What Happened On This Day December 9 In F1 History?

What happened on this day, December 9 in Formula 1 history? Find out interesting facts and stories about Formula 1 on this day.

1920

Doug Serrurier, born in Germiston, South Africa, competed in three South African Grands Prix from 1962 to 1965, finishing only once, in 11th place in 1963. He constructed a line of racing cars under the name LDS, based on his initials. His first models were influenced by Cooper designs, with later models inspired by Brabhams. Serrurier and Sam Tingle primarily drove these cars.

1926

Ed Elisian, born in Oakland, California, first gained recognition during the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when he stopped his car in a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to help Bill Vukovich, who had crashed and was trapped in flames. In August 1959, Elisian participated in a 200-mile USAC Indy car race at the Milwaukee Mile, then known as Wisconsin State Fair Park. Driving a metallic green Watson roadster owned by Ernie Ruiz, he lost control on lap 29, spinning on oil from A.J. Foyt’s engine. The car struck the wall, rupturing its fuel cell and flipping over, igniting 60 gallons of fuel. The flames took over nine minutes to extinguish, and Elisian tragically perished.

1936

Born in Amersfoort, Ben Pon was a skilled sports car racer who competed in the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix. However, driving an underpowered Porsche too aggressively, he lost control, flipped, and was thrown from the car—amazingly suffering only minor injuries. After this scare, he pledged never to race single-seaters again, though he remained active in sports car racing into the late 1960s. His versatility extended to representing the Netherlands in skeet shooting at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and later, he established a successful winery in California.

1992

Ayrton Senna narrowly avoided a ban many had anticipated after the FIA handed him a suspended sentence for an altercation following the 1992 Japanese Grand Prix, where he had struck Eddie Irvine. During the hearing, it was revealed that Irvine, competing in his debut Grand Prix, had re-overtaken Senna after being lapped, leading to a heated confrontation two hours after the race that ended in a physical scuffle. “Irvine’s behaviour was exceptionally provocative,” said FIA president Max Mosley, “but Senna initiated the exchange in an intense manner. This kind of incident can’t be tolerated in the sport, so a penalty was necessary.” Irvine responded, “He was completely out of control and needs to be reined in. He thinks he’s God’s gift to racing drivers.”

1994

The debate over the cause of Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash in May finally erupted into the public sphere when lead investigator Professor Enrico Lorenzini shared his findings in a Sunday newspaper. Until that point, steering failure had been the primary theory. However, Lorenzini was quoted saying, “The rod connecting the steering wheel to the wheels was practically severed… it had been poorly welded about a third of the way down and couldn’t withstand the race’s strain. It looked like the job had been rushed, though I can’t say when. Someone tried to smooth over the joint after welding. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The controversy persisted for years, though a criminal case in Italy ultimately closed with no individual held accountable.

F1 Driver Birthdays 9 December

F1 Driver Deaths 9 December