993 owner crashes at Silver State Classic
09-24-2014, 01:40 PM
#1
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993 owner crashes at Silver State Classic
Sad story
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/ne...oad-race-crash
A racer from California may have been distracted for a moment before he crashed and died in a fireball close to the finish line of a high-speed highway road race in rural Nevada, the local sheriff said Tuesday.
Philip Bowser, 71, of San Jose, may have been driving more than 120 mph before his 1997 Porsche 993 missed a sweeping left turn, wobbled on the shoulder of State Route 318, and rolled down an embankment before bursting into flames, Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee said.
Bowser’s 44-year-old daughter, Amy Bowser, was in the passenger seat and escaped serious injury, Lee said. But she couldn’t get her unconscious dad out of the wrecked before it burned.
“She kept saying: `I couldn’t get him out by myself,’ ” said Lee, who was the first emergency responder to the scene of the crash Sunday morning near Hiko, Nevada.
“The vehicle was completely involved,” Lee said. “I tried to see in, but the heat was tremendous. I pulled her away from the vehicle. She was distraught.”
The Bowsers were among 130 competitors taking part in the Silver State Classic Challenge, a last-of-its-kind race that uses a 90-mile stretch of public highway twice a year to allow racers to test their skills, their nerve and their vehicles.
Bowser’s death was the fourth in 27 years for the race held twice a year on the same remote highway in the Nevada high desert, race spokesman Jimi Day said. A driver and navigator died in a crash in 2011, and a driver died in a wreck in 1992.
The road between Lund and Hiko is closed for the race, which allows racers to compete in speed classes up to an unlimited category. The top record speed is more than 217 mph.
“Phil was a friend,” Day said. “He’s done this before. We’re all very sad for his family and friends. But we all recognize this is a possibility that can happen when we strap into the driver seat.”
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/ne...oad-race-crash
A racer from California may have been distracted for a moment before he crashed and died in a fireball close to the finish line of a high-speed highway road race in rural Nevada, the local sheriff said Tuesday.
Philip Bowser, 71, of San Jose, may have been driving more than 120 mph before his 1997 Porsche 993 missed a sweeping left turn, wobbled on the shoulder of State Route 318, and rolled down an embankment before bursting into flames, Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee said.
Bowser’s 44-year-old daughter, Amy Bowser, was in the passenger seat and escaped serious injury, Lee said. But she couldn’t get her unconscious dad out of the wrecked before it burned.
“She kept saying: `I couldn’t get him out by myself,’ ” said Lee, who was the first emergency responder to the scene of the crash Sunday morning near Hiko, Nevada.
“The vehicle was completely involved,” Lee said. “I tried to see in, but the heat was tremendous. I pulled her away from the vehicle. She was distraught.”
The Bowsers were among 130 competitors taking part in the Silver State Classic Challenge, a last-of-its-kind race that uses a 90-mile stretch of public highway twice a year to allow racers to test their skills, their nerve and their vehicles.
Bowser’s death was the fourth in 27 years for the race held twice a year on the same remote highway in the Nevada high desert, race spokesman Jimi Day said. A driver and navigator died in a crash in 2011, and a driver died in a wreck in 1992.
The road between Lund and Hiko is closed for the race, which allows racers to compete in speed classes up to an unlimited category. The top record speed is more than 217 mph.
“Phil was a friend,” Day said. “He’s done this before. We’re all very sad for his family and friends. But we all recognize this is a possibility that can happen when we strap into the driver seat.”
09-24-2014, 03:49 PM
#4
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09-24-2014, 04:47 PM
#5
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Most likely it took a little while to reach that point giving the daughter time to get out (fortunately she was conscious) and attempt to free her unconscious father.
09-24-2014, 05:49 PM
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09-24-2014, 09:09 PM
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09-25-2014, 02:21 PM
#13
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Hopefully the reason he was unconscious was because he was dead in the first place.
71 y/o bodies are not as crash resistant as 40 y/o bodies.
Maybe the reason he went off road in the first place was health related?
One thing for sure is he was enjoying himself until the end.
71 y/o bodies are not as crash resistant as 40 y/o bodies.
Maybe the reason he went off road in the first place was health related?
One thing for sure is he was enjoying himself until the end.
10-08-2017, 06:13 PM
#15
As a participant of the Silver State Classic Challenge (and I was in the 110mph class the day of the accident), I and many others are quite concerned about safety. In the history of the event there have been five fatalities in four accidents. Two accidents were tire failures, one was hubris at 200mph, and the unexplained tragedy of Phil Bowser in 2014.
The main reason I am writing here three years later is because I am seeking input from 993 Turbo owners that may shed some light on the loss.
First the facts: Phil Bowser was an experienced open road racer and had competed in his 993 many times. He was very familiar with the course and was competing in the 150mph class (which he had also done many times). The weather was clear. The accident occurred about four miles from the finish (86 miles into the event) on a left hand sweeper turn that can be driven at 150mph and higher. At race speeds, you can feel a slight bump in the turn (I'd describe it as a jiggle at 135mph in a 991 GT3, but others contend it is more pronounced). Phil was known to use cruise control. Phil's helmet (with HANS device attached) was found some distance from the car.
The leading theory is that Phil entered the turn with cruise control engaged at 135-150 mph, hit the bump and that somehow the cruise control disengaged and reduced the power to the rear wheels which cause the car to spin.
So, a couple of questions for 993 owners:
1. Does cruise control work at speeds of 130 – 160 mph? I know it only works up to 150mph on a GT3.
2. When cruise control is disengaged at 130+ mph, does the car's speed abruptly drop? On a GT3 it gradually drops.
3. Has anyone had cruise control disengage after going over a bump?
Lessons learned from past accidents are folded into the event's safety requirements. For instance, tire requirements are much stricter than they originally were and belts, straps and safety gear are much more thoroughly inspected at the starting grid since Phil's accident.
The main reason I am writing here three years later is because I am seeking input from 993 Turbo owners that may shed some light on the loss.
First the facts: Phil Bowser was an experienced open road racer and had competed in his 993 many times. He was very familiar with the course and was competing in the 150mph class (which he had also done many times). The weather was clear. The accident occurred about four miles from the finish (86 miles into the event) on a left hand sweeper turn that can be driven at 150mph and higher. At race speeds, you can feel a slight bump in the turn (I'd describe it as a jiggle at 135mph in a 991 GT3, but others contend it is more pronounced). Phil was known to use cruise control. Phil's helmet (with HANS device attached) was found some distance from the car.
The leading theory is that Phil entered the turn with cruise control engaged at 135-150 mph, hit the bump and that somehow the cruise control disengaged and reduced the power to the rear wheels which cause the car to spin.
So, a couple of questions for 993 owners:
1. Does cruise control work at speeds of 130 – 160 mph? I know it only works up to 150mph on a GT3.
2. When cruise control is disengaged at 130+ mph, does the car's speed abruptly drop? On a GT3 it gradually drops.
3. Has anyone had cruise control disengage after going over a bump?
Lessons learned from past accidents are folded into the event's safety requirements. For instance, tire requirements are much stricter than they originally were and belts, straps and safety gear are much more thoroughly inspected at the starting grid since Phil's accident.