Unusual Race Stoppages

[PVDA]

I was thinking the other day about unusual things that have stopped races.

I'm not talking about torrential rain or collisions but unusual things.

To start things off I submit this;



Taken at Phillip Island here in "Sunny" Australia in September 2004 at an Australian Superbike round there.

There had been days and days of rain prior and during the Saturday the photo was taken and the drain under the track at Turn 3 could no longer keep up with the water and started to get closer & closer to the track.

Once the water got to the white line, also the apex of the corner, they pulled the pin on racing until they could unblock the drain and pump out the water.

[Asp]

A few years ago at Oulton (Island circuit), first lap of practice for the Legends.
The field get to (as is now) Hislop's, and completely ignore it. All of them deciding that the old way through Knickerbrook was more effective.
Red flag, everyone in the pits, pointed out as a group the "error of their ways" (with the clock still running), and they managed it correctly at the second time of asking!

[Novice]

Cant remember which race at The Goodwood Revival last year but it was red flagged due to an aircraft emergency. Suppose its one of the drawbacks of having a live airfield in the middle of a race circuit.

[Dave Brand]

Oulton Park F3/GT meeting, 2004 - the famous helicopter crash!

[Mark Mitchell]

Originally Posted by Dave Brand

Oulton Park F3/GT meeting, 2004 - the famous helicopter crash!

Famous? I'd never seen that 'copter in my life before then!

[JimW]

Donington - green flag stopped because a spectator's car had run down the infield at the Old Hairpin, leapt a bank and ended up on the track.

Jim

[bwatt]

Same thing happened at VSCC Cadwell about twenty years ago. A Mini hopped off the bank at the bottom of the Mountain.

[The Fat Clerk]

Couldn't start a race during last years Tour Britannia whilst at Donington because the Rescue unit had been left in the middle of the track with the engine running & the doors locked. Had to wait for someone to go and get a spare set of keys!

[RCMADD]

Originally Posted by JimW

Donington - green flag stopped because a spectator's car had run down the infield at the Old Hairpin, leapt a bank and ended up on the track.

Jim

i remember it well jim i was snatch that radioed it in, di did not believe me at first, it was just before the start of a race if memory serves me well, car (a mgf) rolled down from infield viewing leaped the fence and a ditch carried on rolling accross the track and ended up 2 whels in the gravel on the outside at old hairpin

that was the best fun i had all that year

[Col_Rugby]

Originally Posted by RCMADD

i remember it well jim i was snatch that radioed it in, di did not believe me at first, it was just before the start of a race if memory serves me well, car (a mgf) rolled down from infield viewing leaped the fence and a ditch carried on rolling accross the track and ended up 2 whels in the gravel on the outside at old hairpin

that was the best fun i had all that year

Is this a pic of the route taken?

http://www.marshalspost.com/images/tmp/bigynaazA.jpg




Col

[Joyce George]

Originally Posted by RCMADD

i remember it well jim i was snatch that radioed it in, di did not believe me at first, it was just before the start of a race if memory serves me well, car (a mgf) rolled down from infield viewing leaped the fence and a ditch carried on rolling accross the track and ended up 2 whels in the gravel on the outside at old hairpin

that was the best fun i had all that year

Was an MX5, gave us all a bit of a shock when we heard the crunch of gravel, picture made MSN & Autosport. I had the biggest problem tho', trying to the written report on it!!! On reflection, it was just before the start of the Legends final, - they would have probably missed it anyway!!!!!

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by Mark Mitchell

Famous? I'd never seen that 'copter in my life before then!

I was going to post something in the 'Resolutions' threads along the lines of 'be nice to observers'......I've changed me mind!

[Alan Crook]

I know your eye sight is not that good Dave but I thought even you could tell the differance between a fire car and a rescue unit.

[JimW]

Leave him alone - it was a vehicle and it was on track. Two out of three is not bad for a clerk.

Regards

Jim

[Andy Johns]

Years and years ago at a Thruxton truck meeting. Temporary chicanes consisting of cones & tyres had been put in by posts 11 & 17 to slow the trucks down. First lap of practise for Citroen 2cv's was redded because the chief observer should have led the cars round to show them the chicanes. By the time they'd all stopped, they'd been through the chicanes, but on the restart, a red faced chief obs dutifully led them all through.

[ensign14]

Monza 1000km in 1985 (or 1986?). Race stopped due to invasion of track by tree.

[Cornerworker]

A few years back at Mallory when the mini's had started practice and top gate was still open. Interesting sight to see Mini's exiting esses as car were coming into the circuit.

Oooops

[SteveR]

Many years ago at Donington, the local farmer moved his cows out of a field at the rear of the Old Hairpin during a race meeting. As the cows passed the gate into the car park, they decided that the grass in the spectator area looked particularly tasty and well worth a detour.

One stampede down the bank and a hurried red flag later, Aunty Di was dispatched to sort out the mess!

[lynxlad]

some years ago at cadwell light aircraft decided to land on park straight
in middle of practice.

[Caramba]

Monza 1000k stopped because of a fallen tree.

Pembrey a few years ago the marshall at post 5 sticks out a red flag at post 5 because he thought he heard the red flag warning buzzer. Other flag marshalls see the red at 5 & the reds go out around the circuit. Unfortunately it wasn't the red flag buzzer but a car alarm on a car parked behind post 5 - even more unfortunate it was the chief marshalls car !!

[Rich D]

Of course, there is always the legendary "Gimli Glider" Incident of 1983.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_glider

Of particular pride should be the paragraph near the end:

A minor fire in the nose area was soon put out by racers and course workers on the ground who rushed over with fire extinguishers.

And here is a pictuire showing the cars stopped, with the aircraft in the background.

[mattbull]

How about the race at Lydden that was stopped because a driver run himself over whilst attempting to put a small fire out and then the marshalls had to chase his car back down the hill!





Matt

http://www.matthewbull.co.uk

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by Rich D

Of course, there is always the legendary "Gimli Glider" Incident of 1983.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_glider

Of particular pride should be the paragraph near the end:



And here is a pictuire showing the cars stopped, with the aircraft in the background.

Gimli came up in conversation the other day....there must be someone on here now who was there on the day?? I have friends who were at the dance hall to the left of the pictured broken airplane who came out to see what all the fuss was about...

Who spotted the near silent glider? was a warning radioed through to Gimli??

I like this quote from the story...Sports car club had fire extinguishers galore, Jaws of Life http://www.wadenelson.com/gimli.html

[The SpeCTator]

Thruxton around 1975, practice halted when female parachutist landed in helicopter blades that were rotating. Sadly she perished as i think did the copter pilot.

[Sticker Rub]

Originally Posted by The SpeCTator

Thruxton around 1975, practice halted when female parachutist landed in helicopter blades that were rotating. Sadly she perished as i think did the copter pilot.

The same thing happened about 2 weeks after I did my jump at Thruxton in 1985. Is this the same incident or has it happened more than once?

Coincidentally, the poor woman was a housemate of a rally marshal friend of mine who I met 11 years later.