Neil Shanahan (lost footage of fatal British Formula Ford Zetec Championship crash; 1999)
On 31st May 1999, during the fifth round of the British Formula Ford Zetec Championship at Oulton Park, Neil Shanahan was involved in a three-car collision while approaching Clay Hill. His Van Diemen ended up smashing into a protective barrier, inflicting fatal chest and neck injuries. It is known that footage of the fatal crash exists.
Background
Heading into the race, Neil Shanahan was considered one of Ireland's brightest racing prospects.[1][2][3] Having won the Irish Formula Ford Championship in 1998, Shanahan signed a contract with the Van Diemen International Team for the both the British and European Formula Ford Championships.[2][1][3] Having been the team which had taken on Formula One drivers Ayrton Senna and Eddie Irvine early in their careers, Shanahan was considered a likely candidate to break into Formula One himself.[1][2] Early in the season, Shanahan had led the opening race at Donnington Park, while also finishing fourth in Brands Hatch two weeks earlier.[3]
Shanahan qualified tenth for 18-lap event held at Oulton Park.[3][2] Even before the race commenced, safety concerns were raised when, during a BTCC race, Russell Spence crashed his Renault Laguna into Alain Menu's parked Ford Mondeo at the run-off of the Lodge Bend.[1][3] This caused the cars to slam into a spectator area, injuring two spectators.[3][1] Oulton Park had already garnered a reputation for being a dangerous track for two fatal accidents that occurred earlier in the 1990s.[1] One of which occurred on 21st July 1991, when Paul Warwick passed away in an accident during a British F3000 Series race held at the circuit.[1][2]
The Crash
On lap 2 of the race, Shanahan was battling for position as he and two others approached Clay Hill.[4][5][2][1] Suddenly, the cars collided at around 120 mph, which caused Shanahan's Van Diemen to exit the track.[2][1][4] He ended up slamming into a protective barrier at around 100 mph.[2][1] The resulting impact wrecked the Van Diemen, including detaching one of its front wheels.[2] Although Clay Hill was deemed as a medium speed corner unlikely to produce fatal crashes, Shanahan suffered serious chest and neck injuries.[5][2] It is believed by some, including Van Diemen boss Ralph Firman, that one of the car's front wheels entered the cockpit and hit Shanahan.[2]
When the track's medical crew arrived on-scene, they discovered Shanahan had also suffered a cardiac arrest.[2][4]> They were able to resuscitate him, before airlifting the driver to the Countess of Chester Hospital.[2][1][4] Ultimately, his injuries were declared unsurvivable, with Shanahan being declared dead on arrival to the hospital, aged 19.[2][1][4][5] Considered one of the brightest prospects within the Irish motor racing scene, Shanahan was also described as a "very popular driver" with a clear passion for motor racing.[2][1] In 1999, the Neil Shanahan Memorial Trophy was unveiled, which is awarded annually to the winner of the World Finals of the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.[6][3]
Shanahan was the first Irish driver to pass away during a race since Peter O'Reilly in 1978.[3] Shanahan's fatal accident, as well as Menu's crash, also led to heavy criticism of Oulton Park's safety standards, with some like Paul Warwick's brother and former Formula One driver Derek Warwick believing that no races should be held at the track.[1][2][3]
Availability
Cameras were present at the event, with Shanahan being interviewed a day prior to the race. According to Influential Moments in Racing, it is known that footage was captured of Shanahan's fatal accident.[5] The footage would be obtained by Shanahan's parents, who wanted to understand the circumstances of the accident.[5] Even if the footage still exists, it is highly unlikely that it will be publicly released.
Gallery
Videos
See Also
- 1953 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One race; 1953)
- 2005 San Marino Grand Prix (partially found ITV advert break during final laps of Formula One race; 2005)
- Angelo Orsi's photos of Ayrton Senna (lost photos of Formula One driver post-crash; 1994)
- Anthoine Hubert and Juan Manuel Correa (partially found FOM footage of fatal Formula 2 crash; 2019)
- Ayrton Senna (partially lost on-board video of fatal Formula One crash; 1994)
- Donkey Does F1 (partially found photos of Shrek character inflatable at Formula One races; 2004)
- F-1 World Grand Prix III (lost build of cancelled Nintendo 64 Formula One racing game; 2000-2001)
- F1 2010 (lost pre-alpha build of Formula One game; 2010)
- F1 Racing Championship 2 (lost build of cancelled PC/PlayStation 2 Formula One game; 2001)
- Fernando Alonso's 2015 testing accident (lost footage of Formula One test session crash; 2015)
- Grand Prix 3 (lost build of cancelled Dreamcast port of PC Formula One racing game; 2001)
- Grand Prix 4 (lost build of cancelled Xbox port of PC Formula One racing game sequel; 2002)
- Jules Bianchi (lost FOM footage of fatal Formula One crash; 2014)
- McLaren MP4-18 (lost footage of unraced Formula One car; 2003)
- Paul Warwick (lost footage of fatal British F3000 crash; 1991)
- Racing Arrows (partially found Formula One TV series; 2001)
- Williams FW15C (partially found footage and lap time information of unraced CVT Formula One car; 1993)
External Link
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Independent reporting on Shanahan's fatal accident and criticism over Oulton Park's safety standards. Retrieved 4th Aug '22
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 Neil Shanahan website providing numerous reports surrounding Shanahan's fatal accident. Retrieved 4th Aug '22
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Motorsport Memorial page for Neil Shanahan. Retrieved 4th Aug '22
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 RTE briefly reporting on the fatal accident. Retrieved 4th Aug '22
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Influential Moments in Racing summarising the fatal accident and noting footage was captured and later received by Shanahan's parents. Retrieved 4th Aug '22
- ↑ The Free Library reporting on the unveiling of the Neil Shanahan Memorial Trophy. Retrieved 4th Aug '22