Memories of 1999 - big crash!

[Matt Harper]

I suspect that blow-overs are a bit of an occupational hazard in sportscar racing, on low downforce circuits in particular. A Porsche 911 GT1 suffered an almost identical accident at Road Atlanta in 1999 (I think). The 'yump' in the track, both on the Mulsanne and at RA was thought to unsettle the front suspension (aided by the loss of a front canard, in the case of the Merc), allowing air to get under the front of the cars, which were both worryingly aerofoil shaped in profile. The Wright brothers theories took care of the rest. I'm fairly certain that a Sauber took flight in an early 90's practice session too - no doubt one of our experts can confirm or deny. I think it did a full 360 back-flip and ended up back on it's wheels.
The most troubling incidents on the straight in recent times seem to have stayed on the track. The Nimrod collision in 84 (or was it 85?) involving Olson and Salmon was very, very scary though neither car broke the surly bonds of earth. Both La Fosse and Gartner only became airboune after colliding with the guardrail, I believe.
I met Peter Dumbreck recently - he was obviously weary of recounting the details of his flight, but he said that the front end lift happened so gradually that he was only aware of it when the steering wheel stopped working!
 

[Dark Warrior]

On the CA site in the race history, 1999 coverage...

www.clubarnage.com/lm99/99images/1999_race/index.html

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page theres an MPEG of the Merc...

Scary...

[Fax]

Road Atlanta has been the scene of several alarming blow-overs.  In addition to the Dalmas flip in '98, Bill Auberlin repeated the trick the following year in a BMW LMP, same spot, almost identical gyration.  These two joined an illustrious list that includes the late great Mark Donohue, Denny Hulme and Hurley Haywood who all flipped Ca-Am machines over the Road Atlanta Flugplatz in the early seventies.  Donohue being the only injury of the lot when the tail section of his Porsche 917/10 became detached in an accident horribly similar to the one that claimed the life of Bruce McLaren at Goodwood in 1970.  The Dalmas and Auberlin flips both coming when they were running closely behind another car when cresting the brow.  The Sauber flip happened in the mid-eighties with John Nielson at the wheel, the machine amazingly coming to a rest right side up but with a very rattled Dane behind the wheel.
John

[Steve Pyro]

Blow overs aren't restricted to roundy roundy racing.

Drag racing has had it's fair share.
This picture of Don Garlits' blowover resulted in a Vertical wheelstand, smashing the rear wing and damaging the rear end - all whilst at 200+mph.

The car then rotated on it's rear, dropped onto 4 wheels (smashing the front part of the chassis) and started back towards the start line!!

Two blowovers in close succession prompted Garlits to pull out of drag racing shortly afterwards.

[Steve Pyro]

Then this happens

[Steve Pyro]

Boats can do it too

[Fax]

This is all that remained of Mark Donohue's Penske Porsche 917/10
after the rear bodywork tore off cresting the hump on Road Atlanta's back straight while testing two weeks prior to the start of the 1972 Can-Am season.  The fact that he came away from this with nothing worse than a couple of torn knee ligaments is nothing short of mind-boggling.
John

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[Ruptured Duck Motorsport]

I have a very nasty collection of movie files that a mate supplied me - mostly grusome F1 stuff from the 70s