Circuit Zandvoort exists 75 years. Until the start of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, NH will pay attention to the rich history of the dune circuit in a series. Yesterday you saw how the first racing cars tore through the streets of Zandvoort. Today you can read about the dramatic death of British racing driver Roger Williamson.
Accident Roger Williamson – NH News
July 29, 1973 is an inky black day in the history of Circuit Zandvoort. The day Roger Williamson died after a crash during the Formula 1 race. And of which the futile rescue attempts of fellow driver David Purley were shown live on TV.
The Zandvoort Grand Prix is the second Formula 1 race of the talented English driver Roger Williamson. He receives a lot of support from the wealthy businessman Tom Wheatcroft, who has big plans for 1974 with his protégé. But it would never come to that.
On lap eight, Williamson blows a tire and ends up in the berm. His car flips over and burns to a stop against the guardrails. David Purley doesn’t hesitate for a second and jumps out of his car to save his colleague.
Colleague Purley wants to save Williamson
But 1973 is not 2023 where safety in Formula 1 is better than ever. Purley tries to put out the fire with fire extinguishers. But they hardly help against the huge flames. Pushing the car upright again does not work either. There are people who want to help, but no one has fire-resistant clothing.
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Egmond photographer Cor Mooij is also there. “It happened right in front of where I was standing. I wanted to help push the car, but was pulled away by a cop because the car could explode.”
The race just goes on. The competition management is a long way away and has no monitor there on which the images can be seen. “Double yellow flags were waved. Then you know you have to get off the gas, but after the smoke you went back to full speed,” says Gijs van Lennep, former Formula 1 driver and Blaricummer.
“I had no idea what was going on”
Three years after his last race, Van Lennep had been able to secure a seat for the race in Zandvoort through a sponsor’s money. He finished sixth, which is to his satisfaction his first ever point in the world championship. “I had no idea what was going on. I saw a man walking near the wreck in the smoke, so I thought the driver had come out. But it wasn’t, that was David Purley.”
The fire brigade comes later, but Roger Williamson (25) is already dead. And everything has been shown on television. Van Lennep hears about it afterwards, where a TV camera also happens to be filming him. He is speechless for a moment. “Do you mean that?” he says, startled.
World Press Photo by photos after accident
Meanwhile, Cor Mooij has gone home to develop his film rolls. Three in total, 108 photos. It is the second time he has photographed a fatal accident. The first was in 1970, when Piers Courage had a fatal accident in Zandvoort. “In that dark room there is also the realization of what has happened. All emotions come up. Of course I am not so heartless that it doesn’t affect me.”
What Mooij does not yet know is that his photos will become historic. In 1974 he won the World Press Photo with it. And to this day, the photos are still widely used. “It’s the red thread in my life, that never goes away.”
Text continues under one of the photos from Cor Mooij’s winning series.
He is proud of his prize. And he doesn’t see it as something he earned on the back of a killed driver. “I’m a photojournalist. Then you photograph what happens, that’s your profession,” says Mooij resolutely.
Security improvements
As is often the case after serious accidents in Formula 1, the further improvement of safety is high on the agenda. This is much needed, especially in the 1970s, when many drivers lost their lives.
In Zandvoort, fences are placed along the track shortly after Williamson’s accident, even before the crash barriers. This should make the blow after an accident less hard. And special fire trucks are used that can also extinguish fires faster.
“They could be on site in seven seconds and put out more powerfully,” explains Van Lennep. “If we had had it then, the fire would have been out in no time. But this accident has definitely been important for improving safety, absolutely.”
Tomorrow this series will continue about the Zandvoort circuit and the 1959 World Cycling Championships or read below how the circuit did not end up in Zeist, but in Zandvoort.