Niki Lauda has passed away

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gp-models
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by gp-models »

RIP Niki, so sad to hear this, another legend gone.
Take a stand!
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by Tiffoc »

A very sad demise... RIP Niki.
Niki the Rat..jpg
I've always believed that you should never, ever give up and you should always keep fighting, even when there's only a slightest chance.
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by JamesB »

Sigh.... first thing I heard on the news this mrning.
Soooo sad. Though I feared something as he was having a long recovery and there were few news.
Great guy, what can I say. Childhood hero, then hero again when we were teenagers... in a certain way a similar figure to our Angel Nieto, lost at same age recently. It was so good to hear their opinions, gone too early.
As Paul says, he'll be in our memories and our models.
Auf Wiedersehen Niki!
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by vekkuli »

RIP
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by kimi_8 »

In a massively sanitized sport, Lauda was a voice i enjoyed listening to and he usually spoke truthfully and with a lot of sense.

A huge loss for the sport as a whole.

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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by jaydar »

I am so sorry to hear. I guess my shock comes from the realization that legends are not immortal. As long as we had him, it was great to know that a man could be so dedicated to his sport that notwithstanding the devastating injury which would have ended most careers, he went on in the fashion of a champion.

Rest in peace, Niki.

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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by Seiiki »

I had read many books regarding Formula 1. Out of the autobiographies from all current and former drivers. Those written by Niki Lauda were my favourite. His legendary character on and off the track came out larger than life. It is amazing that Hollywood would be crazy not to have such a script written about him. Niki was the natural successor to the great Jackie Stewart after his retirement, and he took it one step further as in being a complete driver with top physical condition pre-Schumacher time. He was cunning and able to steer around a lot of the politics during his career. Certainly, it was not easy winning the contract talks with the likes of Enzo Ferrari, Bernie Ecclestone and Ron Dennis: Those were the toughest hombres in the F1 Piranha Club. Most of all, unlike other drivers. He always weighing the risk and reward ratio accordingly in everything, whether it was racing, business, family and life. There was always a fine line, to him, that he wouldn't dared to cross under any circumstances. Those who didn't know him well may ridiculed his thinking. But deep inside, he knew he made the right decision and was proven to be so.

Reading 'To Hell and Back', 'Meine Story' and especially the recent Graham Bensinger interview series revealed the legend behind the helmet. Also how he approached each task with a lazer focus and a sharp analytical mind for problem solving.

One of the events which stood out from my mind about Niki was his humility. In the aftermath of the Lauda Air incident in Bangkok which the Boeing 767 was destroyed with passengers and crews perished. Boeing immediately issued pilot error prior to the black box being found. Niki did not accepted the verdict, but he was keen to find out the actual cause itself. When the black box was found and the data of the flight being retrieved. Lauda insisted that Boeing stimulate the exact flight with the same passenger load and weather conditions. It found out that it was in fact a mechanical issue, from Boeing itself, which was the sole reason for the tragedy.

Niki insisted that he was doing it was not to avert the company's responsibility to compensate the victims' families. But he wanted to know 'exactly' what happened, just like any mechanical or driver's errors operating a Formula 1 car. He never pointed the blame but knowing the full extent of the problem, correcting it and making sure that it never happens again, was the only way to bring closure to the victims' survivors, but also for the aviation industry to learn from this tragic lesson.

Therefore, hardly anyone was surprised that he was doing exceptionally well in business. In particular to his 10% share in the might Petronas Mercedes AMG Team.

RIP Champ! 3 Times Thank You!
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by F1tommy »

Very sad to hear about Niki. He was an interesting driver and pilot. Even after the 767 crash he was totally faithful to Boeing. I think the cause was a thrust reverser engaged on takeoff.
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by Steffen_T »

With two persons in my family with a big interest in Motorracing I grew up with the name "Niki Lauda".
I suppose he was most likly the first motorracing person who's name I knew.
Through all the years I watched F1 intensivly, he was a part of the show. I didn't always agreed with his attitutes, but it's sad to see such a legendary person leaving us forever.
Rest in peace, Niki.
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Re: Niki Lauda has passed away

Post by Dede »

kimi_8 wrote:In a massively sanitized sport, Lauda was a voice i enjoyed listening to and he usually spoke truthfully and with a lot of sense.
Couldn't have said it better myself, exactly.
He was his own Man and the Impression I got was he didn't give a **** what anyone else thought of his comments.

I really Liked Him, a real Hero.

Rest well Niki, I think you've earned a rest.
Dede.
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