Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Remembering #OnThisDay 10 September 1961, Wolfgang von Trips who lost his life in a crash at Monza that also claimed the lives of 15 spectators. The German Ferrari driver had been leading the world championship that season and was just one race away from potentially securing the title. His death shocked the sport and led to renewed focus on safety at high-speed circuits.
Image Unavailable, Please Login Von Trips, nicknamed “Taffy”, was both wealthy and aristocratic (a German Count) but also famously modest and well-liked in the paddock. In 1956 he tested a Ferrari for the first time at Maranello. After just a few laps, Enzo Ferrari himself asked him bluntly: “Do you want to race for me?” Von Trips, feeling insecure about whether he was quick enough, actually replied that he wasn’t sure he had the talent! Ferrari, who was usually very hard and distant with drivers, reportedly smiled and told him: “If you weren’t good, I would not have asked.”
