[updated 11/1/11, 0819hrs] In a heart-stopping bit of news when I first saw the headlines, it’s been reported that the Gulfstream 150 that Rick Hendrick and his wife, Linda, were in, lost its brakes and ran off the runway at Key West International Airport.
The mishap took place Monday night.
For a split-second, fears from the 2004 event in Martinsville invaded my mind when I first saw the headline… but thank God everyone came out of this OK.
The Hendricks only received minor injuries.
The pilot knew they had lost their brakes before landing and fortunately the airport had just recently installed a 600-foot overrun on the runway they landed on.
The jet went an additional 100 feet beyond that.
The plane, technically, is owned by Jimmie Johnson Racing II Incorporated.
- The Dark Knight Rises is filming in Cairngorm Gliding Club in Feshiebridge in Scotland and one of the scenes that included some parachuting went a little bit awry.
From what could be told from the original article, it was very windy and the parachutist landed on a house and crashed through the roof. Apparently the wind contributed to the parachutist losing control, but he’s OK.
The Dark Knight Rises is Christopher Nolan‘s third and last installment of the Batman franchise movies.
Also of note is that there’s a possibility that Adam West could be making a cameo, but that’s not been confirmed or denied at this time.
The Dark Knight Rises will be opening in July of 2012.
Last night an injury occurred on the Chicago set of Michael Bay‘sTransformers 3.
During a stunt, a tow cable came loose and hit a car. In hitting the car, it went through the front window and hit the female driver. The car in turn, hit a barrier then coasted for another mile before coming to a stop.
Production was immediately suspended and the woman was airlifted to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Ill..
Production has apparently also been canceled for today also, though it’s not clear it’s related.
Folks, tow cables are the nastiest of monsters when they break. From my years of off-roading, I’ve seen first hand what happens when one of these metal entwined cables, being stretched to their capacity, snaps. They don’t snap often, but I’ve seen damages range from slight dings to the front bumper of the towed car, to punctered front grills and radiators. Imagine snapping a rubber band at something, but then, make it metal.
Our thoughts are with the driver of the Toyota and I hope she’s not seriously injured.
UPDATE: THR is reporting that the woman received a serious head injury when the tow chain whipped around, slicing into her car and then hitting her. She was an extra on the set. Everyone keep her in your thoughts.
It is never a good thing when participants in any motor sports event gets injured in an accident. It’s even more tragic when spectators get injured or worse in any sporting event.
In an off-road racing event called the California 200, located in Lucerne Valley, California, a truck competing in the event rolled over and off the course, hitting spectators. The accident killed eight fans, injuring 12 others. The tragedy required 7 ambulances, 9 fire engines and 10 rescue crews.
The race event is known for the crowds watching the event from locations that are right next to the race course. My thoughts are with those involved in this moment of tragedy in the auto-racing industry.
Mike Conway airborne in Indy 500 wreck (video below)
The Indianapolis 500auto race took place today. Dario Franchiti won, Mike Conway suffered some injuries to his left leg, ankels and knees from the wreck that split his car in 2 (video below) and yet, I had a few things stood out in my mind today.
Dario Franchitti won the Indy 500, leading the most laps,
NASCAR isn’t the only place that yellows can impact the race,
NASCAR isn’t the only race series that can be impacted by fuel mileage race,
That drivers get black flagged for blocking, (which confuses me,)
Making stupid passes on the inside can net you “orthopedic challenges!”
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I haven’t missed an Indy 500 in over a … well, a very long, long time. Today I missed the start, but picked it up 7 laps in.
In the ensuing crazy F2 race accident footage, the driver Ricardo Teixeira survived the crash at Marrakech. His luck is impeccable.
He slammed into the car in front of him, and like the best Speed Racer / Knight Rider impersonation, he barrel rolled through the air, landing on his wheels. He slipped and slapped around on the track a bit as he skidded to a halt!
In his Speed Racer impersonation, Teixeira passed (over) three cars, and the chicane.
Friday afternoon when I tuned into SPEED Channel to watch the Talladega practice session, within minutes I was treated to a replay of the Carl Edwards wreck, where Carl went flipping through the air in the late race accident at Talladega where Brad Keselowski snuck on in and won. (They never mention that in any of the replays.)
What I wasn’t prepared for was that I had to watch it at least 4x in the first 20 minutes of airtime. Dang, people, we got it! And yet, they are using any excuse to slide on over and replay it. It is, admittedly, rather spectacular. And it’s a great thing that everyone came away OK… even for the fan in the stands that got her jaw broken from debris.
I wonder how many times we’ll see it on ABC this weekend?
Well, here I am, adding to the fray – A YouTube version of the Carl Edwards Flip or wreck, depending how you’re searching for it on the internet.
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For the unintiated, this following vid is not an uncommon scenario that takes place at restrictor plate races… a function of slowing the cars down, getting them packed in together, dependent on each other for the speed needed to race…
During an event at Brands Hatch in Kent, Jack Clarke lost control of his car, hitting the tire barrier between Westfield Bend and Sheene Curve.
In a sad set of freak circumstances, Clarke’s tire was torn off his car and it subsequently bounced / rolled back onto the track. A few seconds later, while Surtees’ was coming by, (several cars had passed laready) the tire took a freak bounce and ended up striking 18-year-old Henry Surtees in the head, knocking him unconscious.
He passed away thereafter.
It’s a tragic and sad event and our hearts go out to the family, friends and peers.
There are plenty of videos out there if you must see this, but this site will not host such.
Brad Keselowski came from a well placed race car running behind the race leaders to take the win amidst a spinning coud of debris that was spewing off of Carl Edwards airborne car. Keselowski’s first win was marred by a spectacular, fan threatening accident, but non-the-less, it was his first win.
This is Talladega. Take it or leave it.
The day started out with the “big one” early on, not even 8 laps were done when Kenseth and J. Gordon tapped in traffic, taking out a large number of cars behind them.
The thinned out crowd of cars raced on through the day, but a little bit more of a wreckage happened, taking out more big names from the end moment of the race.
I was watching the SPEED TV coverage of the ARCA Talladega race today.
It was the usual coverage that I’ve come to expect from SPEED. That is up until the “Big One”, ARCA style.
With 9 laps to go, it happened and one of the cars that got it more than most was Bobby Gerhart.
He got spun, then hit hard, then hit the wall hard, then hit again pretty hard. His car came drifting down to the middle of the track.
He was conscience, but he wasn’t getting out. SPEED showed the scene as Bobby handed things out the window, but was not getting out. He was in the car and never came out. Track personnel were there next to his window… then the ambulance pulled up. Rut roh!
[updated 11/1/11, 0819hrs] In a heart-stopping bit of news when I first saw the headlines, it’s been reported that the Gulfstream 150 that Rick Hendrick and his wife, Linda, were in, lost its brakes and ran off the runway at Key West International Airport.
Brad Keselowski came from a well placed race car running behind the race leaders to take the win amidst a spinning coud of debris that was spewing off of Carl Edwards airborne car. Keselowski’s first win was marred by a spectacular, fan threatening accident, but non-the-less, it was his first win.
