I don't like Bruno anymore

[Crash Test]

I'm not quite sure what replays they showed on the tele, but this is my version of events with respect to Mr Junky's retirement...

After the rain had cleared I decided to head outside and take some pics. First of all I headed down to the second chicane. Everyone was taking it nice and easy, although Mika Salo lost his front wing after touching someone, probably Haberfeld. After a while there I decided to move on, and went for the first chicane. Haberfield stopped on the way right next to me, caution flag. Coming back from the yellow, I was on the inside of the first chicane, just where the cars turn left for the first time. After a few laps of everyone cutting over the kerbs, I caught out of the corner of my eye a car going way to faster. I flinched enough to see Bruno plough head first into the end of the tyre wall.... without so much as having time to flinch, the left front tyre flew off the car and hit the wall, the best part of 30cm from where I was standing! To say I shat myself would be a small understatement! There was another bloke standing next me, and we just took a step back in shock, not the normal take photos at all cost attitude! As Bruno spun down the track, the accident continued, with cars all over the place, including Haberfeld who nosed into the wall at much slower. After the dust had settled and I had time to think what the heck I was doing I got back into the shooting thing. At first I thought Bruno was stuffed, because we couldn't see him move, but he had actually already thrown his steering wheel off to the right (blind side from us). Anyways, I kept shooting and decided it was time to go back, shaken and a little stirred! Walking back into Surfers after the race, I stopped to have a look at where I was standing... and it seems the tyre hit the concrete suspenion side first, taking a decent chunck out of the wall... scary stuff....

Below is the car with the errant wheel in the background.

After the race I waited for the guys to come through, all three podium guys were wrapped as I shook their hands. It was cool to congratulate PT, I've always admired him, but as you folk would know, I'm the first person to knock him, because he would have won the championship half a dozen times since 1993 if he didn't crash so much. So well done PT

[Crash Test]

Here's the punch in the wall...

[djb]

better to be born lucky than rich......

seriously though, very glad to hear this from you on 10/10ths and not read about it in a newspaper (and you having to live up to your 10/10ths name) Weren't you shooting through a hole in a fence?

[Crash Test]

What I was doing was taking pics with the digal through the LCD so I was at arms length from the wall. A lot of other photographers tend to lean on the walls, which isn't a top idea since the walls tend to move. In the V8 race, a photographer was sent flying after leaning against a wall that was hit, and not paying attention... I liked that spot, because it was angled away from the track, it would nearly be impossible to hit, but with flying wheels you just can't predict where they go, it could have one anywhere...

[Jay]

Thanks for the recount Crash Test, I wasn't sure what happened to Bruno (he made it sound like a mechanical failur in his post race comment), so it's good to hear it from a witness.

I think you have to have a certain amount of bravery to be a photographer in motorsports, even if you stand back from the fence. I was amazed watching the Miami race on TV that one photographer had the bravery (or stupidity?) to stick their entire head and camera through one of the holes... he/she seemed to be doing it lap after lap as well... was surprised nobody warned her.

[Snrub]

Wow that's wild, you're a lucky guy. Cool that you got to shake the PT & the podium finisher's hands, but what do you mean by "all three podium guys were wrapped as I shook their hands?"

[BobbyB]

So, I don't get it. Why does your choosing to be in Bruno's turf, i.e., in a dangerous area alongside the track have anything to do with whether or not you like the guy? Didn't you just make a poor decision about where you thought it would be safe? Do you think Bruno was aiming for you? C'mon... this is racing! It is up to you to stay out of the way of danger. Bruno's job is to do his utmost to win the race, and he is entitled to drive anywhere on that track that he sees fit while he is doing that job. Naturally, he doesn't want to crash any more than you want him to, so it can't be argued that he is being reckless when his own life is on the line.

Take whatever risks you like, but take responsibility with it.

P.S. What does the term "shat" mean? Is that an Aussie slang word?

[Hazza]

Or maybe you'd just not like him cos he whines, and he threw away the championship. Fool. (I'm not talking about Indy, i'm talking about *that* move on fernandez, you freakin' idiot, AND if your team mate is on pole for the first 2 races who'd hardly raced a champ car etc etc etc blah blah blah.)

and, he's way shorter than me. Muhahahaha, bring it on!

*calms down*

anyway, i swore that it didn't get better than eating hot dogs at the first chicane watching the cars slide out onto the straight on friday...correct me if i'm wrong

[Crash Test]

A few things...

I don't like Bruno? I don't really care, but I just wish he didn't bugger up and crash!

Re- being a dangerous area. The wall was not parrellel to the circuit, it was on an angle away from the circuit, and thus it would be nearly impossible for anything to hit it (unless someone did a u-turn and drove opposite to racing direction). The fact that the tyre flew at that piece of wall was a pure fluke- it could have gone anywhere, into the stands, onto the road, into the river etc. By the way, the wall in that part of the track would be the best part of 3 foot from the spectator area, which was absolutely packed, and let me tell you, they were packing it as much as we were! Of course everyone knows of cases of tyres and things going over the walls, but I will never forget a situation at the Surfers meeting a few years ago when a sedan's bonnet flew off, and landed on the other side of the pit lane. It flew over the fence, over the pit lane, over the corporate boxes and into a thankfully empty area. So please define where the safe places are! I doubt that there are any!

BTW- there are a few places around the track the track that I would not stand. Not neccessarily for the champ cars, but the big sedans that tend to move the walls make things interesting at the hairpin, the first and second chicanes and the third turn.

BTW2- one of my mates who was working trackside said that some goose was lying down in front of the safety truck taking photos. The safety guy was quite polite about it, he put his foot on top of the camera and told him he was best to leave before being skittled

[jondownunder]

Originally posted by BobbyB
P.S. What does the term "shat" mean? Is that an Aussie slang word?

Well I know what this means in Britain... try replacing the "a" with another vowel!

[Neil C]

Thanks Crash. Your description tells more of the story than the broadcast.

[MLM]

For starters, Bruno (or anyone else for that matter), would NEVER go into a wall or into anyone on purpose. If Bruno lost it, well...he lost it/screwed up/ threw away the championship....and it is a shame.
BUT, why don't you like him anymore...I'm confused as to why you say "I don't like Bruno anymore"?
That was a rather chilling description of the incident, Crash....thanks for that. It's much more than what we got on Speed.

It was like Miami all over again for Bruno ("deja vu all over again")....PT was in trouble early in the race and BJ couldn't capitalize on it.
Yes, it is a shame....but PT has made many more mistakes over the course of his LONG careere in CART.
Live and let learn.
Bruno will get 'em next year
After all, it'll only be his 4th year in CART

ps...there really aren't that many safe places in which to take pictures.
The pits can also be an unsafe place...but we like to be there anyway.
What the heck...you only live ONCE!