Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Tom Pryce


 * The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted 16:41, 26 March 2007.

Tom Pryce
I've been working on this article since the Autumn of last year after seeing his horrific death on YouTube. I first saw Pryce's article was, to be it at best, a stub. I'm very happy about the way the article has taken shape now and I do hope it'll pass this FAC. The only concern I have is the fact that a majority of the references come from David Tremayne's book, The Lost Generation. My "excuse", if you like, for this is because the other usual resources I use, such as F1 encyclopedias and a book by Murray Walker only mention his death and only have either in the encyclopedia's cases: a paragraph and in Walker's book: a single sentence in the profile for Alan Jones - Oh and websites, except BBC Wales' article, are the same as well, either sourcing the Wiki article or just talking about his death and his potential to become a World Champion. Tremayne's book, however, goes into such detail about Pryce I needed to pick out the important bits! Anyway, hopefully that'll excuse the article's dependance on (almost) a single source.--Phill talk Edits 09:52, 14 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Nominate and Support --Phill talk Edits 22:03, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Comments: I think it reads well and is just about the right length for the importance of its subject matter. I don't think that the issue of limited source material is important, as one of the reasons that The Lost Generation has been a success is that there was previously very little available on any of the drivers featured. However, I can't help feeling that there must be a few more/better images available. The photo of Pryce in the infobox is great, and the circuit diagram is informative, but the Lotus shot is completely spurious and its captioning is tenuous at best. Can we have a shot of a car that Pryce actually did drive, rather than the could have, should have, would have reasoning for the Lotus' inclusion? Pyrope 11:39, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Reply: I've added a FU image taken at the 1975 British Grand Prix. Is that okay, Pyrope? --Phill talk Edits 12:15, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Support Those two images are a great addition, exactly what was lacking before. Pyrope 13:51, 14 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Comment Problem; based almost entirely on one source. Also, pls review WP:DASH and correct throughout.  Sandy Georgia  (Talk) 13:39, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Comment Not sure that's going to be actionable. The Lost Generation appears to be by far the best source for details on Pryce's life. I've gone through the material relating to the 75 season against a good hard copy reference for that year, and found that although I can partially replace a couple of the references, I'm really only doing it for the sake of variety, not because it's a better way to reference. By way of reassurance, comparison with other sources confirms the material in the article. The only inconsistency to date is, I think, a mistake in my source, not in The Lost Generation. Cheers. 4u1e 23:17, 15 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Comment: Was there an inquiry or some other investigation (eg coronial) which established the facts as they arose on the day? (Even one or two lines would address this, or careful editing of what's already there). This is the only gap I can see - the rest seems very sound to me. Orderinchaos78 02:04, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Reply: As far as I can tell from the chapter on Pryce's death, there was no report for his death in Kyalami, unlike the other two drivers mentioned in the book: Roger Williamson (There is a hell of a lot on him) and Tony Brise (A aircraft crash report). I believe Tremayne interviewed the people in question to get a picture of what happened on that day, such as George Witt (The chief pit marshal); Jacques Laffite and Hans-Joachim Stuck. Sorry if that doesn't answer your question Orderinchoas. --Phill talk Edits 22:00, 19 March 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for your replies. 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Support Provisional, 'cos I've got a few questions, but no serious concerns:
 * I'd love just a little more detail on how Pryce got into motor racing - I assume it was a racing school he went to at Mallory Park (pls clarify), why did he decide to go then?
 * No - Pryce had his first "taste" of racing at Mallory Park. He then went onto a series of school races run at Brands Hatch and Silverstone by Motor Racing Stables.--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * But what made him do it then? 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Ah, sorry, I misunderstood you. Pryce got into motorracing driving a baker's van. It's in the "Personal Life" section, second paragraph.--Phill talk Edits 09:47, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * "wasn't too happy" about winning the Grovewood award - I've put in quotes - can you confirm that this is a direct quote. I assume so from the language used.
 * I've moved the inverted commas and rephrased a bit.--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * OK - thanks. 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * "then found himself racing in the F2 series with Ron Dennis' Rondel Racing outfit" - How did this come about?
 * This came about after Pryce and Royale's successes in F3 and Formula Atlantic, however the plans never succeeded. Soon after Pryce recieved an invitation from RR to test the Motul M1 and after an impressive test, Tom was given a racing seat.--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Which plans never succeeded? Did Royale have plans to compete in F2? 4u1e 19:13, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, Royale's plans to go into Formula 2 never suceeded. I've had a go at trying to put that in the main body.
 * Excellent, thanks. 4u1e 10:50, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * There's a bit of a logical gap at the start of the Token section. Pryce competed in both F1 and F2 that year, but I'm not clear from the article how that came about. Could you expand slightly on the sequence of events?
 * Pryce drove for Team Baty with James Hunt as his teammate, he was replacing Hiroshi Kazato, who died in a car accident at Mount Fuji.--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Pryce didn't compete in F2 until June and his first F1 race with Token was in April  so did he not have a race deal at the start of the season? 4u1e 19:10, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * In F2? No. He was given a place in F2 because, as I said before ;-), Mr. Kazato's death and also because of his performance at Monaco.
 * But he didn't have a deal in F1 either (not at the start of the season, which began in January). What I'm getting at is that you have a young, obviously talented and successful driver but at the beginning of the 1974 season, he doesn't seem to be driving for anyone - despite having shown a taste for competing everywhere and anywhere in earlier seasons. It might be, for example, that he already had his arrangement with Token, a very small team, and was just waiting for the start of the rather limited season such a tiny team could put together. Or it might be that he had no deal to race for anyone at the start of the year, and was keeping himself free for whatever F1 offers came his way. That's what I don't understand! :D 4u1e 10:57, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I've had a go at it. Sorry, it's kind of confusing for me too!--Phill talk Edits 12:25, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * "BRDC International Trophy 1974" - retired after 15 or 16 laps? This site says 16, you have 15.
 * The sentence(s) in question, "...until a spin on lap 15 prompted a pit stop [...] He retired in the pits a lap later..." But the thing is, does "a lap later" mean "a lap [the leader made] later" or after Pryce made another tour around the circuit to see if the car was okay. I think what happened was the former.--Phill talk Edits 12:42, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Oh, interesting question! When you retire on a lap, whose lap is it?! Hmmm..... 4u1e 13:32, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * How about restructuring so it says 'Pryce retired after a spin/gear linkage failure (which was it?) on lap 15?' That way we don't have to establish which lap he retired on, just which lap the incident occured. 4u1e 13:38, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * 1977 Argentine GP - says pitted with gear linkage failure on lap 45, but suggested he continued afterwards. The results show him as having retired on lap 45. I've edited out the bit about continuing, but can you check and revert me if he did.
 * Well the line in question read this: "...until the gear linkage fell apart on the 45th of 52 laps. After a long pitstop he was too far behind to be classified...". I believe your revert was correct.
 * OK 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * 1977 South African GP - First practice was on the Wednesday and Qualifying was on the Thursday? This is unusual, can you elaborate slightly in the article?
 * Well, a rather nice picture on the 232nd page had this caption, "A wet road can be a great leveller. During Wednesday practice at Kyalami Tom was uncatchable, outrunning second fastest Niki Lauda by almost a second". So - Yes - Practice was held on a Wednesday.--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * But nothing to say why this unusual timing was followed? 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * There was a 6 week gap from the previous race, something I read on a forum (see post 22) suggests the teams were there testing for a week or two before the race; That would explain the running on Wednesday - anything to support that in the book? 4u1e 12:16, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes, about a paragraph.--Phill talk Edits 12:42, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * How about a footnote to say 'Although normally qualifying and practice sessions were held on the Friday and Saturday, with the race itself on the Sunday, on this occasion teams were testing at the circuit for two (?) weeks ahead of the race, taking advantage of the warmer weather.' This would avoid going into the minutiae in the article, but provide a response for readers who know that practice on a Wednesday isn't normal. 4u1e 13:38, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * "For reasons that were never explained" Pryce made a poor start. Is there any significance to this?
 * Well, Tom started on the grid 15th of a 23 car grid. By the end of the 1st lap he was at the back of the pack.
 * If there is no particular significance - other than he made a bad start - I suggest removing "for reasons that were never established" as it implies something odd happened and a poor start isn't all that unusual, for any driver. 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Removed.--Phill talk Edits 12:42, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks. 4u1e 13:16, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * "missing Bill by a matter of millimetres" - Is this a direct quote? If so, who from? Hard to substantiate otherwise (Yes, I have seen the video, but even so).
 * No - It came from this line by Tremayne, "He missed Bill by millimetres...".--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I suggest putting it in quotes (i.e. Tremayne reports that Pryce "missed Bill by millimetres"), then it's unarguable. It's the sort of thing that makes picky people (like me!) say 'that can't be true' (if it was only millimetres the aerodynamic forces would likely have sucked him into the car). It also can't have been measured, so can only be someone's estimation and no-one was that close. 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I've changed this - happy? 4u1e 12:16, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Indeed, thanks 4u1e :D.--Phill talk Edits 12:42, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * The quotebox from Stuck ("As we got to the top...") says 'sense' where I would expect 'sensed'. Is this a typo or is that the word Stuck (not a native English speaker) used?
 * No, your right it was sensed.--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * OK. thanks. 4u1e 18:54, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
 * "Death was almost certainly instantaneous" Is this a general belief, or can it be attributed to a suitable expert?
 * No - It's general belief, but I guess the fact that it's a head injury kind of supports that belief.--Phill talk Edits 07:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Can we get a quote from someone saying that death would have been instantaneous?
 * No, I think someone might of included that claim, because I can't seem to find it here.--Phill talk Edits 12:42, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Good article, Skully, I've enjoyed finding out more about Pryce. Cheers. 4u1e 01:05, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

Sam Blacketer 15:59, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Comment. This is a very comprehensive article on someone whose career was cut severely short. I have a few things, mostly stylistic, which I think could improve the article:
 * Sir Max Aitken, 2nd Baronet is linked as Sir Max Aiken.
 * Corrected.--Phill talk Edits 10:43, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * The Grovewood award could do with a stub article to turn the link blue; also, could it be explained why Pryce thought it a jinx?
 * No, all Jack Pryce said was that Tom thought the award had a jinx, no reason was given.--Phill talk Edits 10:43, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * When reporting the refusal to allow Pryce to compete in the Monaco Grand Prix of 1974, the word "inexperienced" is italicised for no reason.
 * Corrected.--Phill talk Edits 10:43, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * If memory serves, "Jansen Van Vuuren" was the marshall's full surname and "Frederick" was his first name, rather than "Frederick" being an unused name, "Jansen" being his usual name, and "Van Vuuren" his surname.
 * I've had a go at trying to re-word it. But I've kept "Jansen" in as it's the version that people widely use.--Phill talk Edits 10:43, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the changes. I now support featured status. Sam Blacketer 11:26, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article review. No further edits should be made to this page.