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The IMSA GTP cars were my favorite racing cars and
Road Courses
are
my favorite tracks.
So I had a great time at the GTP race at the terrific
Riverside
International Speedway in 1986.
There was a senseless and horrific accident at Turn One in the
middle
of the race caused
by #$%&! Doc Bundy.
I never thought much of Bundy as a racer and this accident
that
HE
caused made me an anti Bundy fan for life.
Bundy (in a GTP Corvette) tried to pass Lyn
St. James (in her GTP Mustang Probe) and
the beautifully designed
GTP Jaguar (one of 3 in the race) into Turn One at
very high
speed.
Turn One, a narrow left hander, at Riverside is not a place
where
you try to pass equal strength cars. EVERYONE KNOWS this.
With this stupid move Bundy took out 3 cars instantly.
In milliseconds, tires squealed and cars grinded against each
other
as a big, long cloud of dust formed.
The Jag careened into the outside wall and the momentum took
him
along the wall for about 200 yards while the it disenagrated.
Lyn St. James' Probe flipped violently into the air as the
car's
body panels tore apart and were launched into the air.
Her Probe came to a sudden stop on the track, but had landed
on
its roof. Everyone
in eye sight waited for the talented
Lyn St. James to slowly exit her demolished race
machine.
We waited. Then the Probe erupted into smoke and flames.
Then we saw an upside-down Lyn climb out of the
cockpit. She
was swarmed by the rescue/track workers. She was okay!
I wanted to run on the track and rip Bundy apart for
attempting
a pass in a narrow high speed turn, destroying 3 beautiful
GTP cars and lastly, for putting 3 lives in danger.
But I couldn't run on the track, so I put my camera up to my
eye
and took these pictures:
Hats off to announcer Bill Adam for saying the truth "Doc got
in an area where he simply shouldn't be". |
