Page 86 - Decadence

almost certain to be crowned World Champion. As fate would have it though, by the end of the day one man would attain the ultimate prize, the other would perish face down on the track.
They were Ferrari team mates, each a master of speed, both masters of their own destiny, honed to perfection by the dictator that was Enzo and through the discipline that was the signature of the Ferrari stable of the late 50’s and early 60’s.
Personality wise they were continents apart, Hill, a constant worrier who was prone to vomiting before races (decades later a certain other world champion James Hunt would suffer the same anxiety and reaction before racing). Hill was more classical in his manner who liked listening to Bartok and Shostakovich, whereas the dashing von Trips enjoyed life as fast and amboyant off track as fast and gung ho as he drove his Ferrari on track. Both mens goal as drivers was to attain the perfect balance of speed and control, the holy grail that drivers called “The Limit“. To drive under the limit was one sure way not to achieve greatness, to go beyond the limit was to dice with mortality.Young rivals with a burning desire to win, living constantly in the shadow of death at every turn of their high speed wheels, The stage is set for the showdown in the sun at Monza which was referred to by many an Italian race fan as “The Death Circuit”.
Monza, the circuit nestled on the edge of the 500 acre chestnut woods of the National park. Its history was as deep and dark as the chestnut woods , many of the greatest ‘Piloti’ of years gone by had thundered round the Autodromo Nationale with its steep banks and turns only to lose their lives in what the tifosi called the concrete cathedral with it‘s ghostly memories. In the late 50s and early 60s the death toll was like an act of attrition as at least 20 drivers lives had been lost, suffering quite gruesome fates as the days of seat belts etc were a long way off with survival rates about 30%, not good odds by a long shot.
The race day starts with a cloudless sky and a soft September sun with the church bells off in the distance ringing for Sunday mass, the majority of the tifosi were already gathered and in good spirits singing and drinking, many having arrived the day before in all sorts of modes of transport from bikes to caravans.
The tifosi expect von Trips to secure the title as he led by 4 points (33-29) and was driving with authority since his win at the British Grand Prix, the season would not end until October the 8th at Watkins Glen, New York for the American Grand Prix, Hills home race.
Third or better would clinch the Championship for von Trips, and he would become the rst German Champion since the glory days of the 1930s when his heroes, Rosemeyer and Caracciola made their names.
Before the start of the race von Trips held audience with the gathered world‘s press, he had according to some already cheated death that weekend as a plane he may well have been on travelling from Dusseldorf to Chicago for an agricultural conference had crashed in a river after refuelling in Shannon, killing all but one passenger.
In the usual media scrum in the pits he was asked had he become a better driver since crashing in Monza in 1956 and1958? “No, only luckier” was his reply; and asked by another reporter why he wasn’t married he pointed to the ‘Sharknose’ and said “I am married to one of these“ He concluded the press conference with this statement......
“I love motor racing, were one has to ght to win.”
“To do this you must drive close to the limit, which I am always prepared to do. There is a very thin line between winning and crashing, you have to walk it like a tightrope.”
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