In the heat of the race, under the influence of adrenaline, speed and the smell of overheating brakes, we sometimes forget that motor racing is a dangerous sport. We take more risks than we should, underestimate the power we are trying to control and overrate our abilities. It’s normal. But the experienced racing drivers never disregard the most important rule in motor sports — safety first. Safety should always come above everything else. And no victory is worth the life of any person.
Last week-end in New Zealand was marked with tragic events. Several severe accidents took place on different tracks within two days only. A car crash which happened at the SuperStock Teams Nationals held on the Waikaraka Park Speedway ended up with reanimation. It all happened just in that corner close to which I was standing, making me an unwilling witness of how fast and harsh it all might occur at the races where the level of competition is so intense. The cars collided and one of them hit the concrete wall and remained hanging there. It took the rescue team more than half an hour to remove the injured pilot. He is still kept in the intensive care unit. Fate befell drag racing as well. During the race held on the Masterton Motorplex International Dragstrip there was an accident with a motorcycle. Luckily, the driver got off with an injured hand and bruises. The second accident which happened there left no one indifferent as the victim of it was Stu Lawton, the regular participant of drag racing events.
In the end of the first half of the distance his Mazda 323 SP20 lost traction with the road surface. This car has always been risky to handle. It was fitted with a huge GT55Garrett turbine driven by 13b PP. It all was controlled by MOTEC m800 which had been adjusted by Stu to deliver 1,100 “methanol” hp with a boost of 44 psi. It featured a 9-inch reduction gear, five-speed Lenco gearbox and light weight. Stu is into welding, that is why his Mazda was equipped with hand-made Lawton Exhaust & Engineering exhaust system and, what is the most important thing which actually saved Stu’s life in that crash, the hand-made safety roll cage.
I have always admired Stu’s ability to keep all the wild power of this car under control when the car was doing its best to get out of that control. Usually, it all had a happy ending and they — Stu together with his Mazda — were providing the audience with fascinating performance consisting of fire launch, mad start on two rear wheels and violent curves on the track. But this time in Masterton, Mazda turned out to be more cunning. After the start it was pulled left. The car went off the glued surface of the dragstrip causing wheel spin and making it almost impossible to handle. Stu was trying to hold it but the car was pulled again and then the worst part started, which you can see in the video. The speed reached 120 km/h at that moment. The car went round, was thrown to another lane and started cartwheeling. Then Mazda hit the concrete wall and finished its “infernal dance” after flying over it. It felt just terrible to see a flying shell with the pilot you all know inside and watch every hit it makes. You watch torn off bodyshell and suspension details, everything which was being created year after year. But you don’t think about all those minor details. The thought which makes you run cold is realizing that there is a man inside of that shell.
Luckily, this scary story had a happy ending. Thanks to the robust roll cage and other equipment Stu escaped without a scratch. His baby son was not left fatherless. And Stu is ready to work on his car again. However, it is going to be a different car as Mazda went to ruin protecting its owner.
I would like all Russian sportsmen to watch this video once again before the beginning of the new season if they still doubt whether they should or should not weld a roll cage.
