Rush Page #6

- Come on.

- Fine. Then let's race.

- Come on, Niki, let's race.

- Gentlemen, please.

Why are we here, Niki? Come on.

Well, all those in favour

of cancelling the race.

All those in favour of racing.

Gentlemen, the race is on.

- Ridiculous.

- What a waste of time.

You know, Niki, every now and then

it helps if people like you.

In places

the track is still dangerously wet,

but following a drivers' meeting,

a decision has finally been taken.

The race is going ahead.

Niki!

One minute to go.

Jochen's going on slicks.

You wanna change?

- Is Niki gonna change?

- No.

Then we stay on wets, too.

- Niki, okay?

- I'm good.

All right, fire her up.

This season's fight for

the Formula 1 World Championship

has so far been the story of two men.

Thus far, it's been going

pretty much the way of Niki Lauda.

But James Hunt

has qualified fastest here.

He is on pole position

for the German Grand Prix,

with Niki Lauda alongside

in the blood-red Ferrari.

It's a long race.

If the track starts to dry out,

the wet-weather tyres

will no longer be as quick.

Niki Lauda

and James Hunt, side by side

on the front row of the grid,

go away absolutely as one.

Lauda very aggressive on Hunt there,

forcing the McLaren onto the grass.

Lauda has the lead at the moment.

Lauda leads into the first corner.

Hunt is in second place.

Mass storming past Hunt!

He made the right choice

to go with the dry-weather tyres.

Mass passing Lauda now!

Jochen Mass, in the number 12 McLaren,

takes the lead!

Jochen Mass the clear leader,

with everybody else making the decision

to change tyres

after just one lap of this race.

He's coming in! Come on, let's go!

See? I told you to go on slicks.

You should have taken my advice.

F*** off. Where's Niki?

Behind you.

He made the same mistake.

Come on!

Come on! What's going on?

The tyre-changing frenzy has caused

a huge reshuffling of the pack,

- with Jochen Mass in the lead now.

- You're clear. Go!

Quick!

Lauda urging his mechanics to hurry.

Quicker, quicker, quicker!

It's a disaster! Come on!

What's going on, you a**holes?

This race has gone wrong for him so far.

His championship rival, James Hunt,

is a long way up the road.

Lauda passing car after car.

He's just going past

Mario Andretti's Lotus there.

Niki!

Get me out! Help me!

We have an accident

on the course. Red flags are out.

Several cars are involved. Looks like

it might be one of the Ferraris.

- Come this way.

- Come on, come on!

Keep trying.

- Come this way.

- Okay.

The ood, which swept

down Big Thompson Canyon in Colorado,

was the worst since records began.

In Formula 1 today,

victory celebrations were muted

after a horrific accident involving

world champion Niki Lauda.

Due to safety concerns before the race,

the Austrian had said

he would not take part,

but in the end he did.

He was making up for lost time

when he went off the track,

puncturing the Ferrari's fuel tank.

Brett Lunger was unable to

avoid the flaming wreck,

but was unhurt and joined with

the other drivers to rescue Lauda,

who was taken to Mannheim Hospital

with severe burns,

the incident reminding us again

of the dangers of Formula 1.

Niki Lauda was trapped

for almost a minute

in a searing inferno

of 800-plus degrees.

- Do we have any change this morning?

- No...

Frau Lauda. Frau Lauda?

- Morning, chaps.

- Hey, here's the man.

Looking good.

- What's going on?

- Jesus. It's Niki.

- What about him?

- He's here.

- What?

- He's racing.

Niki.

It's that bad, huh?

No.

In hospital I asked them straight,

no bullshit,

how bad my appearance would be.

They said with time it would be fine.

But it won't.

I can tell, seeing your reaction.

I will spend the rest of my life

with a face that frightens people.

You know, Niki, I tried to write you

a letter at the time, to apologise.

The drivers' meeting in Germany,

before the race.

- I swayed the room.

- Yes, you did.

That race should never have gone ahead.

No, it shouldn't.

So, in many ways, I feel responsible

for what happened, and...

You were.

But, trust me...

watching you win those races

while I was fighting for my life...

...you were equally responsible

for getting me back in the car.

- How are you feeling, Niki?

- Fine.

Niki, can you confirm to us exactly

which procedures you've had

and the expectations for your recovery?

Sure.

I had a skin graft operation,

where they put half my right thigh

in my face.

Now, it doesn't look too good,

but one unexpected advantage is

it's impossible to perspire

through a skin graft,

so sweat will never run into my eyes

again, which is good for a driver.

When they heard about your condition,

Ferrari immediately hired

a replacement driver, Carlos Reutemann.

Yeah, before even reaching the hospital.

Is Reutemann driving today, too?

Yes, and keen to make an impression.

So, let's see where Mr Reutemann

finishes and where I finish today.

James Hunt and McLaren have

caught up a lot while you were away.

Yes.

So is there a question now,

or are you just trying to piss me off?

You still think you can win?

Yes, of course.

I have the better car.

And possibly I'm the better driver.

But he's a clever guy,

and he's used his time well

while I was lying half-dead in hospital

to win some points.

And what did your wife say

when she saw your face?

She said, "Sweetie,

you don't need a face to drive.

"You just need a right foot."

I'm being serious.

Do you really think your marriage can

survive with the way you look now?

And I'm being serious, too.

F*** you. Press conference over.

- That was hairy.

- Well, you got noticed, Clive.

I'll tell you that.

I thought it went well,

to be honest.

They don't like it

when it's not going their way.

- Clive.

- That's the game.

- See you.

- See you later.

- James, are you all right?

- Good, yeah.

Listen, I think

I've got something for you

on that last question, about Niki.

- You heard about that?

- I did.

James.

Please, James...

Now go home to your wife

and ask her how you look.

Prick.

So Niki Lauda, just 42 days after

his near-fatal accident at Nurburgring,

will race here today at Monza

against all medical advice

and no doubt in incredible pain.

...Niki Lauda!

Photographers,

please clear the grid.

Niki, it's time.

Okay?

Please clear the grid.

One minute to go.

The returning Niki Lauda

seems overwhelmed.

He's being overtaken by car after car.

Lauda's off line.

He runs wide onto the grass.

He wrestles it back onto the track,

but that was a bad moment for Niki.

Niki Lauda's the reigning

world champion,

but maybe in his current state

he's a danger out there,

to himself and to the rest of the field.

And Stuck has collided

with Mario Andretti's Lotus!

Niki's boxed in. He's got nowhere to go.

Niki Lauda is actually

making a move. He's on Brambilla's tail.

He pulls out of the slipstream

to overtake.

Lauda's starting to find the form

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