More Historics Weekend Excitement At Road America

[chop456]

2 years in a row.   

7/15/2006 - Incident Mars Kohler International Challenge at Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wis.—A bizarre road accident involving a McLaren Can-Am car put a damper on festivities on Friday evening July 14th in the Race Car Parade to Elkhart Lake.

A mechanic (not the car's owner) and his 13-year-old son were driving to the festivities in the long line of race cars when he decided to "light up" the tires along the way. He spun the rear tires for about 30 feet and then lost control of the powerful McLaren and it veered to the right, off the highway, narrowly missing spectators and flipped into a water-filled drainage ditch—upside down.

The driver of a Lola T-70 following just behind witnessed the accident and exited his car to help rescue the McLaren passengers, who were not wearing helmets. Driving in the opposite direction was the famous racer, Brian Redman, who also immediately stopped and ran into the water filled ditch to do what he could to help. Only the McLaren's underside could be seen sticking out of the water. Both passengers were pulled from the wreck and, amazingly, other than being covered from head to toe in muck, were relatively unscathed.

Redman said that if the McLaren had veered left instead of right, it probably would have hit his rental car head-on.

Meanwhile, here is another example of too much horsepower and not enough brains behind the wheel, that could have turned out much worse.

[Martini...LB]

Would there have been an excess on his rental car or didn't you ask?...

>Martini...

[Lorry]

I love the saying "Did you run out of road or out of talent".  This is clearly a total lack of talent.  This idiot has wrecked a McLaren Can am.  This is a hanging offence.  I just hope it was a production M6.

We have to remember what the old Bentley drivers say.  You're not the owner, just the custodian.  The damn things will outlive you.

Did anyone know that the Le Mans Classic was also a track day.  They cut it from 3 to 2 laps, but thats enough to buqqer a set of wire wheels.

[termietermite]

If he'd written Brian Redman off I'd have shot him!  The car is bad enough... sorely tempted.

[chop456]

I guess I should have included the pic from last year's incident in case anyone missed it or doesn't remember.



Yee haw. 

[termietermite]

You just made me cry and it takes a lot!

[Fax]

All I can say is that I hope Bruce's ghost haunts the dumb SOB who wrote off one of his babies.  He loved the Can-Am series and his cars and would have punched out the idiot for this behavior.
Fax

[chop456]

Just ran across pics of the incident. 





Full story: http://www.lolaheritage.co.uk/scrapbook/023/023.htm

[Boorish Grobian]

Those photos make me ill...
Again, more money than common sense, or talent.
Fax

[mgmark]

What a crying shame - and I bet that the owner was none too pleased with the mechanic......and all probably for showing off to his son.  Desperately sad though it is to see one of Bruce's best in such a state, it was fortunate that no innocent bystanders were hurt.  In the classic race car world, worse wrecks have been rebuilt, so it may yet return to the track.  The other pictures look like a very expensive parking mistake.....

MG Mark