[Hugo L.]

As they say, it's not how fast you go, it's how fast you stop. Any car that slams head-on in the back of another, completely stationery one at close to 110mph is not going to look pretty.

[windowlicker]

Steve Bernd's huge impact in Nelson Carter's Dodge Super Chief funny car. The car flew into the barrier and stopped instantly folding the front of the car in half. This massive impact can be seen on the seventies documentary Funny Car Summer.

[windowlicker]

Originally Posted by windowlicker ↗

Some possibly new to this thread photos of the tragic 1964 Indy 500 crash that took the lives of Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald.

MacDonald spun his Mickey Thompson owned 'Sears-Allstate Special' coming out of the fourth corner of the second lap after appearing to lose it after getting too close to Walt Hansgen's car in front. He hit the angled inner wall, the car exploding and running back onto the track. Poor Eddie Sachs had nowhere to go as the flaming MacDonald rolled up towards the top of the track. A second explosion rocked the crowd as Sach's car hit MacDonald's amidships.

Other cars managed to get through, some hitting the burning wrecks that had the drivers trapped in them. Johnny Rutherford hit Sachs hard from behind but somehow came out the other side of the inferno alive.

Some spectators spoke of seeing both drivers attempting to get out of the blazing cars, but both were unable. It took some time to put out the fire, perhaps over ten minutes. Sachs was found dead in his car, a white sheet was placed over him. MacDonald was cut out, somehow still breathing but died of his injuries within a couple of hours, mainly from inhailing the flames and smoke.

An hour and a half later the race re-started and A.J. Foyt went on to win his second 500 in a Watson, the last time a front engined car would win at the brickyard.

Original post from page 174.


Some more photo's taken from the crowd at the tragic 1964 Indy 500.

[The Dark]

Re the above post, I might have mentioned it before, but the new book Black Noon is all about the 1964 Indy 500 and is a fantastic read. It does go into pretty explicit detail about the crash, but is worth reading if you're a fan at all of the sport.

[Buford61]

Yes very good book. I filmed this with a 8mm camera from the front row of the Paddock Penthouse. Seriously changed my life - long story but basically racing fun and games were never the same again.

[Jrad]

one of the best threads on DR

[windowlicker]

I haven't been able to find anything about this photo other than its the Mustang bodied Brutus funny car of the early seventies that appears to have run over possibly one of its crew members.

[windowlicker]

I think most of these photo's are new to the thread of the tragic Le Mans 1955 crash...

[windowlicker]

Originally Posted by windowlicker ↗

The remains of of Jan Kopecky's Skoda Octavia WRC Evo3 after a crash on the 2003 Rallye Matador Tatry. Co-driver Filip Schovánek broke an ankle and both suffered concussion.

Original post from page 160.

A few more of Kopecky and Schovánek's amazing escape.

[windowlicker]

Russ Collins ran a number of amazing twin and triple motored drag bikes setting records and breaking bones during the 1960's and '70's...

One of Collins triples the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe was destroyed in a horrendous accident in Akron, Ohio in 1976 that left its rider in hospital for a number of weeks.

Russ was the first motorcyclist to break the seven-second barrier for the quarter-mile and in 1977 set a record that would stand for 11 years.