The 10 Most Dangerous Race Tracks In The World

The start of this week saw a list of the 10 most dangerous roads in Britain. After a special request from one of our Facebook fans we took your feedback on board and researched the Top 10 Most Dangerous Racetracks from around the world. It's based on all aspects such as track deaths, structure, density and even society. Be afraid, be very afraid!

10. Baja 1000

The track itself is not overly dangerous, however it's the spectators that you should be worried about. Hardly any competitive event down the Baja peninsular has gone without kidnappings and/or shootings because of the notorious gang warfare. The most notable event was when a driver for Team Malo was kidnapped for nine days by ex-police officers!

9. Targa Florio

Obstacles you would have to face on this 45 mile course through the Madonie Mountains of Sicily include traverse mountain roads, switchback hairpins, mud, gravel, buildings and spectators. It was even dubbed 'too dangerous' to run as part of the World Rally Championships back in 1974. This was the track that took the life of Giulio Masetti in 1926. No-one has worn the number 13 entry since.

8. Spa-Francorchamps

This is the 1960 Belgian Grand Prix track which took the lives of two British Formula 1 drivers, Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey, within minutes after they both failed to negotiate Burnenville corner. Stirling Moss had a similar accident at the same corner the previous day which broke both his legs and several ribs. A total of 23 drivers have lost their lives on this track and today it bears little resemblance to its previous layouts.

7. Le Mans

With a 4 mile straight which lets cars reach speeds of nearly 260mph and drivers that are probably exhausted during involvement with the famous 24 hour race, you'd probably expect a serious smash or two. Le Mans still retains the title of the scene of the world's worst motor racing incident which killed between 80 and 100 spectators and injured 120 after Pierre Levagh hit an earth bank which flipped his car right into spectators' paths. After the incident, many Europen tracks were closed because of a ban until they were made safer. To this day, Switzerland still have the ban in place.

6. Daytona International Speedway

The NASCAR track, which is banked at 18 degrees on the start/finish straight and 31 degrees on the corners, has claimed 28 lives including Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 which motorsport press refer to as Black Sunday. Earnhardt died after his car hit the wall at around 160mph.

5. Autodromo Nazionale Monza

Formula 1 cars were banned from the high speed oval after the death of Wolfgang von Trips in 1961. It wasn't just him that died after being airborne as a result of hitting Jim Clarke's Lotus, 14 spectators lost their lives because of the incident. A total of 52 drivers and 35 spectators have been killed since the track opened in 1922. In the past, the track even crossed itself. Imagine the chaos Formula 1 cars would have to face if the track still did that!

4. Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Since 1909, the track has witnessed the deaths of 43 competitors with the most recent being the death of 13 year old Peter Lenz, who was run over by a 12 year old competitor on a motorbike in 2010. 7 spectators have died in total, 2 of whom died after the in-field structure collapsed.

3. The Paris-Dakar Rally

It was a race over the most brutal terrain in the world, and despite this not being a strict track, there were bound to be many deaths and injuries as a result of the routes it traverses. The rally had to be moved to South Africa in 2009 after a total of 45 deaths between 1979 and 2009 which brought up safety concerns.

2. Nurburgring Nordschilfe

'The Green Hell' as Sir Jackie Stewart calls it, is 12.7 miles long and has 73 corners (a strangely disputed fact). A lot of supercar and hot hatch manufacturers have been using it as a proving ground to boast about their record-breaking vehicles. Anyone in any car can go round it for a fee of €24 euros a lap. This is what makes it dangerous; lots of amateurs in cars and bikes thinking they know one of the longest tracks in the world when in reality, they don't. In public sessions alone, there are an estimated 3-12 deaths a year. It doesn't help that there are steep embankments right next to the track. So if you make a mistake, it will hurt. Oh, and the carousel.

1. Isle of Man TT

And the crown for the most dangerous racetrack in the world goes to the Isle of Man TT. It contains single lane country roads which are surrounded by stone walls, steep hills and even people's houses. Motorcycles that compete in the well-known race reach speeds of up to 180mph and that teamed with all the obstacles spells danger. Between 1907 and 2009 237 drivers died during official practices or races on the Snaefell Mountain Course.

Do you agree with the list or have you been in a near-death racing experience yourself on a more lethal track? Why not tell us in the comments box below or on our Facebook wall or Twitter feed.