John Force in serious race accident....
09-24-2007, 09:47 AM
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I'm not convinced it was the timer that cut the tire. In first round when Fuller beat Schumacher they showed fuller's tire and it had chunks missing. They said that was the first pass on that tire and it could have been caused by having too much grip? It looked like it was close to coming apart. I think a similar thing happened to force's tire. Also did you see them knock his foot against the inside of the helicopter?
09-24-2007, 10:16 AM
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Originally Posted by TwoFast4Lv
Out for the season for sure. Was not in the top four but had a chance.
Tires...again! Damn brutal wreck. wild the way the car just ripped in half!
Tires...again! Damn brutal wreck. wild the way the car just ripped in half!
His injuries, screws, nails, etc, super glue to fix the left foot. Right knee down to the bone possible tendon nerve damage. You smash the gas with the right leg, right? If the leg doesn't work you have problems.
He was bringing back a fourth car next year to replace Eric. Now he may be looking for a driver for his car. It's sad, but the man is alive with a hit into the wall at who knows how fast, 275 mph? He is still the best Funny Car driver ever.
09-24-2007, 11:30 AM
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He raced with his hands entirely bandaged back in 2003 when a crystal trophy shattered in his hands just before the AAA Finals. Doctors were iffy on his participation, but he did it anyways. Funny Cars are John Force's life.
Derek
Derek
09-24-2007, 06:51 PM
#25
I was at the track yesterday, saw what happened and I'll start by saying John is lucky in SO many ways. When the rear section of the chasis came apart (BEFORE it vered into Kenny.) John was exposed and still moving VERY fast. The chassis section stayed upright somehow and kept his legs up out from under it (thankfully) John could have easily been killed yesterday. It was a very uneasy feeling at the track as it was DEAD SILENT. Once they got everything sorted out before they flew John out the Ellis County Sheriff's dept had the entire pit lane where JFR's trucks were blocked off with heavily armed very large men. It was a very strange feeling and finally we got word that JF was awake and talking which eased it a bit. I'm just glad John is doing well. The video you guys have seen of the crash do very little to really give an idea of how horrid it really was.
On another point, John is already up out of the bed and standing up. He wants to race in Virginia, don't think the doctors are having any of that. The man that repaired John's hands is the same doctor that repaired my hand in 2000 after it was crushed and severely broken. Top notch guys.
On another point, John is already up out of the bed and standing up. He wants to race in Virginia, don't think the doctors are having any of that. The man that repaired John's hands is the same doctor that repaired my hand in 2000 after it was crushed and severely broken. Top notch guys.
Last edited by big thumper122; 09-24-2007 at 07:02 PM.
09-25-2007, 12:57 PM
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More on John from last night, including a video from his hospital bed:
http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_...267193435.html
Kenny Bernstein's statement, as well as Force's camp putting the rumor to rest of the reflector cutting the tire:
www.nhra.com/content/team_report.asp?articleid=24498&zoneid=86
Derek
http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_...267193435.html
Kenny Bernstein's statement, as well as Force's camp putting the rumor to rest of the reflector cutting the tire:
www.nhra.com/content/team_report.asp?articleid=24498&zoneid=86
Derek
09-25-2007, 01:07 PM
#29
Originally Posted by big thumper122
repaired my hand in 2000 after it was crushed and severely broken. Top notch guys.
PS. Saw Johns wreck Sunday on TV. It was terrible. He'll be back. Hes a tough ol' bugger. Glad it wasnt any worse. It sure coulda been.
09-25-2007, 07:24 PM
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this came off NHRA.com look at the part i put in bold. i think the bold statement was made by johns crew
Dallas, Sunday: The most haunting, unforgettable moment from the O�Reilly Fall Nationals jammed cyberspace for hours as fans and friends searched for information surrounding the horrifying incident involving Kenny Bernstein and John Force.
Force, whose car was beginning to break apart, collided into Bernstein and the two legends crashed together before smacking the retaining wall. Bernstein was virtually unscathed in the accident, while Force was transported to a Dallas hospital with a broken left ankle, a severe abrasion on his right knee, as well as a dislocated left wrist. Force also sustained severe abrasions and slight fractures on a number of fingers on his right hand.
Bernstein had qualified the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car in the sixth position with a 4.840 at 314.31 mph. He won his opening round race against Mike Ashley with a 4.888 at 312.35 mph while Ashley lost traction and spun the tires, crossing the finish line with a 6.002 at 161.48 mph.
"That was a great job by Jimmy (Walsh, crew chief) and the whole team," Bernstein said. "It always feels good to come back to Dallas to race. We have a lot of friends here, and several of the guys I raced for early in my career are with us at the track today."
Perhaps the most anticipated match of the day was the second round pairing of Bernstein and Force. With 194 national events wins and 20 NHRA world championships between the two drivers, the crowd was anxious to see who would take bragging rights at the Texas Motorplex. Instead they saw a horrendous wreck in which both cars were collected and slammed against the retaining wall.
"When I left the starting line everything was normal," said Bernstein. "About half track the car dropped a cylinder and moved toward the center line. I was fighting the wheel to stay off the center line. I remember right at the finish line thinking �I may have clipped that cone with the body or the rear tire.� I knew I was real close. Either an instant before then or at that time, I reached up or was in the process of reaching up to release the (para)chutes and lifted my foot off the throttle right then.
"But at that instant, or just prior to that, I saw John�s car out of the corner of my left eye heading toward me. He wasn�t approaching at a 90-degree angle, but it was a pretty severe angle. I remember seeing the black front end of his car coming toward me and the next thing I knew we hit and then stuff just started flying everywhere. I couldn�t see then because the (race car) body had gotten knocked up in the air in front of me and my vision was obstructed. I didn�t remember going into the wall, but the evidence on the body and the headers show that. Now that I think back, I remember feeling a solid hit on the right side so it must have taken both of us right into the wall.
"My car was jumping around, I guess the best way to describe it, was like a frog. It wasn�t on all fours. It was on the front two tires, the side two, the back two, just everywhere. My first thought was that I was going to hit the wall again or turn over. I had to get on the brake and start driving.
"During the time I sustained the impact from the initial hit and then the wall contact, I had both hands on the wheel. I had released the brake to try to get the car back in shape. I did manage to get the car back under control. I started to coast and had the brakes on when out of my right eye I saw something go speeding by. In front of me, I saw the remains of the front half of John�s car. The engine and the chassis went by me on the right side and went all the way to the end of the track. I thought at that time, John was down there. I released the brake and let the car coast to try to get down to him to see if I could help. But when I got there, I realized he wasn�t there. That was just the front half of the car. When I turned around to look, I saw all the people gathered back down the track so I went back to the wreckage to see if John was okay.
"John suffered some broken bones and I know he�s going to have a tough recuperative period. Sheryl, Brandon and I went to the hospital to be with his family. Of all things, right after the helicopter left with John, two medics came back and said John sent them to tell me he was sorry. John is always thinking of others."
"John feels terrible that there are some people that are blaming Kenny,� said Dave Densmore, Public Relations Director of John Force Racing. �Kenny hit a cone, which every driver has done at some time or another. However, when given access to video from all angles, it's obvious that the cone goes behind John's car and is never a factor. The assumption, I suppose, is that the cone blew out our tire but that just isn't the case. We're still analyzing all the data. For reasons we don't understand, the chassis pulled apart. Kenny did a great job of driving for which John has complimented him and thanked him in a variety of interviews this week. After hitting the cones, Kenny muscled his Dodge back into his own lane. It was the front half of our car that actually came across the centerline and punched out the Monster Dodge. After the impact, Kenny somehow managed to steer his car back off the wall and get it stopped.�
"I will also say those big roll pads we have near our head that were beefed up as a result of the safety improvements John Force Racing is researching, helped me a lot," Bernstein said. "When we suffered the impact of the hit, my head was moving side to side and I got a little headache, almost like it feels when you experience tire shake. It would have been a lot worse had we not had the roll pads.
"Our hearts go out to John and his family. They will remain in our thoughts, and we�ll be happy to see John when he�s able to come to the track. In the meanwhile we will certainly be in touch to monitor his progress."
Dallas, Sunday: The most haunting, unforgettable moment from the O�Reilly Fall Nationals jammed cyberspace for hours as fans and friends searched for information surrounding the horrifying incident involving Kenny Bernstein and John Force.
Force, whose car was beginning to break apart, collided into Bernstein and the two legends crashed together before smacking the retaining wall. Bernstein was virtually unscathed in the accident, while Force was transported to a Dallas hospital with a broken left ankle, a severe abrasion on his right knee, as well as a dislocated left wrist. Force also sustained severe abrasions and slight fractures on a number of fingers on his right hand.
Bernstein had qualified the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car in the sixth position with a 4.840 at 314.31 mph. He won his opening round race against Mike Ashley with a 4.888 at 312.35 mph while Ashley lost traction and spun the tires, crossing the finish line with a 6.002 at 161.48 mph.
"That was a great job by Jimmy (Walsh, crew chief) and the whole team," Bernstein said. "It always feels good to come back to Dallas to race. We have a lot of friends here, and several of the guys I raced for early in my career are with us at the track today."
Perhaps the most anticipated match of the day was the second round pairing of Bernstein and Force. With 194 national events wins and 20 NHRA world championships between the two drivers, the crowd was anxious to see who would take bragging rights at the Texas Motorplex. Instead they saw a horrendous wreck in which both cars were collected and slammed against the retaining wall.
"When I left the starting line everything was normal," said Bernstein. "About half track the car dropped a cylinder and moved toward the center line. I was fighting the wheel to stay off the center line. I remember right at the finish line thinking �I may have clipped that cone with the body or the rear tire.� I knew I was real close. Either an instant before then or at that time, I reached up or was in the process of reaching up to release the (para)chutes and lifted my foot off the throttle right then.
"But at that instant, or just prior to that, I saw John�s car out of the corner of my left eye heading toward me. He wasn�t approaching at a 90-degree angle, but it was a pretty severe angle. I remember seeing the black front end of his car coming toward me and the next thing I knew we hit and then stuff just started flying everywhere. I couldn�t see then because the (race car) body had gotten knocked up in the air in front of me and my vision was obstructed. I didn�t remember going into the wall, but the evidence on the body and the headers show that. Now that I think back, I remember feeling a solid hit on the right side so it must have taken both of us right into the wall.
"My car was jumping around, I guess the best way to describe it, was like a frog. It wasn�t on all fours. It was on the front two tires, the side two, the back two, just everywhere. My first thought was that I was going to hit the wall again or turn over. I had to get on the brake and start driving.
"During the time I sustained the impact from the initial hit and then the wall contact, I had both hands on the wheel. I had released the brake to try to get the car back in shape. I did manage to get the car back under control. I started to coast and had the brakes on when out of my right eye I saw something go speeding by. In front of me, I saw the remains of the front half of John�s car. The engine and the chassis went by me on the right side and went all the way to the end of the track. I thought at that time, John was down there. I released the brake and let the car coast to try to get down to him to see if I could help. But when I got there, I realized he wasn�t there. That was just the front half of the car. When I turned around to look, I saw all the people gathered back down the track so I went back to the wreckage to see if John was okay.
"John suffered some broken bones and I know he�s going to have a tough recuperative period. Sheryl, Brandon and I went to the hospital to be with his family. Of all things, right after the helicopter left with John, two medics came back and said John sent them to tell me he was sorry. John is always thinking of others."
"John feels terrible that there are some people that are blaming Kenny,� said Dave Densmore, Public Relations Director of John Force Racing. �Kenny hit a cone, which every driver has done at some time or another. However, when given access to video from all angles, it's obvious that the cone goes behind John's car and is never a factor. The assumption, I suppose, is that the cone blew out our tire but that just isn't the case. We're still analyzing all the data. For reasons we don't understand, the chassis pulled apart. Kenny did a great job of driving for which John has complimented him and thanked him in a variety of interviews this week. After hitting the cones, Kenny muscled his Dodge back into his own lane. It was the front half of our car that actually came across the centerline and punched out the Monster Dodge. After the impact, Kenny somehow managed to steer his car back off the wall and get it stopped.�
"I will also say those big roll pads we have near our head that were beefed up as a result of the safety improvements John Force Racing is researching, helped me a lot," Bernstein said. "When we suffered the impact of the hit, my head was moving side to side and I got a little headache, almost like it feels when you experience tire shake. It would have been a lot worse had we not had the roll pads.
"Our hearts go out to John and his family. They will remain in our thoughts, and we�ll be happy to see John when he�s able to come to the track. In the meanwhile we will certainly be in touch to monitor his progress."
09-25-2007, 10:34 PM
#32
Knowing what we've learned about Eric's accident and the circumstances involved I think John's was quite similar. Looks like the left rear tire came apart for whatever reason and shook the car apart. The only question I still have is whether it was one of the slip tube chassis that are being used now. They will figure it all out and solve the problem. I know it is very hard to do, and would be hard to test but we need to develop a capsule, similar to F1 Champ Boat Racing boats, that protects the driver when the vehicle comes apart around them. In this case it would most likely lead to making the car a little longer as they would have to move the engines up a bit I'm sure. Force has a great team of people working with him, John Medlen's life is dedicated to making this sport safer and I guarantee there will be changes for the better after this incident.
All of this happens to John, and that nutt wants to race Richmond in 12 days. Legends do legendary things, but that may be a little much. Word is that Coil has already developed and started building an air operated clutch system for John if he is able to return. I'm not sure how that would fit into the NHRA rules for the class however.
All of this happens to John, and that nutt wants to race Richmond in 12 days. Legends do legendary things, but that may be a little much. Word is that Coil has already developed and started building an air operated clutch system for John if he is able to return. I'm not sure how that would fit into the NHRA rules for the class however.
09-25-2007, 11:44 PM
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Originally Posted by jrchandler
I'm not convinced it was the timer that cut the tire. In first round when Fuller beat Schumacher they showed fuller's tire and it had chunks missing. They said that was the first pass on that tire and it could have been caused by having too much grip? It looked like it was close to coming apart. I think a similar thing happened to force's tire. Also did you see them knock his foot against the inside of the helicopter?
Funny you said that, I saw them hit his foot against the window! I would have gave them a good crack!
