"WHERE'D IT GO? WHERE'D IT GO!?!?!" Wonder if he changed his shorts and firesuit immediately after that one?
I bet they have moved the parachute release levers, and how did a chrome cage get thru tech? Must be a good car tho, experience shows here. Just some odd things i wonder about.
Not sure about the cool thinking part. He isn't talking into the in helmet mic. Major buzz kill. It didn't look or sound like he hit anything solid. Cab you imagine if he were on the big end?
It's true, the ch***is builders who really know what they're doing are worth every penny ya pay 'em when you're faced with a situation like this... A skilled fabricator is able to construct a ch***is that will keep you straight through the thick 'n' thin of drag racing... Yep, when life gets volatile on the strip (as it occasionally will), it's good to know the talented guys from the ch***is shop did you right... drag racin' can get hairy, especially in a Funny Car... never cut corners when hiring a ch***is fabricator...
I had the wheel pop off in my hands once in the old truck driving down the highway in heavy traffic, but was only going about 60 and was able to pop it back on fairly quickly. The shaft nut vibrated loose and the horn ****on spring popped the wheel up and off the splines. I still had to unscrew the horn ****on to rethread the screw back on while driving. Good thing my truck tracks dead straight too and I just happened to have both hands on the wheel at the time or would have been a totally different outcome. That ****er is wrenched on tight now though, that is for damn sure.
Guys do it all day every day. Having been through hundreds of techs, the VAST majority are a bs session, filling in blanks, SFI #'s, expiration dates etc. The ultimate reponsibilty is on the driver for his and everyone elses safety. While that may not be practical, it's the way it is. This guy got WAY lucky. Everyone around him was more lucky!
While I'll be the first to admit that there's some nostalgia "junk" out there that shouldn't be allowed to run a cub scout pinewood derby, for the most part, a majority of the fast nostalgia themed diggers and floppers that have been built over the last several years are up to spec and built with the necessary safety considerations-- the newer rides are constructed to run straight-- and they are monitored by the sanctioning organizations and the people at the track doing tech inspection (there are lots of tech inspectors who possess integrity and take their responsibilities seriously)-- it really has gotten a lot better over the last several years... many in today's nostalgia genre are keeping an eye on safety... including yours truly...
After futher inverstigation there was severe damage to Russ's underwear and it was claimed to be a total loss. Actually I thought he was pretty damn calm in there! ~sololobo~
Russ may be a good driver, but on that p*** he was one LUCKY P***ENGER. Driving had nothing to do with it cause he sure as hell wasn't doing any...................stopper would be more accurate.
the part that snapped off is built into the box, not a bolt on extension. Its also pretty diffcult to brace it as the drivers knees have to slide thru there on the way in and out, sometimes out in a hurry and theres enough **** in the way without that stuff. Faulty part maybe but you really cant place the blame on anyone that built or maintains the car. One of those **** happens kinda thing nobody got hurt and the damage to the car (hopefully) was minimal. Not much else to do but laugh and injoy the ride. Any of you that havent been strapped into a funny car with suit helmet and all the other safety stuff you cant pull your head down far enough to even see the steering wheel, so if you see the wheel its already fallen off and you stand 0 chance of stabbing it back on. Everybody tries but I've never heard a successfull stabbing. The next attempt is usually trying to grab the splines with your hands, also not a high success rate.
I was waiting for all hell to break loose with the video when he crashed. Good thing the car went straight and that he is OK.
# 53; " (it's the "stuck in the 70's" mentality)... " You struck a chord with me there. I quit all racing activity at the end of the 1980 season. It took me the last 5 years of that lost decade to finally do it, and I have not even had time to think back about any of it until recently. Tom S.
Thats great, I love how he tried to put it back on a few times. Funny stuff right there. Its only funny till someone gets hurt.
+1, It looked like he did things by the numbers after the wheel came off and got the car stopped. I'd still like to know the full story on why the part broke though.
This brings back bad memories. I had an old dirt only offroad truck that the quick disconnect steering came loose on it in glamis. I was doing about 50mph and the truck rolled several times. Walked away with just a scratch on my hand. Good thing the truck was fully caged and I was strapped in with 5 point harnesses. This is never a good thing.
Well placed camera. Now if only the mic had been in the helmet for driver comment. But then the edited version would have been "Beepity beep beep beep!" This was good cardio vascular exercise for anyone watching it.......
My guess is that it took a crowbar to pry the seat cover outta his ****, cuz it was hanging on for dear life. Glad this only resulted in a wild video, a few giggles, & nothing more. I think Russ showed great instincts in his reaction!
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