1964 German GP
Grosser Preis von Deutschland |
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Nürburgring |
August 2, 1964 |
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Ecurie Maarsbergen |
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Porsche 718 (201 / 202) |
No: 29 |
Q: DNA |
R: |
C: GP |
Carel's entry for the German Grand Prix had been accepted but that didn’t mean he had a guarantee to start. In his attempt to qualify the Ecurie Maarsbergen training car (718-202) on Saturday August 1 Carel crashed at Bergwerk. The Porsche somersaulted twice and Carel was thrown out.
He was transported to the hospital in Koblenz. The first notices were comforting – it seemed that Carel had suffered no more than a broken limb. But in reality he was diagnosed with severe head trauma, a broken breast bone and spinal injuries which resulted in paralysis.
The doctors at Koblenz could do little about these injuries, and on Sunday Carel was taken to the University Hospital of Cologne by helicopter. There, Carel died on Sunday August 2 1964, at 22:30.
The events of this fateful weekend are described extensively in Dennis Drenthe's in-depth article The day Carel went home forever.
Faithful mechanic Arie Anssems poignantly recalled that Carel, wearing a mad Beatle wig, had been saying goodbye to everyone in the paddock before getting into his car, almost as if he knew...