Lauda's Nürburgring helmet up for auction
A piece of Formula 1 history goes up for auction. It's Niki's helmet Lauda used in the accident at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, in Germany, on 1 August 1976. The relic will be sold on 4 May on the occasion of the Miami Grand Prix (it will be the day of the Sprint), with an estimate of 50 thousand-60 thousand dollars.
Since 1976, the helmet has been privately held in important collections of Formula 1 cars and memorabilia. The helmet, originally painted red with “Niki Lauda” written in white on both sides, along with the logos of Agv, Goodyear and Romerquelle, obviously has extensive damage, but that too of course is part of the story. The helmet will be sold together with seven other helmets of Ferrari drivers (Michael Schumacher in Monza 1997, Nigel Mansell 1989-90, Gilles Villeneuve 1981-82, Alain Prost in Monza 1990, Gerhard Berger 1995, Jean Alesi 1995 and Eddie Irvine at Magny-Cours 1998). A portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to UNICEF to support its vital work in providing humanitarian aid to children around the world.
The words of Lukas Lauda
Niki Lauda's son Lukas said: “We are happy that our father's legacy continues to provide help and assistance to those who need it most. The challenges faced by UNICEF in providing humanitarian aid to children around the world are enormous, If we can make a small contribution to improving opportunities for others, we are happy to do so“.
The near-fatal accident
The 1976 Nürburgring was a race that Lauda did not want to run, to the point of trying to convince his colleagues to boycott it due to the precarious safety conditions of the circuit, especially in wet conditions. On the second lap of the race, in the Bergwerk area, the Austrian skidded and hit the barriers: the impact set fire to the Ferrari 312T2, which, returning to the track, was then hit by Brett Lunger's Surtees. Lauda, who lost his helmet in the accident, was rescued primarily by Guy Edwards, Harald Ertl, Lunger himself and Arturo Merzario, who removed his harness and took him away from the flames and wreckage. The Austrian fought between life and death due to severe burns and respiratory damage (he even received last rites in hospital) but incredibly returned to racing in Monza, after 40 days, taking an astonishing fourth place. In the end the world title was stolen from him by James Hunt, thanks to the Fuji flood and Lauda's refusal to compete after facing death on the Nordschleife.
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