Richard "Dick" Seaman, what a story!

I was watching the Discovery Channel this morning and I saw a documentary called "Nazi Grand Prix". It was about the story of Dick Seaman, a race car driver in the early 1930's who made a decision to race for the Mercedes Benz, which was being run by the Nazis at the time. He was a brilliant driver, with the cunning ability of Michael Schumacher today.

In the 1938 German Grand Prix, Mercedes Benz ordered that Seaman not win the race and let his teammate, a German, to win the race since it was the German race and the German people needed a hero, who was of the same nationality! The German went out of the race because of a fire during a pitstop, and Seaman won the race. He saluted Hitler on the top step of the podium not once, but twice! It is rumoured that Hitler stopped watching Grand Prix racing after this race.

I won't go into the specifics of his life, but Dick Seaman lived the life that would look good in a Hollywood biopic. He was good-looking, really fast (for his time!), married a beautiful girl (Erica Popp) when he was 25 and she was 18 (I think), all against the wishes of his mother, and died doing what he loved. I was riveted to the story of his life, and a movie of his life would be a beautiful thing, provided a big name Hollywood director didn't direct it. Back to working on my health presentation now!