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31 May 2002, 09:13 (Ref:301159)
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#1 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,125
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Gordon's KABOOM
The topic never really came up in our discussions, but that fouled pitstop of Robby Gordon's sure turned scary. I've never seen anything like it before. As he pulled away with the fuel hose still engaged, not only did the hose break, but a flash fire burned its way up the hose and ignited the fuel tank behind pit wall. The lid was launched like a rocket and in itself could have proven deadly. Thank God that the tank kept its structural integrity. Imagine if the cars were running gasoline. It would have been a tragedy.
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31 May 2002, 12:04 (Ref:301378)
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#2 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 576
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There was a very similar situation (where the tank blew) that happened at Michigan in 1981. Since then, backflow preventers have been installed on the fueling hoses. This is the first time I have seen this since.
I think that the IRL was wrong to give Gordon Greg Ray's pit and remaining fuel. It was clearly driver/team error that caused the tank to blow and, subsequently, all of the fuel to burn up. Gordon's team should have been S.O.L. at that point and their race over. |
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__________________
"Be especially careful with ten or eleven laps to go, the wall may jump out and hit you" -Emerson Fittipaldi, 1995 |
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31 May 2002, 12:10 (Ref:301382)
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#3 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,043
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Didn't something similiar also happen at Indy in 1980 involving Rick Mears Penske?
I reckon it was ok to give Gordon Ray's pit box and rig, Ray wasn't using, though maybe a penalty should have been given, Gordon didn't even lose a lap in the end. |
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__________________
"The Great Race" 22 November 1960 - 21 July 1999 |
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31 May 2002, 13:16 (Ref:301480)
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#4 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 576
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Mears and his crew were splashed with fuel at Indy in 1981, the tank didn't blow however. Mears still has scars on his nose and face from this incident.
In the 1981 incident at Michigan which involved Herm Johnson, the entire tank exploded and it was a lengthy red-flag cleanup. |
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__________________
"Be especially careful with ten or eleven laps to go, the wall may jump out and hit you" -Emerson Fittipaldi, 1995 |
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31 May 2002, 20:23 (Ref:301839)
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#5 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 4,553
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Sadly I have not seen it.
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