Roger Williamson was one of Britain's up and coming drivers when he was killed at the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix. On the back of good performances in Ford Anglia saloon car racing and winning the British Formula Three championship in 1971 and 1972, he was offered a drive by the March team for 1973. He recorded his maiden win at a Formula Two event in Monza in June, but his Formula One debut at the British Grand Prix ended almost immediately when he was involved in a 13-car pile-up. A fortnight later, in the team's reserve car, he lost control, possibly as a result of a burst tyre, and his car rolled and careered in flames down the track. Fully conscious, Williamson was unable to free himself, despite the courageous attempts of another British rookie, David Purley, who braved the flames to try to right the car while marshals stood by and watched. Eventually a distraught Purley was led away and it was almost ten minutes before a fire engine arrived, by which time Williamson had died of asphyxiation.

Martin Williamson November 2009