Unusual Race Stoppages

[MPA]

I seem to remember a race bing started/ stopped with a red flag before it started.

Cars were under the starter's control and had taken the 3, 2, 1 minute boards etc. Car stalled on the grid. Instead of aborting the start with signs, the red flag came out followed by full course yellows as the cars did another warm up lap.

We got there in the end.

[MPA]

We did end a race with a red flag after the checkered.

PVDA will remember it. Dougal Mc Dougal hit the wall at The Island, turned turtle and caught fire on the front straight just past the control line. Although the cars passing the mess were on their cool down lap, Race Control deemed it bad enough to call for the red and slow the field down.

I would like to have been there when the official results were posted....Anyone that overtook on the last lap would lose the spot as red flag result are counted back one lap......even though the driver may have pasted the checkered flag.....

Sheep Stations on the line too.

[PVDA]

Originally Posted by MPA

PVDA will remember it.

I do remember it well, seem to remember the first marshal to arrive did a good job (not me)

Not unusual for PI to have big high speed crashes and also not unusual for Race Control to panic when they can see it unfold out the window in front of them and do silly things like throw out red flags or get the starter to wave a yellow for a car 20ft off the track and other such things

[racerkeke]

Pursuant to the story of the Gimli Glider, I note in today's Financial Post (National Post financial pages) that Air Canada employees will gather in Montreal today to see the Gimli Glider off on its final journey to the aircraft graveyard in the Mojave Desert. Both the captain and the first officer who got the plane down onto the racetrack back in 1983 will be at the send-off.

keke

[blueflagger]

That's cool. I thought perhaps they might want to make Gimli its final resting place. Too much opportunity for rust though, I suppose?

[b1ackcr0w]

I held the start of a Speed Hillclimb batch while I found out what a guy in a giant Banana costume was doing.

There was that 2CV race at Brands that was nearly stopped because half the field tried to go the wrong way round the GP circuit when they were on the Indy Circuit.

[RCMADD]

Originally Posted by JimW

Donington - green flag stopped because a spectator's car had run down the infield at the Old Hairpin, leapt a bank and ended up on the track.

Jim

i remember it well jim i was snatch that radioed it in, di did not believe me at first, it was just before the start of a race if memory serves me well, car (a mgf) rolled down from infield viewing leaped the fence and a ditch carried on rolling accross the track and ended up 2 whels in the gravel on the outside at old hairpin

that was the best fun i had all that year

[Col_Rugby]

Originally Posted by RCMADD

i remember it well jim i was snatch that radioed it in, di did not believe me at first, it was just before the start of a race if memory serves me well, car (a mgf) rolled down from infield viewing leaped the fence and a ditch carried on rolling accross the track and ended up 2 whels in the gravel on the outside at old hairpin

that was the best fun i had all that year

Is this a pic of the route taken?

http://www.marshalspost.com/images/tmp/bigynaazA.jpg




Col

[RCMADD]

wow thats brill you even managed to get the tyre marks right lol

[richrad smith]

Dont know if this could be classed as unusual but was on post on the inside of McIntryes at Knockhill on sunday 19.10.08 when a Kart (yes I said Kart) spun down the hill and the engine expired right in the middle of the track. Next thing we see is the driver of aforementioned kart Legging it towards the bank, leaving his Kart in the middle of the track, bringing out the red flags.

[Stack]

Originally Posted by richrad smith

.....engine expired right in the middle of the track. Next thing we see is the driver of aforementioned kart Legging it towards the bank, leaving his Kart in the middle of the track, .

You didn't expect him to bring it with him did you?

[Joyce George]

Originally Posted by RCMADD

i remember it well jim i was snatch that radioed it in, di did not believe me at first, it was just before the start of a race if memory serves me well, car (a mgf) rolled down from infield viewing leaped the fence and a ditch carried on rolling accross the track and ended up 2 whels in the gravel on the outside at old hairpin

that was the best fun i had all that year

Was an MX5, gave us all a bit of a shock when we heard the crunch of gravel, picture made MSN & Autosport. I had the biggest problem tho', trying to the written report on it!!! On reflection, it was just before the start of the Legends final, - they would have probably missed it anyway!!!!!

[davyboy]

Years ago I was told that a race held in the 1970s in Mondello had to be stopped/delayed because a spectator impaled themselves on one of those wooden railings they used to have at the tracks back then. Apparently they were trying to scale it to get a better view of the aftermath of a crash on track [possibly involving Des Donnelly]. The ambulance was requested for the spectator and not the driver. I've heard this third hand, so what I've been told is a blurred version of what happened... but someone else may know the exact details. One of the more bizarre reasons for stopping/delaying a race.

[richrad smith]

Originally Posted by Stack

You didn't expect him to bring it with him did you?

NO!! but it was asked at the brief in the morning if the drivers would be responsible for getting there Karts to a place of safety should they retire from the race. The answer to the question came back in the affirmative.

[bhscribe]

Originally Posted by Bryan Degerlund

Not quite a stoppage, at a Brands Hatch combined disdipline meeting, possibly CSMA, the karts were being led round on their pace lap, for a rolling start, by the kart CoC in his venerable Volvo Estate. At the bottom of Paddock, he manages to spin through 180 degs. in front of the pack. All the karts safely manage to pass either side and then slow up to let him re-pass and continue the pace lap as if mothing had happened.

It was a TVS Race Day ISTR. Pretty sure it was BRSCC, because we almost awarded the Driver the 'Post Two Most Entertaining Driver of the Year' trophy!

[onelapdown]

I think the rule about cars not getting off the grid on time for the green flag lap having to go to the back originates from two similar incidents where Martin Brundle and Andrea de Chesaris had forgotten to put in their earplugs and contact lenses respectively. Not quite a stoppage though...

[gravel_monkey]

not a race stop but a delay in releasing the cars from the pit lane at oulton a couple of years ago. all the caterham grads were lining up getting ready for there green flag lap and a call came over the radio as one of the drivers at the front of the que had somehow forgotton to bring his crash helmet!

[Power Bulge]

Anglesey - this September
Driver pulls off and (eventually) stops on the inside apex of Rocket Out, causing the red flag.
The problem? A loose bonnet catch.

[PVDA]

Time to reignite this old thread in light of the race stoppage at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier today.

[gravel_monkey]

blackpool prom rally last week. stage stopped for a drunken fisherman with a half empty bottle of lambrini trying to get across the stage to go fishing. he was arrested (dont know why, maybe for exposing his tackle). all this while the tide was out!!

[CJCA]

I am suprised to see that nobody has mentioned the WTCC round last year where the safety car came out of the pits too late, and straight onto the racing line... Driving into the race leader, who I think was an independent!!

[SWCRacing]

The safety car was hit by the race leaderin the WTCC last year, NOT the other way round. It was blamed on the safety car driver but personally I believe it was the leaders fault for ignoring the SC boards and flags

[el_cat]

Originally Posted by SWCRacing

The safety car was hit by the race leaderin the WTCC last year, NOT the other way round. It was blamed on the safety car driver but personally I believe it was the leaders fault for ignoring the SC boards and flags

But IIRC the safety car hadn't actually been scrambled yet - the driver of the SC took it upon himself to pre-empt the deployment and went out whilst the cars were still under Green Flag conditions

[Matthews Dad]

Originally Posted by PVDA

Time to reignite this old thread in light of the race stoppage at the Bathurst 12 Hour earlier today.

Similar happened at Oulton but it was during Lunch and it was a big branch onto a car in the spectator enclosure at Lunch time.

[Woolley]

It got fairly heavily discussed in its own thread. Not sure that race was actually stopped either.

The Bathurst one reminds me of the Monza 1000k Sporstscar race back in the late 80s, I think, where a large tree came down across the circuit.