Strange DNF Reasons

[Vassago]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Also Bernd Maylaender in the DTM non-championship 2004 Shanghai race which was abandoned because of this. They held another one later on the same day.

So technically hitting a manhole cover isn't that strange at all

[Everso Biggyballies]

Also Bernd Maylaender in the DTM non-championship 2004 Shanghai race which was abandoned because of this. They held another one later on the same day.

So technically hitting a manhole cover isn't that strange at all

I remember the FIA (or was it the DTM management?) threatened there would be no race after that if all the many manhole covers around the circuit were not welded up as had been demanded pre race. It took several hours to do the job to the satisfaction of those running the show.
Not that the delay helped Maylander.... he was done for the day.

Just to add to the not that odd argument it also happened to Mark Winterbottom when the V8 Supercars went to China in 2005.

That almost ripped his butt open as the seat was marked by the cover ripping the floor open. With him the grate broke or dislodged and ended up vertical like a knife hitting the underside.

Here is what it did to the underside of the car



A video of it happening.





It happened again in DTM at Hockenheim in 2017 when Paffett dislodged a drain and Di Resta ran over it. That was not in a race though, just qualifying, so no DNF.




Perhaps the worst one was Jesus Pareja in a WS-PC race at Montreal in October 1990 ...... that involved several cars. A manhole cover flipped up under a bridge after being dislodged. It was struck by the Spice of Fermin Velez and Courage-Porsche of Denis Morin before it sliced through the bottom of the chassis of the Brun Porsche 962 of Jesus Pareja, ripping the fuel tank open and instantly starting a fire. He was wearing an open face helmet and suffered some burns.




This different clip shows the actual accident at 9:37 in. Hopefully click the following link and it will start at that point
https://youtu.be/74GxRTMVI3o?t=575


Otherwise go to 9:37 on this

[Everso Biggyballies]

Like hitting Manhole covers, hitting wildlife is a more common than one would expect to DNF a race, and in history from F1 down a number of cars, wildlife and indeed careers have come to an end following contact with wildlife (Edit: Sadly drivers lives as well thinking of Alan Stacey hitting a bird at Spa at the 1960 Belgian GP)

..... at Road America in 2006 where Brazilian Champ Car driver and former champion Cristano da Matta hit a deer heading into turn six at speed in a testing accident which ended his open-wheel career is a well known example..

Mount Panorama at Bathurst has had its fair share of animal strikes, not just kangaroos which are the usual pest there but we have seen echidnas, and even an albino wallaroo. The most famous incident came in 2004 when Jim Richards hit a roo at speed while approaching The Cutting.....the impact sent the kangaroo flying over the fence while the damage to the left-hand front of Richard’s Commodore basically ended his race.
Warning Dont watch if you are offended by a kangaroo fatality.




We had one in the Bathurst 12 hour back in 2015 that has a double whammy story to it and is worth a mention as it covers a 'first time I know of a similar safety car deployment' call later in the day .

First we have the kangaroo strike, where a kangaroo was struck by the BMW M3 GTR driven by Anthony Gilbertson on Conrod at something like 220kph, Luckily it was near the start of Conrod hence the relatively slow speed.



Gilbertson was shaken, but uninjured, although the kangaroo was not so lucky.

Here are Gilbertsons recollections

“The video footage and pictures always show more light than there was inside the car. I only saw the Kangaroo when it passed into my headlights so at 220kph it felt like a split second.

“I remember steering left and it collected the front right side of the car. The impact took out my front right wheel, took the brake line off the wheel, the Carbon Fibre Bonnet split and flipped up and cracked on the engine mounts off the block.

“So after impact I had no vision, no steering and no brakes. All I was concerned about was the cars behind me. If I hit the wall and speared back across the track about three other cars may have collected me as well.

“Luckily the car went right onto the grass and then ran along the concrete wall a fair way down the straight before stopping.

But the incident led to another subject similar to a strange DNF

Odd reasons for a Safety Car to be deployed

Anthony Gilbertson continues his story....

“There was one funny story later that evening. We went to the Bathurst RSL** for dinner that night and we met the marshals that were posted right where I hit the Kangaroo.

“They told me it got so hot during the race that later in the day race control had to bring out a safety car to clean up the remains of the Kangaroo as the Marshalls couldn’t stand the smell!!!

** For those non Aussies that are wondering what is an RSL, it stands for "Returned and Services League" ie returned from the service. The RSL Clubs are an inexpensive club that anyone (of legal age) can go to for a meal, a drink, at some play poker machines etc ,with the profits going to help returned servicemen.The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care, compensation and commemoration of serving and ex-service Defence Force members and their dependants.
[/Aus. cultural info / educational rant]

[Nononsensecapeesh]

Paul Belmondo retiring his Pacific from the Monaco GP in 1994 from cramp and numbness (according to the former F1 Rejects) after over 50 laps.
https://web.archive.org/web/20060206064 ... ofile.html

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

Not a DNF per se but rather, a DNS...

From my distant memory reaching back to the late 1970's, I recall being behind the tower at Mosport on the mock grid waiting for the next session for production sports and touring cars to be flagged out onto the track. Can't exactly recall why I was there; wasn't crew for anyone. Anyhow...

There was an MGB sitting there waiting to go out. It was a good looking car and not a junker. Almost as the race/practice session was finishing out there on the track, a couple of lads I recognized as scrutineers swooped down on the MGB and ordered the driver out of the car. GOTCHA! The driver was wearing sneakers/plimsolls with rubber soles. Strictly forbidden. Apparently, the driver had gone through the scrutineering line earlier using boots borrowed from someone else in order to get passed. Footgear had to have leather soles.He was done for that session, certainly, and perhaps, for the day.

To comply with regulations, I spent my rookie season in 1974 using mocassins. They had leather soles.

[Vassago]

One from Formula E Hyderabad race earlier today. Jake Hughes crashed out after his rear view mirror fell into the cockpit and got stuck underneath the steering wheel (per his radio message)

[acerogers58]

Curtis Crider and Buck Baker stopped by the home of Ratus Walters on their way to a race in Bridgehampton, NY in 1964 to check out a car which was driven to victory in the 1962 Southern 500 by Larry Frank. The car was in good condition but didn't have an engine, it would be fitted with one once Crider and Baker returned home.

Upon arriving in Bridgehampton, Crider noticed that there was only 24 cars entered, one short of the advertised 25. Crider saw an opportunity to make some money, so he gave an unknown crew member of his a spare helmet along with a drivers suit and told him to "drive" the motorless car in the race. Crider then told officials the car just needed an extra push to get going, so the car was pushed by a tow truck on the parade lap. Coming to the green, the crew member pulled off the track and acted upset. As the car finished in last position, it was never subject to any sort of inspection and Crider plus his "driver" were paid an unknown amount for their last place finish.

Despite being paid for finishing last, NASCAR never acknowledged the car as being in the race, hence it and the driver are missing from the official race results. If it were to be included in the results, I'm guessing the DNF reason would be "No Engine"?

[acerogers58]

Dick Rathman exited the 1955 Cup race at Morristown Speedway with the reason "Connect"

It seems Rathman predicted the 2020 iRacing pro invitationals, which are for whatever reason listed on racing reference, with a few drivers exiting those races due to connection issues.

[Everso Biggyballies]

The WSBK Supersport race today had to be red flagged for geese invaing the track.

Here is a copy of what I wrote in the race thread

Seems to have been red flagged because of a flock of Cape Barren Geese on the track.
Its a natural hazard at PI, and I have seen them indeed raced at PI with them sitting on a corner apex playing chicken with whoever on 2 or 4 wheels wants to play. The problem is they are big birds and when they do decide to fly off they dont necessarily fly out of the way.

I know of riders who have been taken out and received broken bones from impacts and many where the geese have won, so its aa good call.

Dont believe me? Video of a previous crash caused by a goosey moment in this news clip.
https://thewest.com.au/news/offbeat/goo ... 881010435z

No geese or riders injured today though.

I know I have written of this happening at PI before, hopefully not earlier in this thread......

[Nononsensecapeesh]

David Coulthard crashing in to the wall while entering the pits at Adelaide in 1995.

[Vassago]

I recall Tony Longhurst crashed in the pits at Lakeside one year as he came in for a stop & go penalty for jump start. It wasn't caught on camera but Longhurst said so during in-race interview.

WEC 2023 Sebring 1000 - #23 United Autosports Oreca retired with electrical issues after on-board TV camera failed and apparently hijacked the entire electrical system on the car.

[acerogers58]

Tony Stewart DNFed the 2005 NASCAR Busch series Emerson Radio 250 at Richmond due to “electrical problems” after going for a spin.

However, in his interview after exiting the car, he said “there was no point running around with a bunch of hacks”, indicating there was no issue with the car and he had simply quit the event.

It was a frustrating couple days for Stewart, he was a shock DNQ for the Truck race the previous day however he was able to close out the race weekend with a 7th place finish in the Cup race.

[Vassago]

Shigeaki Hattori lasted 8 laps at Portland 1999 and came into the pits claiming he was sick. Tony Bettenhausen refused to list the always reliable 'handling' DNF card...

http://www.deepthrottle.com/scorecard.shtml

[Everso Biggyballies]

Shigeaki Hattori lasted 8 laps at Portland 1999 and came into the pits claiming he was sick. Tony Bettenhausen refused to list the always reliable 'handling' DNF card...

http://www.deepthrottle.com/scorecard.shtml

Quite a sorry tale of his overall racing abilities in that link.
I used to think (presumed) he was related to Naoki Hattori, but not the case.

[Vassago]

Greg Pickett (later Muscle Milk ALMS team owner) fainted inside the car due to dehydration on the last lap of the 1987 IMSA GTO/GTU race at Sears Point (then still called Golden State International Raceway). He was still credited with a 5th place finish as only four cars finished on the lead lap. Jack Baldwin won the race in Levi Garrett-sponsored Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.

[Nononsensecapeesh]

In tragic circumstances, David Purley at the 1973 Dutch GP, withdrawing after spending several laps trying to save Roger Williamson from his burning car.