Saturday 5th March 1977

Tom Pryce (27) died during the 1977 South African Grand Prix driving for the Shadow Team. His team mate in the other Shadow car, Renzo Zorzi, had a mechanical fault and came to a stop off the track by the barriers, about 30 seconds ahead of Pryce. A marshall carrying a heavy metal fire extinguisher rushed across the track towards the car, with the race still in progress. Pryce, who was driving the next car on the scene, could not avoid the marshall and hit him at full speed, killing him. At the same time, the extinguisher struck Pryce full in the face, and despite his helmet, the force of it broke his neck and killed him instantly. It later turned out that the force of the blow had actually torn his helmet clean off his head, as it was found several hundred yards away from where his car finally came to a stop. With Pryce dead at the wheel, his car continued uncontrolled down the straight part of the track for some distance, until it finally struck another car at the next bend. This double tragedy brought about severe changes in the rules governing marshalling at Grands Prix.