At one point, the doctors had given up hope and a priest knelt at his bedside and administered last rites. Though he was alert following the crash, he eventually slipped into a coma and was left fighting for his life. The searing toxic fumes from the burning car had also damaged his lungs and blood. His hands, eyelids and forehead were severely burnt and his scalp and right ear had been charred by the flames. "Another 10 seconds and I would have died," says Lauda. His helmet flew off during the crash and Lauda was trapped for nearly a minute in the 800+ degree (Fahrenheit) inferno before several of his fellow racers were able to pull him out. On August 1, 1976, while racing in the German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring track in Nürburg, Germany, Niki Lauda lost control of his Ferrari Formula One racecar, which crashed into a wall on a bend, burst into flames, and drifted into the middle of the track where it was hit by another car. Left: Actor Daniel Brühl in the Rush movie. Was Niki Lauda really horribly burnt in a fiery crash?Īn injured Niki Lauda (right) faces the public after being on the verge of death. Ferrari disputed Hunt's victory and a hearing was held two months later, after which Hunt was disqualified and Lauda was awarded the win. ![]() Rival Ferrari later argued that the rules stated that even if a race was suspended, drivers have to still follow the course before accessing the pit. After a crash during the race, James Hunt took a shortcut to the pit via an access road, thereby not completing the course. Although it was not addressed in the Rush movie, Hunt's win at the British Grand Prix on Jwas eventually given to Lauda. Was Hunt's British Grand Prix win reversed and awarded to Lauda? Watch the Real James Hunt "Big Balls" Interview. In real life, when interviewer Stirling Moss asked James Hunt how he remained so fast after new regulations had forced changes to the air boxes and wings, Hunt answered, "Big balls." Thinking Hunt was joking, the interviewer laughed awkwardly and Hunt asked, "Can't you print that?" "But it's true," Hunt said with a smirk on his face. The Rush movie true story confirms that this actually happened. He once showed up to a dinner party in a black tie and flip-flops. Of course, this upset McLaren and sponsor Marlboro, which were very straight-edged organizations. James had a stipulation written into his contract that he did not have to dress formally for sponsor events. It was also not uncommon for him to race hung over.ĭid James Hunt really show up at sponsor events in a t-shirt and jeans? Hunt often got roaring drunk, took drugs and once urinated in public at a race, causing the fans to cheer when he finished. Another photo reveals a different patch that reads, "Sex: Breakfast of Champions", which is also seen in the Rush movie. A photo from 1976 even shows him wearing a patch on his racing uniform that reads, "Sex is a high performance thing". He claimed to have slept with more than 5,000 women, often having sex minutes before getting behind the wheel for a race. I like playing." The real James Hunt admitted he took advantage of the perks of being a Formula One superstar. ![]() "Uhm, define a playboy," Hunt said when asked this question in a 1976 interview. Bottom: Actor Chris Hemsworth recreates the pose for the Rush movie. Top: The real James Hunt poses with model Susan Shaw. As a joke, Hunt was later filmed polishing a sign on the back of his car that read, "Caution Wide Vehicle". McLaren won the appeal and Hunt's points were reinstated. McLaren and Hunt appealed the decision, arguing that the difference had not affected the performance of the car, to which Lauda and Ferrari grossly disagreed. In the scrutineering area shortly after the race concluded, James Hunt's car was disqualified after it was found to be 1.8 centimeters too wide. In researching the Rush true story, we discovered that prior to the race, Lauda had broken two to three ribs when he fell off his tractor in an accident at his home in Austria, leaving his physical condition impaired. In Madrid, Spain on May 2, 1976, James Hunt took the win over Niki Lauda at the Spanish Grand Prix. Was James Hunt's McLaren really disqualified after a race for being too wide? Every race could have been my last." -Telegraph "I was not as strict as I appeared in the movie," says the real Niki Lauda, "but I was more disciplined than he was.
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