tone40

involving Robert Kubica? Certainly the worst race car impact I have ever seen.

As I undertand it, his significant injuries limited to a concussion and a sprained ankle. He is trying to get F1 clearance to race in this weekend's US Grand Prix.

He is one lucky guy.

JV911

pretty amazing...airborne into a concrete barrier.

one lucky dude!

VNTGSPD

Definitely a testament to the incredible strength of the carbon fiber tubs and the incredible physical fitness of the driver's body to withstand the g-forces. Couldn't tell for sure but it appeared that he did not lose consciousness based on the position of his arms as he slid to a stop.

Lucky guy indeed.

Doug&Julie

Reports are he did lose consciousness. Pretty scary accident...especially since it looked like his head was really buncing around as the car rolled.

Naitove

I was sitting in the middle of the grandstand at the hairpin. It happened while I was watching. I never saw such a violent crash. When they got to him, he was not moving at all. We were so excited about Hamilton's race and then this happened. Really put a damper on our spirits. I was thinking Senna all over again. Shortly after they took him away, someone next to my son got a text message from a friend saying he was conscious and stable. We were so relieved! He got out of the hospital today and drove himself away. He wants to race at Indy next week!

JV911

probably lucky he hit the wall...if he'd flown over it he would have taken out some course marshals

Doug&Julie

From AR1.com: FIA and Champ Car innovation saved Kubica’s life Most people who saw Robert Kubica’s horrific crash during the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday were sure that they had seen a driver either seriously injured or killed. Many would find it hard to believe that the Polish BMW Sauber racer was released from hospital in Montreal yesterday with nothing more than a sprained ankle.

Kubica was traveling at about 180mph on one of the fastest sectors of the circuit when he lost control, went airborne on to the grass and then hit the central concrete wall between the two sections of track with explosive force.

Apart from one wheel, everything came off the car as the central monocoque, with Kubica in it, bounced on its side across the track to the outside of the hairpin and hammered into the barriers. It took 20 minutes to ease Kubica out of the car before he was driven away by ambulance and then flown by helicopter to hospital.

His survival is a tribute to the stringent safety standards upheld by the FIA, the sport’s governing body, and the teams and to the remarkable strength of the materials – principally carbon fiber – used to build the monocoque, or safety pod, in which the drivers sit.

But even more importantly, the HANS Device, first introduced into racing by CART (now Champ Car) prevented his head from snapping at the base of the skull (Basil Skull fracture) with the violent forward motion his head experienced by hitting the wall head-on at such a high speed. Any driver who hit a wall head-on like Kubica did died before the HANS Device was introduced. After CART/Champ Car introduced it recall all the resistance by drivers in NASCAR and F1 when it was suggested that they also wear it in subsequent years. Since then we have seen so many lives saved by the HANS Device and certainly Kubica was the latest. CART's medical doctors at the time, Dr. Steve Olvey and Dr. Terry Trammel introduced the device to the FIA safety committee who agreed it had merit and they eventually mandated it for F1 drivers.

butzip

Yes, big thanks to HANS yet again. This crash reminded of Greg Moore's fatal crash in the way the energy after the impact seemed to accelerate the cockpit as it rolled and disapated. I think the only other publicized crash that was worse was Kenny Brack. Sarah Fischer @ Elkhart Lake was also a miracale.

Doug&Julie

Now that you mention it, it was very similar. Ugh...how tragic that was.

That was Katherine Legge, fyi.

FJ40runr

I think everyone who saw that expected the worst...heres a good vid that puts the crash into perspective:

youtubecom/watch?v=dWZ7iKXfLXs&mode=related&search=

Peter Zimmermann

Just got back from a long weekend, watched my race tape last night, and even though I knew about the accident words could not describe it. Mika Hakkinen is probably the only pre-Hans survivor of an accident that severe. Schumi hit extremely hard at Silverstone, but had help from a tire barrier. I've been watching F1 since before the first "real" LBGP, and if I'd been watching the race live I would have thought that we had lost a driver. If the doctors pronounce him fit to race at Indy it will be truly amazing.

Naitove

Pete-
I was at the Long Beach Grand Prix, and through a friend, ended up in Jame's Hunt's pit. He went out after a few laps. Later went to a party at Bill Simpson's house. Things sure were relaxed in those days!

Peter Zimmermann

You are one lucky person!!! I never got that lucky, but Jody S. spun, right in front of us, coming out of the hairpin at the end of Shoreline. He didn't touch the barrier, did one of those light up the rear tires, rotate 180 degrees inside his own wheelbase turns, and was gone - all in the blink of an eye!

On another note - Lewis Hamilton. The first time I saw on-board footage of him, either the first or second race this year, I said to my wife, "put different colored gloves on those hands and they move exactly like Schumi's hands." I do believe that he's the real deal... I'm also excited to see Nick H. on the podium, I would love to see him win one of these days (like at Indy!).

DB_NC_95C2

I am amazed and thankful that Robert sustained so few injuries. I too feared the worse after watching him come to rest. While he may pass tomorrow's physical and race this weekend, I pray that he does not have another crash, a dice with Indy could leave him in very bad shape from secondary concussion too soon after Montreal.

rentadate

That looked extremely painful.