As one of the UK’s biggest online salvage car auctions here at RAW2K, most of the salvage cars we supply are snapped up to be stripped for parts, or else fixed up to make a perfectly serviceable second-hand car. And with so many of our customers being professional mechanics and self-described petrolheads, we know that a good number of you are motorsport fans. The spooky season is now properly upon us, so here at RAW2K, we’re getting into the spirit of things. Here are three eerie tales of long-dead sportsmen, and the racetracks their spirits are said to haunt…
Percy E. Lambert – Brooklands Motor Course
At the turn of the 20th century, when motorsport was in its relative infancy, Percy Edgar Lambert became famous as the first driver ever to cover one hundred miles in an hour. That record was broken not too long afterwards by Frenchman Jean Chassagne, who set a new record of 107.5 mph. Not one to be deterred, Lambert was determined to reclaim the record in 1913 – and Brooklands Motor Course in Surrey became the venue for his ill-fated attempt.
Lambert was going at a dizzying pace when one of his tyres burst, and he veered sharply off-course, disappearing from view. The first people to reach him found him face down halfway up the banking by Members’ Bridge. He died on the way to hospital. He was thirty-two years old.
Brooklands remained open for a few decades afterwards, but was closed following the outbreak of World War II. (The course was even bombed on a few occasions.) Today, it stands derelict – but the ghost of Lambert is said to haunt the track.
One notable sighting happened in 1970, when the crew of an aircraft flying overhead spotted a cloud of “blackness” hovering above the spot where Lambert died. One crewmember then heard the sound of crashing, splintering metal or wood. In his own words: “when I plucked up the courage to investigate, not a blade of grass, nor the branch of a tree had been broken”.
A curious tale indeed. Was it an anomaly, a strange trick of circumstance? Or is it really the echo of Percy Lambert, doomed to repeat his failed record attempt over and over – for all eternity?
Ayrton Senna – The Imola Circuit
You don’t have to be a hardcore F1 fan to have heard of Ayrton Senna. The Brazilian racing driver remains one of the most legendary names in the history of the sport. He started early, racing go-karts at 13, and enjoyed a meteoric rise in professional motorsports – all of which came to a tragic stop when he was killed racing in Italy in 1994, at only 34 years old.
There are still lively debates about the various factors involved in the crash (we’ll let you investigate those for yourself), but an Italian court later gave the official verdict as steering column failure. In the seventh lap, Senna’s car left the racing line and hit a concrete barrier at about 145 mph. He was extracted from the car in minutes, but one of the first responders on the scene, a neurosurgeon, noticed that Senna’s pupils were fully dilated, which meant his brainstem was inactive, and that he would not survive.
It was considered by Brazilian fans of the sport to be a national tragedy, and the country’s government declared three days of national mourning.
Today, his ghost is still said to haunt the Imola racetrack. Marshals patrolling the circuit at night have spotted the figure of a man crouching near the spot where Senna died. Some say he vanishes immediately, whereas others have seen him point his finger towards the pit area, say something incomprehensible, and then disappear.
Nobody has ever gotten close enough to speak to him, although there are legions of people who’d like to. Senna’s death was such a devastating event that it sparked a major overhaul of safety in the sport, and it’s been credited with influencing the development of innovations like the halo, a device specifically designed to protect the driver’s head in the event of a crash. It’s a comforting legacy, especially since some motorsport fans have said they’ve witnessed modern drivers walk away from even more dramatic crashes than the one that claimed Senna’s life – all thanks to the safety advances that his death helped inspire.
Alberto Ascari – The Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Widely regarded as one of the greatest racers of all time, Alberto Ascari was noted for his precision as a racer. At the time of writing, he shares the honour with Michael Shumacher of being Ferrari’s only back-to-back World Champions, which also makes him Ferrari’s only Italian champion.
Ascari won two major victories in the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, during the 1951 and 1952 Italian Grand Prix championships, respectively. It’s particularly poignant, then, that the site of his most famous victories would also become the place where his racing career ended forever. In 1955, Ascari returned to the autodrome to watch his friend Eugenio Castellotti test a Ferrari. Ascari himself wasn’t scheduled to race that day, but on the spur of the moment to hop in and do a few laps. He was categorically not dressed for the occasion, wearing cotton trousers and a jacket and tie. He even borrowed Castellotti’s helmet.
It all sounds like a quaint, jolly jaunt so far, which makes it all the more devastating to learn how it ended. Ascari emerged quickly from a fast curve on the third lap. The car skidded, turned on its nose and somersaulted twice. The Italian died at the scene. He was 36.
Today, some say that if you visit the autodromo on a crisp morning, with the wind rustling through the trees, you may sometimes catch a glimpse of Ascari’s shade standing at the trackside. A legendary driver famed for his racing ability, and widely beloved for his sportsmanship and camaraderie. A man who would not have been there at all on that fateful day, were it not for his desire to support his colleague and friend. It’s an amazing legacy to leave behind, and unlike poor Percy Lambert, Ascari’s ghost seems to be re-living an almost perfect day – two heartwarming elements of an otherwise heartbreaking tale.
And if you’re still in the mood for more ghostly goings-on, make sure to check out our post on the downright terrifying sounds your car can sometimes make. Alternatively, if you’re looking for something specific in our online car auctions, we’ve got no shortage to choose from! At RAW2K, we refresh our online car auctions on a daily and weekly basis, showcasing a variety of makes and models from some of the world’s top manufacturers, including popular brands like Peugeot, Honda, Citroen, and many more. Why not take a look around, and see what you can find?
