BRM Medical And Support Vehicles

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HistoryIt was no secret that the earlier formula 1 races were incredibly dangerous. With minimal safety precautions and often substandard track safety protocols, it was sadly not too unusual for racers to be injured or killed in the sport.

At Spa-Francorchamps in 1966 Jackie Stewart came off the track whilst doing 165mph and in the subsequent wreck, he was pinned inside the cockpit and soaked in fuel. With no track crews or equipment nearby to help pull him free, it was his fellow drivers Graham Hill and Bob Bondurant that helped him to safety. After this, Stewart became an outspoken campaigner for better safety for the drivers with such ideas as full-head crash helmets or seatbelts which had not been previously implemented.

He had an ally in Louis Stanley, who helped provide funding for the mobile hospital unit that would accompany the team to their races in Europe. Built on a standard truck trailer so it could be towed easily, the medical trailer had a mobile operating theatre, it's own power and water supplies and refrigerators for blood. The design was so successful that BRM developed a version for public health care in developing countries.

With one of the trailers designed for the safety and health of the drivers, another of the support trailers would be used for the 'health' of the cars, coming equipped with a mobile workshop. Such was the camaraderie of the day meant that the mobile workshop would often see the engineering teams from BRM's rivals coming to visit to use the tools or equipment they brought with them.

Image - Historical

1971 British Grand Prix

Connections

OrganisationBRMDriversJackie StewartPersonnel Louis StanleyRelated itemsMotor Sport Magazine- "The Man Who Played With Fire" Louis Stanley Interview