The death of Count Berghe von Trips 50 years ago in Monza
On September 10, 1961 , the German Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips was killed in a collision with Jim Clark just before the Parabolica curve.
The unbelievable happened on the second lap. Trips was leading the world championship, but in Monza, the penultimate race, he only had a four-point lead over the American Phil Hill, also in a Ferrari. Trips was in fourth place when he touched Clark's Lotus on the approach to the Parabolica while trying to pass him. The Ferrari flipped, overturned and shot over the safety barrier into the crowd, killing 14 fans, before skidding back onto the track.
During the multiple rollover, the German was thrown out of the car onto the track, not yet wearing a seatbelt of course. His body remained motionless on the asphalt. One of the 19 racegoers killed was a group of nine travelers from Switzerland.
Count Berghe von Trips, pictured at the start of the tragic race in Monza in 1961, was certainly comparable to Michael Schumacher in terms of talent and the German nation could have celebrated its F1 world champion 33 years earlier had it not been for this tragic accident. Sir Stirling Moss on Trips: "He was an absolute gentleman, not only in everyday life but also on the track. Like other colleagues, he would never have deliberately driven off the track at the exit of a corner to obstruct the pursuers with churned-up dirt."
The picture above shows Monza as it looks today. Where there are now grandstands behind high fences, 15 people lost their lives 50 years ago.
The scene of the accident today: nothing has changed in terms of the track layout, only the spectators are better protected by fences.
P.S. According to legend, Trips would have died two days after his accident in Monza anyway, as he was booked on a flight to the United States and the Air France plane crashed. However, it has not been confirmed whether he was actually on the plane in question.
