Clay Regazzoni: 1939-2006 RIP

[chrisbeatty]

Clay Regazzoni left us today after a collision in a road car in Italy.

Deepest condolances go out to family & friends, 67 is still far too young

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/56036

[Nordic]

Terrible news.

RIP

[termietermite]

Quite.  Awful.
I last saw him at Liddon in Kent, at a stage of an historic rally.  For obvious reasons, he stayed in his car but was more than happy to chat.  Still, I guess he got further than so many of his contemporaries and carried on doing what he loved in spite of that truly horrible accident.
RIP indeed.

[Werner]

How sad. I remember seeing him on the podium at the Nürburgring in 1972, I was 13 at that time. He finished second, his team mate Ickx won, both on Ferrari

RIP, Clay

[mgmark]

We seem to have lost many this year, and now Regazonni - I remember his racing days.  How desperately sad .  And how ironic to die in a car accident on normal roads driving something as mundane as a Chrysler Voyager.....

MG Mark

[Boorish Grobian]

Agreed, terribly sad news.  For those of us who grew up watching F1 in the seventies, Regga was so much a part of the very fabric of the sport.  Although many will remember him for giving Williams their first win at Silverstone in '79, I will always think of him as a Ferrari pilot, hurling a 312B around a pre-chicane Monza in 1970 to take his first win, beating the likes of Jackie Stewat in a straight fight.  He was one of the bravest men to ever sit in a racing car and his recovery from his terrible Long Beach injuries was as brave as any of his racing accomplishments.  He was one of the four young superstars to arrive in F1 in 1970, now only Emerson remains with us.
Fax

[Rusty]

This all I have to say. Rock on Clay.

Rusty

[knetter]

Read it in the paper today, terrible way to go, terrible loss for motorsports.

RIP

[oldtimer]

I saw the news on the internet yesterday and felt a sense of loss.  Clay may not be one of those who will feature most prominantly in the motor racing history books, but having seen him race his commitment and flair cannot be questioned.  He was without doubt part of the essence of GP racing at a time when it was a great spectacle and sport.

RIP Clay, you will be missed.

[Christopher]

Just read in autosport.

Sad way to go when you consider everything else he had managed to overcome.

[Bobblehat]

RIP Regga

Meet him at one of Coys Festival at Silverstone. Only because I thorght I was in the que for the bar and it turn out to be the que for the autographs!

He commented on the "Swiss Wine" hat I was wearing and ended up having a converstation about racing drivers who have vine yards, the converstation was long enough for both of us to be told of by security for holding up the line! His is 1 of three autgraphs I have ever collected, top man.

[Andy Zarse]

One of the quieter more modest drivers of his generation, people tended to remember him more because of his rather unusual name rather then his acheivements in the car. An unsung hero of yesteryear, but a great competitor and racer. RIP.

[oldtimer]

people tended to remember him more because of his rather unusual name rather then his acheivements in the car. An unsung hero of yesteryear

Rather like Vittorio Brambilla - ''the Monza Gorilla".  Another unsung and sorely missed character of a great era in F1.

[Boorish Grobian]

Yeah, Brambles was another great character.  However with all due respect to Vittorio's memory, I don't think he was ever in the same league as Regga as a racing driver.  That said, early in his career, especially in F2, Clay had a similar "wild man" reputation on track.  As said though, both great personalities, something sorely missing from F1 today.
Fax

[oldtimer]

with all due respect to Vittorio's memory, I don't think he was ever in the same league as Regga as a racing driver

I agree Fax but at least he was memorable... which is more than can be said of most of the current stock of drivers who do not quite make the 'top table'.  It is a great shame that the corporate monster that is F1 has no room these days for modern day equivalents to the Gorilla.