Ray this is incorrect. Matich suffered incredible burns in the 19B crash when the impact ruptured the fuel tank and slashed petrol over him. This caught fire. It was made worse because he was only wearing a nylon shirt rather than fire proof overalls.Originally Posted by Ray Bell
Initially treated in Brisbane hospital then transferred to a top Sydney hospital for top specialist care. He almost lost an arm from gangrene. He was out of action for more than 6 months. It took nearly 18 months to recover from the burns.
His first race after that crash was not until the Bathurst 500 in October 1966, that is 15 months later. He ran a Cooper S, and although a comeback after such a long time out, he set the fastest lap of the race ahead of the 3 BMC "works" Cooper S', which included Mini kings Foley and Manton.
Reply With Quote