- 14 Jul 13, 19:25#366287
This is the first entry to our second writing competition. In the best interests of everyone viewing the entries, I've decided to post all entries in both the competition thread, and also the thread where they would most likely be posted anyway. So here we go..........our first entrant!.....
Superstitious minds
I was struck recently by the amount of racing drivers, past and present that undertake particular rituals, or carry a lucky charm with them when racing. Maybe in this highly competitive field they believe it may give them a slight edge. Maybe in this highly dangerous sport they feel it offers some protection. Maybe these racers with all senses heightened perceive another dimension to our world and the rituals and lucky charms are offers of appeasement to the powers therein. Maybe it’s just an insurance policy, just in case. Maybe there’s something to all this, maybe it’s all hocus pocus. I decided to delve a bit deeper.
Firstly here are a few examples of such behaviour, it’s by no means an exhaustive list.
Jenson Button – always gets in the car from the same side and last thing before he pulls away he checks his helmet, even though he knows he’s done it up.
Nico Hulkenberg and Mark Webber - always get in the car from the same side.
David Coulhard - always wore the same pair of underpants.
Felipe Massa - If Friday went well, he’d wear the same pair of underpants on Saturday, if Saturday went well, the same pair would be retained for Sunday.
Sebastian Vettel - carries a lucky coin in his shoe.
Schumacher-always had odd numbers on his car
Wurz - always wore different coloured racing boots.
Jackie Stewart - always took off his watch and handed it to Ken Tyrell before he raced.
Stefano Modena - wore his gloves inside out.
Nuvolari - carried a lucky charm with him, a tortoise pin.
Alan Jones - always wore red underpants. Always hopped into the car from the left. And if he did well on the Saturday, he would try to park in the same parking spot when he arrived at the track on Sunday.
Lucca Montezemelo - put coloured scarves in Niki Lauda’s car for good luck. (Niki thought him a nutcase)
Green cars have traditionally been considered unlucky and some drivers refused to race in them. It is thought this dates back to a fatal accident involving Gaston Chevrolet driving a green car.
In NASCAR many drivers ban peanuts in their shells from the garages. Peanuts out of their shells are ok. This dates back to prewar racing when peanut shells were found inside the car or radiator grill of cars involved in serious accidents.
So, we have a lot of superstition going on there....or is it something more?
Then there are the religious drivers who feel they have been blessed with their talent by God and that God has destined how that talent will play out. Two such drivers who immediately come to mind are Lewis Hamilton and Ayrton Senna.
These rituals, talisman and beliefs are most likely different for every driver. And likewise will be viewed differently by every reader. So make your own mind up about the usefulness or not of engaging in such activities.
Before you decide, I’d like to share two particular incidents that provide food for thought. Possibly just co-incidences, possibly the result of emotional minds, possible something else.
The first incident surrounds the death of Ayrton Senna.
Ayrton was profoundly upset before the fateful race at Imola in 1994. First there was Barrichellos’ accident on the Friday. Barrichello was unconscious and not breathing properly, he had to have an airway inserted at the track. Then on the Saturday there was Roland Ratzenberger’s crash. Senna commandeered a course car (for which he was rebuked) and raced to the incident. He then jumped over barriers at the medical centre , from which he’d been barred to see Ratzenberger. He telephoned his girlfriend who was holidaying in Portugal and said he didn’t want to race.
At the drivers briefing he had tears streaming down his face. Professor Sid Watkins, a close friend, said to him, “Ayrton, why don’t you withdraw from racing tomorrow? I don’t think you should do it. In fact, why don’t you give it up altogether? ..........I don’t think the risk is worth continuing – pack it in.” Ayrton, despite the previous days phone call to his girlfriend, replied, “Sid, there are certain things over which I have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on.” They were the last words he spoke to Sid.
Prior to the start of that 1994 season, with the banning of high-tec devices on the cars, Senna expressed concerns. He said they’d be lucky to get through the season without severe crashes.
Before the Imola race he’d shaken hands with Prost, something he’d done before, but this time genuinely. Prost said that they hadn’t been friends in the past but perhaps they could be in the future.....
And back to Sid........as the safety car pulled off (following a start line collision) and the cars were released, Sid said to Casoni, his driver, “ there’s going to be a f***!ng awful accident any minute.” The cars disappeared from view out of the pit straight towards Tamburello and the red flags came out again. Senna had hit the wall.
The second incident surrounds the death of Alberto Ascari.
His father had also been a successful racing driver. He died at the age of 36 on July 26th He died taking an easy left hander. It was just four days after surviving another very serious accident. He was driving a car bearing the number 8. Alberto, a highly superstitious man always felt it was his fate to die before the age at which his father had died. He hated the number 8 and refused to race on the 26th of any month. He also would only race with his lucky blue helmet.
In 1955, he was the exact same age his father had been when he died. He crashed at Monacco and went into the harbour. Miraculously he survived with minor cuts and bruises. Four days after this crash, and having outlived his fathers age by four days, he must have felt he’d cheated fate. He drove to Monza to watch Euginio Castelloti test a Ferrari sports car. Just before going to lunch with his wife he decided to try a few laps in the car. He didn’t have his lucky blue helmet with him because it was still being repaired, so he borrowed Castellori’s. He crashed at an easy left hander and died. It was the 26th May.
The only other driver ever to go into the harbour at Monaco was Paul Hawkins. He later crashed and died on 26th may.
Superstitious minds
I was struck recently by the amount of racing drivers, past and present that undertake particular rituals, or carry a lucky charm with them when racing. Maybe in this highly competitive field they believe it may give them a slight edge. Maybe in this highly dangerous sport they feel it offers some protection. Maybe these racers with all senses heightened perceive another dimension to our world and the rituals and lucky charms are offers of appeasement to the powers therein. Maybe it’s just an insurance policy, just in case. Maybe there’s something to all this, maybe it’s all hocus pocus. I decided to delve a bit deeper.
Firstly here are a few examples of such behaviour, it’s by no means an exhaustive list.
Jenson Button – always gets in the car from the same side and last thing before he pulls away he checks his helmet, even though he knows he’s done it up.
Nico Hulkenberg and Mark Webber - always get in the car from the same side.
David Coulhard - always wore the same pair of underpants.
Felipe Massa - If Friday went well, he’d wear the same pair of underpants on Saturday, if Saturday went well, the same pair would be retained for Sunday.
Sebastian Vettel - carries a lucky coin in his shoe.
Schumacher-always had odd numbers on his car
Wurz - always wore different coloured racing boots.
Jackie Stewart - always took off his watch and handed it to Ken Tyrell before he raced.
Stefano Modena - wore his gloves inside out.
Nuvolari - carried a lucky charm with him, a tortoise pin.
Alan Jones - always wore red underpants. Always hopped into the car from the left. And if he did well on the Saturday, he would try to park in the same parking spot when he arrived at the track on Sunday.
Lucca Montezemelo - put coloured scarves in Niki Lauda’s car for good luck. (Niki thought him a nutcase)
Green cars have traditionally been considered unlucky and some drivers refused to race in them. It is thought this dates back to a fatal accident involving Gaston Chevrolet driving a green car.
In NASCAR many drivers ban peanuts in their shells from the garages. Peanuts out of their shells are ok. This dates back to prewar racing when peanut shells were found inside the car or radiator grill of cars involved in serious accidents.
So, we have a lot of superstition going on there....or is it something more?
Then there are the religious drivers who feel they have been blessed with their talent by God and that God has destined how that talent will play out. Two such drivers who immediately come to mind are Lewis Hamilton and Ayrton Senna.
These rituals, talisman and beliefs are most likely different for every driver. And likewise will be viewed differently by every reader. So make your own mind up about the usefulness or not of engaging in such activities.
Before you decide, I’d like to share two particular incidents that provide food for thought. Possibly just co-incidences, possibly the result of emotional minds, possible something else.
The first incident surrounds the death of Ayrton Senna.
Ayrton was profoundly upset before the fateful race at Imola in 1994. First there was Barrichellos’ accident on the Friday. Barrichello was unconscious and not breathing properly, he had to have an airway inserted at the track. Then on the Saturday there was Roland Ratzenberger’s crash. Senna commandeered a course car (for which he was rebuked) and raced to the incident. He then jumped over barriers at the medical centre , from which he’d been barred to see Ratzenberger. He telephoned his girlfriend who was holidaying in Portugal and said he didn’t want to race.
At the drivers briefing he had tears streaming down his face. Professor Sid Watkins, a close friend, said to him, “Ayrton, why don’t you withdraw from racing tomorrow? I don’t think you should do it. In fact, why don’t you give it up altogether? ..........I don’t think the risk is worth continuing – pack it in.” Ayrton, despite the previous days phone call to his girlfriend, replied, “Sid, there are certain things over which I have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on.” They were the last words he spoke to Sid.
Prior to the start of that 1994 season, with the banning of high-tec devices on the cars, Senna expressed concerns. He said they’d be lucky to get through the season without severe crashes.
Before the Imola race he’d shaken hands with Prost, something he’d done before, but this time genuinely. Prost said that they hadn’t been friends in the past but perhaps they could be in the future.....
And back to Sid........as the safety car pulled off (following a start line collision) and the cars were released, Sid said to Casoni, his driver, “ there’s going to be a f***!ng awful accident any minute.” The cars disappeared from view out of the pit straight towards Tamburello and the red flags came out again. Senna had hit the wall.
The second incident surrounds the death of Alberto Ascari.
His father had also been a successful racing driver. He died at the age of 36 on July 26th He died taking an easy left hander. It was just four days after surviving another very serious accident. He was driving a car bearing the number 8. Alberto, a highly superstitious man always felt it was his fate to die before the age at which his father had died. He hated the number 8 and refused to race on the 26th of any month. He also would only race with his lucky blue helmet.
In 1955, he was the exact same age his father had been when he died. He crashed at Monacco and went into the harbour. Miraculously he survived with minor cuts and bruises. Four days after this crash, and having outlived his fathers age by four days, he must have felt he’d cheated fate. He drove to Monza to watch Euginio Castelloti test a Ferrari sports car. Just before going to lunch with his wife he decided to try a few laps in the car. He didn’t have his lucky blue helmet with him because it was still being repaired, so he borrowed Castellori’s. He crashed at an easy left hander and died. It was the 26th May.
The only other driver ever to go into the harbour at Monaco was Paul Hawkins. He later crashed and died on 26th may.
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Abe Lincoln
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Abe Lincoln
Abe Lincoln
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Abe Lincoln
I'm going to keep them on for one more day!
Silly way of thinking, but when I think of Nadal's superstitious quirks compared to mine, I don't tend to beat myself up too much about it.
