The 200mph Phoenix
The story of Niki Lauda’s incredible comeback to F1 racing

Niki Lauda had a bad feeling. The German Grand Prix at the infamous Nurburgring track, nicknamed “The Green Hell”, was only days away, yet safety measures were not yet in place on much of the fearsome 14 mile Norschliefe portion of the track. Crunched with hair-pin turns, bumps and dips that could send cars flying, much of the track was simply too narrow for fire and safety crews to safely be present. Known for his intense love of racing and genuine care for the sport, Niki pleaded with the drivers and the organizers of the race, spearheading a boycott of fellow drivers who shared similar concerns for their safety. Yet, through shallow politics and minority support in a vote, the boycott was unsuccessful. The race would go on.

On August 1, 1976, the Formula 1 racers emerged from the shadows of their pits. The weather had yet to improve as a weekend of rain continued into the day of the race, forcing the cars to change into specially formulated “wet” tires for driving in the rain. As the pitter-patter of water droplets bounced off of Niki’s new foam composite helmet, the call was made and the tires of his Ferrari 312T2 laid a path of rubber on the aged German concrete as the monster flat-12 cylinder engine roared to life from idle. Taking the lead was fellow Ferrari driver Regazzoni, as Lauda fell towards the back. It was too early to judge the race, as while having a sub-par start, Lauda had previously set a record on this track in ’75 as the first person to break the 7 minute mark, virtually guaranteeing a good finish in this race. The pressure was on as new rules and new modifications to the cars meant that Lauda had a lot to live up to, and his team was counting on him.

Early in the race, the sun emerged and the tracks dried, forcing him to make a pit stop to change to “dry” tires. Already strapped for time, Lauda had to show that his sheer driving ability could move him back to the front of the pack. Racing to make up for time, a quick right turn followed by a sharp left kink stood between him and the rest of the group. Snapping the wheel to the right, the following left turn was un-successful, due to a proposed suspension failure on the Ferrari, slamming his car at full speed into the solid dirt bank that skirted the track. Taking the blunt of the impact, his car immediately engulfed in flames as it was thrown directly back into the track, as fellow racers Harald Ertl and Brett Lunger both drove full speed into the wreck. Flames leaped into the air and smoked danced on the track as all but one of the drivers emerged from the crash. Niki Lauda was trapped.

As fellow drivers flocked to the rescue, the high-octane fueled fire was simply too much for them to contain. Flames licked the open cockpit of Niki’s car, melting the foam helmet right off his face. Fire searched for every available surface to burn, claiming part of his scalp and half of his right ear before he was dragged from the wreckage, a screaming fireball of twisted metal at this point. Standing, devoid of part of his head, he was only momentarily conscious before lapsing into a coma and being rushed to the hospital.
Lauda had crashed right where he warned most drivers would. It was several minutes before the safety cars and fire crew could even get to him, with crew on the ground stating that, had the other drivers not stopped and aided in his rescue, they would have been pulling out a carcass instead. The race went on but the Norschliefe was done. The Green Hell would be retired.

Treated for his burns, Lauda opted out of plastic surgery, only repairing his eye lids so he could see again. Horrifically scarred so bad that even his wife feinted when she saw him, he emerged only four weeks later with a cap and bandages at a press conference shocking the world. No they were not shocked at his appearance; he had just told the world that he would be racing again soon, very, very soon.
A mere six weeks later, cherishing the Italian sun, Niki braced for the Italian GP. Peeling blood soaked bandages off, replacing them with fresh ones and a specially formulated helmet to account for his wounds, he sat behind the wheel along side his fellow racers, his friends and his lifesavers, and started the devilish 500+ horsepower demon he now rode in. He was not being brave, in fact he was quoted to being absolutely terrified. He simply loved to race and race he did. Niki Lauda finished fourth that race. He then won the world championship in 1977 and 1984. Lauda was never finished racing. He was reborn.


