Huge Crash Claims AIM's Mazdas in Montreal
Pile Up Eliminates Fifteen Cars, No Serious Injuries
2006.06.26: AIM Autosport's Formula Mazda team went to Montreal with three fast and gleaming race cars; the lead in the teams' championship; the lead in the drivers' championship; a happy, optimistic crew; and three confident, determined drivers. They left with very little of that: the cars were wrecked; they had lost the lead in both championships; the crew faced a mountain of work; and the drivers were battered, bruised and dejected.
Testing and Practice
Practice sessions at Montreal were of a slightly different flavour than usual as limited track time meant there would be no qualifying session. Practice, therefore, could be used solely to hone race set ups. There were two sessions, both on Friday. Session one was really about learning the track and getting a basic feel for what the car needed. Daniel Herrington led the AIM contingent by setting the fifth quickest time. Rob Bunker ranked twentieth and Jay Poscente 26th - as usual, he was among the best of the Masters Class. In the second session, most drivers started to push as they refined their racing lines and zeroed in on their set ups. Daniel was fifth again, but nealy 1.5 seconds faster this time out. Both Rob and Jay found almost 2.5 seconds, Rob jumping to eleventh on the timing charts while Jay was 25th.
Qualifying
The Montreal starting grid was set by points standings. Daniel, leading the championship, would start from pole; Jay, third in the Masters Class, was ranked seventeenth overall so would take the inside position on row nine; and Rob, eighteenth in the standings, would start next to Jay.
The Race
Following a frantic, start that saw 42 cars scramble wildly through the first few corners, the field headed into the back section. At the point where crews begine to relax as drivers start settling into their positions, things suddenly went very wrong. Daniel was battling Mike Potekhen and the pair went side-by-side through turn five. Potekhen, on the inside, got loose and cars touched sending Daniel into the outside wall at high speed. At what is probably the circuit's worst place to have an accident (where Oliver Panis crashed and suffered a broken leg years ago), Daniel smashed into the wall and bounced back onto the track. Drivers continued to roar around the blind bend to find themselves bearing down on Daniel's damaged car. With no time to brake and no run-off room, Daniel's car was hit repeatedly and within moments, cars and parts were strewn across the track.
Click here to see Speed's coverage, including an interview with Rob Bunker, on YouTube.
Four drivers, including Daniel, were airlifted to hospital, but thanks to the driver protection built into the cars and the incredibly fast, professional actions of the marshalls and medical crews, there were no serious injuries.
Fifteen cars, more than a third of the field, were eliminated by the crash and, to add insult to injury, all three AIM cars made contact with each other. Daniel's car was a complete write off, Jay's chassis was written off, and Rob's chassis was damaged but repairable.
Afterthoughts
Clearly, the race at Montreal was a disaster for the AIM Autosport Formula Mazda Team. Thankfully, no-one was seriously injured, but looking ahead it will be no mean feat getting ready for the next race at Salt Lake City in two weeks. The cars were immediately returned to AIM's headquarters in Woodbridge so preparation for the next race could begin right away. Unfortunately, several members of the Mazda crew had to load up the Daytona Prototype car and head to Florida for the team's debut in the Rolex Sports Cars Series later this week. After that, they will return to the shop to drop of the prototype, pick-up the Mazdas and head to Salt Lake City. There's nothing like a good challenge!
<< Back Home
<< Back to News |
