Paul Jolly: Racer lost to Cancer at 29

Gunnar Nilsson was a Swedish driver you may never have heard of but he was Lotus teammate to Mario Andretti in 1977. Nilsson did not die on the track like so many did, but of testicular cancer in 1978.

Prior to Bernie Ecclestone appointing Professor Sid Watkins to oversee and improve F1’s dismal track safety record, there really was no one at each event who took control of this grisly side of things.

Each team entrusted their driver’s luck to the ability of local first aiders provided by the host country. In the event of an accident, and there were many in the 1970’s, the odds of survival were not good.

After a lacklustre period as the Lotus No.2 driver, with unreliability being the main issue, Nilsson got some lucky breaks at the Belgium GP and with wet driving skills and tenacity, he achieved his sole F1 victory.

Prior to the race, he was troubled by a groin inflammation and went to see the only person he knew and trusted for advice. Professor Frank Falkner, who happened to be my godfather, was the Tyrrell Team timekeeper, and who attended most races when his paediatric commitments allowed.

Knowing that Nilsson had a great race opportunity, the Prof dismissed the symptoms as just a rash and said to see him afterwards. It was after his race win that my godfather gave him the uncomfortable news. He ensured that Nilsson received the best possible care at Charing Cross Hospital in London.

Falkner acted as the unofficial "team doctor" for several giants in the field of motorsport. Among his friends were Ken Tyrrell, founder of the Tyrrell Racing Formula One Team, and John Cooper, founder of the Cooper Car Company.

Nilsson created the Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Foundation and dedicated himself to running it. In September 1978, Nilsson lost his dear friend F1 driver Ronnie Peterson in an accident at Monza, which most likely accelerated his decline in health. The most astonishing thing was that he went to Peterson’s funeral and passed away just five weeks later due to his cancer, aged just 29.