All photos taken with my Pentax. To see the full size image click on
ORIGINAL below each photo.
The IMSA GTP cars were my favorite racing cars and Road Courses are my
favorite tracks.
So I had a great time at the GTP race at the terrific Riverside
International Speedway in 1986.
There was a senseless and horrific accident at Turn One in the middle
of the race caused by #$%&! Doc Bundy.
I never thought much of Bundy as a racer and this accident that HE
caused made me an anti Bundy fan for life.
Bundy (in a GTP Corvette) tried to pass Lyn St. James (in her GTP
Mustang Probe) and the beautifully designed
GTP Jaguar driven by Chip Robinson (one of 3 in the race) into Turn One at very high speed.
Turn One, a narrow left hander, at Riverside is not a place where you
try to pass equal strength cars. EVERYONE KNOWS this.
Even the announcer said "Doc has got into an area he just simply shouldn't be".
With this stupid move Bundy took out 3 cars instantly.
In milliseconds, tires squealed and cars grinded against each other as
a big, long cloud of dust formed.
The Jag careened into the outside wall and the momentum took him along
the wall for about 200 yards while the it disenagrated.
Lyn St. James' Probe flipped violently into the air as the car's body
panels tore apart and were launched into the air.
Her Probe came to a sudden stop on the track, but had landed on its
roof. Everyone in eye sight waited for the talented
Lyn St. James to slowly exit her demolished race machine. We waited.
Then the Probe erupted into smoke and flames.
Then we saw an upside-down Lyn climb out of the cockpit. She was
swarmed by the rescue/track workers. She was okay!
I wanted to run on the track and rip Bundy apart for attempting a pass
in a narrow high speed turn, destroying 3 beautiful
GTP cars and lastly, for putting 3 lives in danger.
But I couldn't run on the track, so I put my camera up to my eye and
took these picture
Feel free to use these photos but please put a link to RoyHooper.com.
Click on thumbnails for full image.
See video
of the crash.