Bobo, Pew, Herrington & Jaeger in BIG crash at Montreal

[sydude]

I just got a call from Gerardo who wanted me to let everyone know that he and the others are ok. Evidently there was a huge 20 car pileup at the first corner on the first lap, and Bobo, Herrington, Pew and Jaeger were among those to have been injured. Bobo was on his way to the hospital to X-Ray his foot when he called, and he said the others were enroute as well. He said that the others suffered worse injuries than him, but they will all recover. He said the accident was so bad that his car is in 400 pieces.

[George Sladky]

Bobo's car did look pretty bad rolling through the padock on a flatbed.

But on the bright side Matt Varsha finished second.

[MJAmok]

I spoke with Herrington's dad who days he is ok. Word from Velocity is that Pew is also ok. Dazed perhaps, but physically ok. From the JumboTron, it looked like Pew went airborne and flipped a few times in the air.

It also looked like Herrington may have been the catalyst for the whole thing... trying an outside pass in Turn 6 on the first lap... looked like he went straight off and into the wall. Caused a big chain reaction.

Two drivers (at least) were air-lifted to the hospital.

Bobo's car looked fine on the left side. There was, however, very little left of the right side.

Glad our guys are all (relatively) ok.

[Michael Edwards]

Thank God. They are truly "our guys".

[sydude]

Here's part of the race report from starmazda.com that was just posted:

June 24, 2006. Montreal Quebec, Canada. Driving the #14 Rockford Fosgate World Speed Motorsports Mazda, Adrian Carrio, from Monument, Colorado, earned his first career Star Mazda victory today on the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Round Five of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear, being held in conjunction with the Formula One Grand Prix of Canada. Carrio would lead every lap to take the checkered flag ahead of Matt Varsha by 1.482 seconds in a race marred by an opening lap incident towards the front of the field that knocked 15 of the 42 competitors out of the event and shortened the race, originally scheduled for 26 laps down to eleven laps.

The opening lap trouble came as the cars entered the high-speed right-hand kink on the backstraight when Herrington and Michael Potekhen touched wheels, sending Herrington into the tire barrier and back onto the circuit. Chaos followed as the cars behind all tried to avoid Herrington and each other. "I came up on the blind corner flat out and all I could see was smoke and waving yellow flags," John Faulker described. "I hit my brakes as hard as I could and flat spotted my right front tire but was able to find a way through the accident."

"Coming down to the green flag for the start of the race Daniel and I were wheel to wheel and I was able to hold on on the outside of turn one and then move into first place in the right-hander so I was ahead of the incident and really didn't know what happened until we came around and stopped for the red flag," Carrio explained. "Once the race resumed it came down to managing my tire temperatures and running consistent laps. I have to thank World Speed team owner Telo Stewart, my engineer Mike Doyle and everyone else at World Speed for all their hard work this weekend and hope that all the other drivers are okay."

Varsha, who earned his first podium finish of the season with the second place finish in the #45 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda, was also ahead of the incident but disappointed to lose the chance to put on a show for the fans. "As I came into the hairpin on that first lap I could see the screen showing the crash and at first I thought it was a replay of something else," the Atlanta, Georgia native explained. "If we had made it through that first lap I think we could've put on a great show for all the Formula One fans and it was sad to see so many good drivers knocked out of the race. When the race resumed I was able to get around Ryan Justice, who had to stop on pit lane for a penalty, and then jump past Potekhen and Kevin Lacroix as they fought each other in the hairpin. Despite everything that happened it is still nice to get a podium finish as we continue to look for sponsorship to keep the season going."

Potekhen, driving the #53 Avenue Communities Apex Racing Mazda, emerged from the opening lap contact with Herrington with relatively minor damage and was able to battle his way to the final podium spot of the weekend. "Daniel and I were running side by side through the sweeper and I was as close to the inside wall as I could get, my car got a little loose and we touched wheels", Potekhen explained. "The marbles from the Formula One cars in that corner were really bad if you went off the racing line and there was no grip. After the red flag I was locked in a battle with Kevin Lacroix for second place but Matt was able to get around both of us when Lacroix pushed me out wide in the hairpin, as we drove side by side Matt was able to open a gap on me to the finish."

Daniel Herrington, Gerardo Bonilla, Brad Jaeger and John Pew were all transported to local Montreal hospitals for further evaluation for non life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash and all were reported to be in stable condition.

[LimeRockRacer]

I am so very glad to hear they are all OK. Our best to our guys.

[dalyduo]

So sorry to hear this shocking news. Glad no life threatening injuries. Quick healing to all.

Congrats to Matt for his P2.

Murphy's law that Potekhen who touched wheels with Herrington and started the whole mess, went on to a P3 finish... Go figure... it's the old "Better to be lucky than good." equation.

[Kasey]

"...an opening lap incident towards the front of the field that knocked 15 of the 42 competitors out of the event ..."

That is a huge field! These Star Mazda starts are nuts. Lap 1 at Sebring was a problem as well if I recall. Can you imagine running a Skippy race with 42 cars on track? Hats off to these guys for making it through clean as often as they do.

Hope everyone heals fast.

[arig]

How is Charles Anti?

[dalyduo]

With all the hub-bub we missed that Charles had a personal best Star Mazda finish in P8! Congrats Charles!

Originally Posted by arig

How is Charles Anti?

[Gerardo]

Greetings.

Herrington checked out of the hospital today. He'll be fine. Brad Jaeger is staying overnight for observation. He got a big whack on his noggin in the crash, but we expect him to be okay as well. John Pew is also staying overnight for observation, and likewise, we expect him to be released with no major issues. I was released today after x-rays came back negative.

It was epic. The way I described it on my radio to the team were words I had never used in a race car before. "Big, big, big major crash in Turn 5. We're all out. My car is gone, going to jump out to see if everyone else is okay, signing off."

John Pew's car helicoptered according to witnesses. Everyone had multiple contacts. I hit Herrington as he came crashing back across the track. He was airborne after his first hit. I'll never forget seeing him come at me. I closed my eyes before the hit. I knew I'd hit the wall too, but I've got experience with that now, so it worked out. Wham, kablaam, then boom boom boom boom as more cars hit me and each other. I'll post photos when I get them, but there was almost nothing left of my car. Auriemma said my left side was still there, but I think he saw another car, as my left side was completely cleaned off, and the right side was almost as gone. Gearbox, tub, I'm basically a total loss. AIM Autosport wrote off two of their three cars. Other teams had multiple cars involved. There were parts strewn about the track. The grass was brown with oil. They'll be talking about this one for a long time.

But we're okay, and we'll fight back.

[5&counting]

Bobo, Glad you John and the boys are OK. Call you later today.

[rhpearson]

Phew. Glad to hear you're ok Gerardo, and the others. I had no clue, picked up my Montreal Gazette and read about it. My heart stopped a sec when I realized someone I knew was involved. It always sucks to read drivers are hurt, but man... when you see someone you know.

Very relieved to see your post here and that everyone is going to be ok.

Robert

P.S. Give me a ring if there's anything you need here in Montreal (check your PM).

[kwlorentzen]

Good to hear all should be okay. Thanks to Gerardo to the recap.

It probably goes without saying, but it's worth repeating: it's amazing how much safety is built into these race cars that keeps our friends as safe as possible. Look forward to seeing and hearing about all of you back in the cars and having success.

[dlippert]

Wow! I have been totally out of touch for a couple days, so this is huge news to me. I am very happy that everyone is OK.

[Matt]

What a scary moment. The only tv camera that picked up the shlamozzle was a bit far away, and with the sun glaring directly on the big jumbotrons in the pits, we could barely tell who was who. For the most part it was a guessing game who was involved, we had to wait to see who made it back to the pits and front straight. A lot of crews had no radio communication with their drivers. Funny you said all that on the radio Gerardo, because Remi only heard "my car is gone". Nobody knew if you were okay. AIM had no radio contact with Daniel. It was pretty much pandemonium in the pits until other drivers made it back and reported who was okay.

John was airborne long enough for Jaeger and Ross Smith to drive underneath him. Then he got pulverized by 3 more cars once he landed. Poor Herrington was also hit 3 or 4 times AFTER his initial hit with the wall and bouncing back off Bobo's car. Thankfully nobody's injuries were any worse, and I must add amazing that Daniel's injuries aren't worse. I heard he was walking by the end of the day, albeit with crutches.

Herrington had left Potekhen enough room. From one view you could see Potekhen get a little sideways and his LR tapped Daniel's sidepod. They were still on line at that point, then Potekhen ran an inch wide and they made wheel-to-wheel contact that torpedoed Daniel's car to the left like nothing I've ever seen. I'll bet if we could see data on Daniel's car that there were mere tenths between the contact with Potekhen and the time he hit the wall. He barely scrubbed any speed by the time he hit. Bobo, what kind of speeds are you seeing in that corner?

[Gerardo]

Over 100 mph, but I didn't check it in the data. It's 4th gear, flat. A bit dodgy, but not a big deal when you're on line.

[John Greist]

Originally Posted by dlippert

Wow! I have been totally out of touch for a couple days, so this is huge news to me. I am very happy that everyone is OK.

I've been out of touch too until Bobo's email arrived. No run offs at Montreal. Thank God for strong cars.

[LimeRockRacer]

Bobo...I am glad to see you are fine. God wiiling you wont have too many more of these in your career ahead. Shit happens too fast. I cant imagine being in the middle of 42 car field!

Chris

[jlowe]

Between you guys and Joey Hand at Mid-O (huge cartwheeling mess on last lap of the GA race yesterday) that's an incredible testimony to modern safety measures put to extreme tests. We should all be thankful, not only for our good friends' good fortune, but for the better, safer standards under which we race. Although my accident in Las Vegas pales in comparison to what I've seen this weekend, I know first hand the value of today's equipment. Unfortunately, in my "other job," I know too well the end results of less protected circumstances also. We're lucky.
Wear your HANS! If you don't have one, don't race until you get one.

[CMitchell]

I'm glad to hear everybody's okay.

The quality's bad, but you get the picture...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0XMBs-Cfk...h=star%20mazda

[PT Cruiser]

That is definitely one of the nastiest chain reaction pile-ups I've every seen, in any series. It brings to mind Jody Sheckter's infamous 1st lap accident at woodcote corner back in 1973 that took out more than a third of the field at the British Grand Prix in about as long as it takes to read this sentance.

I imagine that this is NOT the way that John Pew wanted to make his Sportscenter debut.

VERY thankful that permanent damage was done only to the cars, not the drivers.

[cdh]

if you haven't read it, Bobo's retelling of the story is now on his site

.

[jcraige]

Glad to hear everyone is ok. I had no idea this happened.

[jdr922]

Just learned of this now......glad you're ok Gerado and the others too!

[Charlie25]

Originally Posted by arig

How is Charles Anti?

I think I was the only car that made it through. When I came around the corner all I could see was Herrington's car sideways in the middle of the track with no wheels, cars running into eachother and dirt and dust was blocking everything. I couldn't stop in time so I went for the one place that looked like there might not be a car in the way, and
miraculously made it through with only taging Jay Pocente's right rear with my left front. It knocked the steering off center but I was able to continue. The in-car video is incredible, I'll get it on cd and put it up in a couple days. Not the way I wanted to get my first top-10, I'm very glad everyone was ok.

[jdc916]

Glad to hear everyone is ok

[Christian Chandler]

Yikes,

Amazing that there were no serious injuries at Montreal.

I watched Joey Hands' BMW crash at Mid-Ohio yesterday. Had to be the most spectacular single car accident I've ever seen. He hit front, back, left, right, top and bottom. A great testament to the safety of modern cars that he was not injured.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxnzh...ch=joey%20hand

[MJAmok]

This is some sport we're in, huh?

I think while we are all thankful that our friends are all ok, we should take note of the seriousness of what we do for fun or in some cases for a living. While the safety features all did their job this weekend, we shouldn't get complacent. Rather, we should pay more attention. Tighten those belts, put on arm restraints, buy the damn HANS, etc.

This isn't an amusement park ride.

[jdr922]

MJ...I am not aware of arm restraints...please advise

[MJAmok]

Important for an open wheel car... they wrap around your arm and buckle into the harness. They cost $30 and 15 minutes of adjusting.

The objective is to keep your arms inside the cockpit in a rollover. Imagine Joey's crash in an open wheeler. You'd want your arms tied down.

Everybody thinks it can't happen to them. This weekend proves that wrong. Again, we are fortunate that we all woke up this morning.

[Matt]

On a lighter note, classic Matt Varsha to confess to watching the tv screens while racing.

[juicysue]

Hey Guys, just wanted to chime in to say "Glad you're all OK" along with the rest of our TJR friends. But I have one question...Charles, how the heck did you know whose car it was that you tapped??? With all the mayhem and dust, dirt and debris flying, how the heck could you see anything? I'm impressed that you are that in tune and focused!! Congratulations on a great finish!

Bobo, your recounting of the story is amazing! My ten-year-old daughter pointed out your excellent use of onomatopoeia in the retelling. And yes, I did have to look up the spelling of the word.

Good advice on Thumbelina's part regarding the arm restraints. Michael when you say "fifteen minutes of adjustment" does that mean each time you get in the car or just to get them at the right length when you first get them? Either way, certainly a small price to be able to walk away from a crash with both of your arms attached!

Sue

[Charlie25]

Originally Posted by juicysue

Charles, how the heck did you know whose car it was that you tapped???

I wish I could say I was that good, All I saw at the time was Herrington's car in the middle of the track, a bunch of cars slamming into eachother and a grey-ish brown background. I didn't know who it was until I watched the (...non-commercial...) in-car video. Apparently a piece of someone's upright flew into the air and poked a big hole in my shock cover too, which I was never aware of.

[MJAmok]

Good question about the restraints... someone else asked me that in an email... the 15 minute adjustment is 'one time only'... just like the $30 cost!

Charlie... did the upright hit you from above? If you remember, we were speculating about the possibility of something having fallen on you given the impact and damage. Scary... only 18 inches or so from the cockpit. At speed, that is milliseconds.

[Charlie25]

Originally Posted by MJAmok

Charlie... did the upright hit you from above? If you remember, we were speculating about the possibility of something having fallen on you given the impact and damage. Scary... only 18 inches or so from the cockpit. At speed, that is milliseconds.

Yea, it flew about 30 feet into the air and bounced off. I never saw it.

[ML Peter Ludwig]

The boys all looked great going in and just as sharp coming out. That's because we're proud of them all and very happy that they remained safe. Your our heros.

www.gerardobonilla.com

www.mattvarsha.com

www.johnpewracing.com

[cdh]

Originally Posted by MJAmok

Important for an open wheel car...

The objective is to keep your arms inside the cockpit in a rollover. Imagine Joey's crash in an open wheeler. You'd want your arms tied down.

I think you mean to say an open cockpit car - good points

.

[jp56]

Thank you to everyone for all your emails and phone calls. I was stuck in the hospital for two days as a precaution and did not have my Blackberry with me.

I just saw the video of the crash and it's not how I remember it. It's funny how you go over and over again the crash in your head and then see it on video and it looks different. Once my car hit the wall and began flight, I had my eyes closed and all I knew was that I was in the air. I came down hard and then got slammed by two more cars. The HANS, Arai helmet, bead seat and the carbon tub did a fantasic job.

Brad Jaeger and Daniel Herrington got the worst of it. I saw them in the hospital. They will both be OK. Brad stopped by my room in his wheelchair on his way out. His car was under mine as I was landing and my tire hit his head on the way down. I was most concerned with about him as he was not concious after the crash. He'll be OK, but cannot race for two weeks. He has my tire marks on his helmet as a reminder.

Daniel's legs got hurt pretty bad, but they are not broken and he'll recover fine. He took some very big hits. He got out of the hospital before me also. He called me later to check on me. Nice kid.

Gerardo will be OK, but his car took the brunt of it. His car made the front page of the Montreal paper sports section. It's toast, but did its job and took care of our man Gerardo. Gerardo was the first face I saw after the crash. After I landed and the crashing stopped, I remember just sitting in my car dazed. Then suddenly I see Gerardo's face in front of mine yelling, " Are you OK, John?" When I said yes, he ran over to everyone else and did the same. Thanks Gerardo too, for hangin out with me at the hospital to midnight.

The real bummer is that I think I would of had a real good race. I felt great. I went from P16 at the start to somewhere close to the front by turn 4 and was feeling great.

I just returned to Victoria and plan to do some testing at Miller soon if my car can get back together by then.

[jp56]

Another note; That corner is a flat out 4th gear corner. Maybe 120mph. The marbles just a little off line are diabolical. It's not good going two wide there unless all parties are being extremely carefull.

Ken Erb told Stephanie that the g force's registered in my crash went off the Motec scale. Thanks Ken for sharing that with my wife. Fortunately I have a wife that is used to this type of thing for the last 30 years.

[dalyduo]

Great reporting John. Thank You. So glad all the safety equipment performed as advertised. Typical of Gerardo to immediately be taking care of everyone else. Glad beyond words you are OK and will be back in the car soon. Bruce's "When it feels good... watch out!" doesn't really apply here but couldn't help thinking of it as you reported how good you felt in the car before the crash. Nothing you can do when someone in front of you explores the marbles on lap 1.

[badgersid]

Just a note to everyone involved glad you are all safe and home.looked awful . bad weekend for most. But great that we are all here to talk about it.


PETE Who are all those guys hanging with petey ?

[Kasey]

Found this AP photo of Gerardo's car on the net. What a shame.

[Big Sexy]

John and Bobo, glad to hear that you are OK. We'll see you both back soon.

Spencer

[jdc916]

Just a thought but if the marbles were that bad after the F1 race....... why wasnt the track prepped and cleaned for our guys ??!!!??!?!

Our guys are no less important than the F1 guys, or for that matter any of the races these guys run in support of.

The Star Mazda officials need to make sure the track is as good as it can be before sending the field.

[PT Cruiser]

Originally Posted by jp56

Ken Erb told Stephanie that the g force's registered in my crash went off the Motec scale. Thanks Ken for sharing that with my wife.

Ah, what are friends for, anyway?

[dalyduo]

John,
You're on the short list of humans who have data to prove they've been successfully crash tested. At last there is empirical evidence that you are off the charts.

Originally Posted by jp56

The g force's registered in my crash went off the Motec scale.

[Gerardo]

New video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHBRx...h=star%20mazda

[cdh]

John Pew has added his recounting of the crash to his site - johnpewracing.com

.

[cdh]

We can now see incar video of the first lap incident from John Pew's car on his Gallery page

Powerful video, so glad everyone was OK, remarkable...

.