also watched him race in Hockenheim in 79. Aside from that he was my compatriot and so I followed his life through the media even after his F1 retirement. So I'm quite familiar with his racing history (e.g. Paris Dakar). Also I do know - contrary to popular belief - that he had some movement left in his foot and sometimes even drove regular cars using their regular foot pedals. To say that I forgot about him, is simply wrong. And for those who have, I recommend the newly published book "Aussenseiter", which has a whole chapter dedicated to the man. I have respect for him, but just tried to explain why he made the strong statements he made. But don't take my explanation for it, there are a couple of people who knew him much better and made similar statements: Blick reporter and life long friend Roger Benoit and Rainer Kueschall, who built a lot of the wheelchairs: http://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/regazzoni/artikel51906 PS: I was supposed to meet Clay last summer at the Targa Florio (together with Glick). Things in my life got in between and now I'm really kicking myself for not having been able to go there.
I really don't think his view (towards the Modern F1 sport) was much different from the other drivers of the era...... A read thru Innes Ireland's "All Arms and Elbows" or Duncan Hamilton's "Touch Wood" gives you a feel for the style of racing and lifestyle of the era..... I have not yet read Phil Hill's reissue of "A Champion's View", but it's on the way, as we speak......
Whether he actually was bitter or not, that's how he came off in the interview. On another note, it's interesting how a columbian cab driver manages more wins (7) than he did (5) with a career spanning 5 less years.
It wasn't a jam. He was passing another car and hit a truck head on. However the Chrysler did very well: I just got some newspaper clippings from Europe including a pic of the car and his body lying next to it. For the life of me I can't figure out how that impact was fatal unless he wasn't wearing any seatbelts (as he so often did). The structural integrity of the passenger cabin is there, the airbag deployed and the seat in its place. That's why the accident created a whole bunch of speculation in Europe about the real cause of the accident. However autopsy results excluded a heart attack. One of the reports stressed the fact that his face was unhurt. I guess that implied that the torso wasn't.
There is some irony in your lamenting the increased safety in the world in the context of a discussion of man who not only died in a car crash, but was previously paralyzed in one. An apology is unnecessary, but appreciated. I do think you're wrong about the world being too safe these days and I think most of the race car drivers that I know would disagree with you also. I also think you misunderstand the concept of Political Correctness. Whatever happened to respect? Decency? Compassion for others? "De mortuis nil nisi bonum" The instruction to not speak ill of the dead comes to us through hundreds of years of history. It is not a new concept and has nothing to do with "PC". Putting aside the fact that there is nothing wrong with trying not to offend other people, I would also point out that what I was saying to Tifosi12 is that he was making himself look bad. Demonstrating poor manners. And technically speaking, he didn't offend me. He annoyed me. Entirely different. If he cares to discuss his assumptions and beliefs about a man he didn't personally know in a few months or a year, I'd be glad to oblige him, but I find the idea of casually speculating about a very, recently deceased person to be rather distasteful. Especially when that speculation is derogatory. Would you go to a funeral and comment to another bystander that you never liked that guy anyway? Come on, it's not like I go well out of my way to avoid pissing people off, but the post I responded to was rather rude in an offhand way. Let the man RIP for a week or two. Give his family and friends time to grieve before you start nitpicking his life. Overall, most people seem to have warm feelings about Clay. Show some respect for that. It's not about politics. It's about humanity. C.
Yes I can see your point, but I still believe that we put way too much emphasis on looking after 'other' people, instead of empowering them with the ability to look after themselves. All these do-gooders, sueing councils because a foot path (for example) has developed a small step and may help somebody trip over have forgotten that it is up to the person walking to control his/her feet and the best form of defense in tripping over is to look where you are going! The reason I have this view is I now have 2 small children (yes I am lucky and thankful). They are now 6 and 5, and the natural reaction is to wrap them up in cotton wool and defend them from everything ... just like the do-gooders who I discussed above. In the end my wife and I discussed this one day and we realised that we were actually denying our children the right to experience life first hand and develop through these experiences as we ourselves did. Now ofcourse I am not saying we do not care or try to protect them, but we definitely step back a little now and let them er, be kids. We have in Australia now kids play grounds being permanently (?) closed because a single child got hurt and thus the do-gooders have declared the play ground unsafe. Was that a sensible decision?. One child made a mistake (or a parent was not supervising?) and now all children in that area have had a major life and physical skills developing aid removed. In the end I now believe that it is better that we accept the risk and teach the child that there are risks, than removing ALL risks from their lives. Yes you are right Political Correctness was the wrong term, but I cannot think of the right one at the moment, and all this over safe concept has become wrapped up in the slang version of PC. Have you ever thought about how many things are done for US nowadays that just do not need to be?, even down to pre-arranged meal packets that require little preparation except heating. Have you ever thought about the impact this has on the young and knowledge needing brain of a child or a teenager, have you ever thought about the long term impacts of a parent doing everything for their child? Lately I have a lot, and I really think this directly relates to teenage suicide, and other struggles they have, simply because there is nothing for them to do, nothing to learn and not enough skills to develop ... because somebody of something (machine) does it for them. Thus we are boring our future generations, not advancing ourselves at all. Yes we should not speak ill of the dead, but in my opinion Tifosi12 wasn't. What is so wrong with being described as a bitter old man ... heck most old people I meet have understandably a few things to be bitter about. Heck a few times a year I can guarantee that I am bitter about something and I'm only 38 years old. Anyway most older generations I have met have thus absolutely wonderful way of discussing the truth, sharing their opinions without neutering them with 'oh we better not say that because some sensitive person might get offended', and man it is so refreshing, and heck if you talk honestly back at them and say bollocks, I'm sure you've got that wrong they will most likely nod and simply say, 'well heck that's how I see it'. Nowadays you wouldn't be spoken to for a while while that sensitive soul goes through a rebuilding process ... yawn ... or maybe this is just my family . Anyway, hopefully somewhere in my paragraph above you might see what I am trying to say ... hopefully . Best Pete ps: This is bad timing, but Clay was a racing driver so hopefully he won't mind. Also we need to remind ourselves that every accident is caused by somebody. It's not very often a freak of nature. Too many drivers (in particular because of this lack of responsibility this over caring of everybody instills) view accidents as things that just happen, are unavoidable, etc. or simply somebody elses fault. We need to internalise more and take responsibility for ourselves, but this is difficult with so many do-gooders doing everything for you. RIP Clay, you lived your life you didn't just go through the motions! ... man time to buy my next race car.
F1 these days is too safe. Which is one of the reasons Rega didn't respect the guys as the drivers of his time. I have indeed a lot of respect for Clay. I was merely trying to explain why his statements are as tough as they are. And as I said, don't take my word for it, but Roger's. He said precisely the same thing and he was his buddy for decades. The fact that you see Clay in a different way doesn't surprise me. You were obviously a friend, that changes the perspective. We even have a FChatter on here who thinks the world of Scott Speed, simply because he knows him personally. Actually I don't even see my comments as derogatory. Clay was a great guy in private and could party like no other. But that doesn't mean that he didn't grew distant from the F1 world he knew. I agree with you that most people have warm feelings for Clay (Bernie Ecclestone being the exception, but even he sent a condolation fax to the family). I never disputed that. And it was quite evident at the funeral service where people actually applauded in church. PS: It is "De mortibus nihil nise bene.". I enjoyed Latin for over six years. In the same country Clay lived.
So have I. That's all irrelevant though. Most peope don't know that he wasn't really paralyzed in the crash at Long Beach either. The real damage was done later. So what? He's dead now. He no longer has to deal with all that. For those of you who truly respected and admired the man and wish to express that, his family has asked that donations be made to spinal cord research in lieu of sending cards or flowers. You made the comment that the "world had forgotten about him". Should I have assumed that you weren't included in your statement? And your explanation included wild speculation as to the man's character and personality based on... what? Your educated insight into aging and disability? I thought it was rude to speak of him as you did considering the circumstances. The man wasn't perfect, but now is not the time to dwell on the negative. If he was horrible in some way and the world was better off without him, it would be different, but he was decent and charming and his death deserves a moment of honour. I read nothing in that quote to support your claims that Clay was "bitter" and/or "lonely". As for your assumption that life with a disability would necessarily lead to an overal negative view of life, allow me to dissuade you of that now. How many people in the world ever get to race a Ferrari? Let alone FOR Ferrari. And he continued to drive and race many different cars throughout his adult life. He also promoted hand controls and a driving school for people with disabilities so that they could share in his love of motorsport. He had friends and family and good wine and beautiful cars in his life. We should all be so lucky. I know the feeling. My husband and I had planned a trip to Europe this past Spring, but due to some medical issues, we were unable to go. Among other things, we had planned on spending time with Clay. I will regret the loss of that for some time to come. C.
No, I definitely didn't include myself in that statement. But obviously I didn't make that clear. Both "the world that forgot Rega (read world here really as Switzerland)" and "the bitter and lonely man" were almost verbatim quotes from Roger Benoit. You're right the link doesn't show them. But after Rega's death Roger wrote a flurry of updates and it was in one of them. Regardless following the Swiss media over the past 20+ years I agree with Roger: Switzerland had forgotten about Rega for the most part and I honestly think he comes across as very bitter in his comments about the recent F1. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as PSK pointed out. I liked Clay for many things (he was the reason I got hooked on F1 watching him win the British GP in 79) and his honest thoughts about F1 were one of them. A sport that has its own PR people and spin doctors needs a "bitter old man" telling the truth. At least in my book.
