Looking at his injury log, a few harsh realities emerge:

As they crossed the track near the brow of a hill, driver Hans-Joachim Stuck narrowly swerved to avoid them. However, Tom Pryce, who was following closely behind and unsighted, struck Jansen van Vuuren at approximately 170 mph (270 km/h).

However, midway through the domestic season, he was notably absent from the Knights’ playing XI. Whispers in the Bloemfontein press pointed to a . For a 21-year-old, this was a classic "back-too-soft-for-the-pace" injury. He missed four crucial weeks, a minor blip, but a sign that his skeleton was struggling to cope with the torque of his delivery.

Let’s break down the timeline of setbacks that have threatened to derail one of the most exciting talents from the Free State.

Frederik Jansen van Vuuren was a 19-year-old Dutch marshall who tragically lost his life during the 1973 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. His death is remembered as one of the most horrific accidents in Formula One history, not only due to the loss of life but because of the graphic nature of the incident which was broadcast to a global audience.

Frederik Jansen van Vuuren faces the same existential question as Shane Bond, James Pattinson, and many other quicks: Is the talent worth the fragility?