OT: UOP Shadow Can Am heavily damaged at RA vintage event

[oliver1850]

This is not the first time for one of these cars to get airborne, but I don't recall one doing it on the front straight at Road America. Link to YouTube video in article.

https://racer.com/2020/07/26/pace-reportedly-unhurt-after-flip-of-vintage-shadow-at-road-america/

[Bruce K]

Tucked in too close at the hump in the front straight. Lack of downforce caused the nose to lift. After that....

I saw a new era Can-Am car back flip at Lime Rock on the uphill before they installed the chicane. I have a motor drive sequence poster tucked away somewhere from that one. Driver walked away but never raced again so far as I know.

Scary stuff.

BK

[Mr. Pink]

I might have seen that very car at Watkins Glen in, oh, maybe, 75?

[Bruce K]

I know I saw it at The Glen.

I was camped out near The Bog.

That was a fairly regular summer trip.

BK

[GregL]

Tucked in too close at the hump in the front straight. Lack of downforce caused the nose to lift. After that....

I saw a new era Can-Am car back flip at Lime Rock on the uphill before they installed the chicane. I have a motor drive sequence poster tucked away somewhere from that one. Driver walked away but never raced again so far as I know.

Scary stuff.

BK
I remember the Can-Am flip at Lime Rock the summer of 1983. I was at the track, but not at the uphill when it happened. When I first drove on the Lime Rock circuit the following spring, I found that even my wimpy street car unweighted at the top of the uphill. The pros who drove the Can-Am and IMSA prototypes on that circuit were a fearless bunch!

Greg

[Bruce K]

The dumb thing about that Can-Am crash was that the Chief Steward had warned the drivers about gusting headwinds during the driver’s meeting. Most guys had been doing a quick “confidence lift just before the top to keep the nose down. This guy was the team owner/#2 driver and he got brave/stupid.

I was working the corner crew at the bottom of the hill when it happened. My wife (to be) was on race control. Our good friend, Linda was the corner captain at the top of the hill. The drivers helmet was pulled off as the car slid upside down but, other than being trapped underneath, the driver was luckily OK. Linda didn’t know it and had to “check” the helmet lying on the ground.

We lost Linda on United 93.

BK

[72gmc]

If you scrub the player to the few frames right before the bridge gets in the way, you can see the nose begin to lift. That’s a moment for the driver ...

I’ve only been to a few tracks so I tend to wonder just how much elevation change my screen is not showing me. That must be a pretty significant crest.

[GregL]

If you scrub the player to the few frames right before the bridge gets in the way, you can see the nose begin to lift. That’s a moment for the driver ...

I’ve only been to a few tracks so I tend to wonder just how much elevation change my screen is not showing me. That must be a pretty significant crest.
I never drove Lime Rock in a car with more than 200 horsepower. At the top of the uphill, my car was visibly unweighted in photos. I can't imagine what it was like in an IMSA prototype with nearly 1000 horsepower! The rumor was that they had to lift not only to avoid taking off, but to avoid spinning the rear wheels!

Greg

[Bruce K]

Wheel spin was a definite thing.

I raced a lot of Formula Vee back in the day and you could even get a little wheel spin out of those at LRP. Even SS and IT cars get some wheel spin if they do that corner right without the chicane.

The uphill at Road America is significant but the hump never seemed that dramatics for anyone in any type of car. I think part was that being so close to the other Shadow caused the nose to lift because there was some upward movement from the road and suction from the draft.

BK

[C40_guy]

I saw a new era Can-Am car back flip at Lime Rock on the uphill before they installed the chicane.

On the uphill?

With enough car, it's easy to get airborne at the top of the uphill...

I didn't have that problem with my 2 liter Audi. Instructor said "okay, you can put your foot down..." It was. :(

[Bruce K]

Yes, the uphill...

BK

[Bruce K]

Here are the first 3 (the start of the mayhem....

BK

[Bruce K]

The "O.S." moment

There are more that are individual prints that I have which include the impact, the slide, and the rescue but I am not sure where they are at the moment.....

BK

[72gmc]

I didn't have that problem with my 2 liter Audi. Instructor said "okay, you can put your foot down..." It was. :(

Ha ha

As much as I enjoy watching GT3 cars and otherwise, the slow sports car is what I'd want to find myself in. Learn how to corner and conserve momentum, have time to see the sights on the long straights.

[GregL]

Ha ha

As much as I enjoy watching GT3 cars and otherwise, the slow sports car is what I'd want to find myself in. Learn how to corner and conserve momentum, have time to see the sights on the long straights.
What I love about Lime Rock is that the "slow sports car" driven well can post faster lap times than big American muscle cars. At the end of one track day (not racing, just solo lap times for prizes) about 35 years ago, the timed results were posted. I was waiting for a chance to see my lap times and placing in class. I knew I was near the top of the list, faster than quite a few Mustangs, Camaros, and Firebirds. I overheard one of the "big iron" drivers wondering aloud if my car "had nitrous" because he couldn't understand how a 2.3 liter turbo, Fox-body Capri could possibly be faster than his big V-8...

Greg

[Bruce K]

Fast FVs were lapping sub 1 minute back in the late 70s /early 80s at Lime Rock. Accuracy and momentum conservation were key. The big iron was not a whole lot faster.

I think the only time I ever remember “looking around” on a long straight was out on the runway at Sebring in a Firestone Firehawk Endurance race driving a Toyota MR2. It was the last race I drove as losing focus like that was not an acceptable risk to me.

BK

[C40_guy]

Ha ha

As much as I enjoy watching GT3 cars and otherwise, the slow sports car is what I'd want to find myself in. Learn how to corner and conserve momentum, have time to see the sights on the long straights.

One of my favorite instructors, John Dunkle, learned the ropes in a 914. He understood the challenges of momentum cars in a way that many others didn't.

Of course, once he hit it big with Rennlist, he spent more time driving 911s... :)

[GregL]

Accuracy and momentum conservation were key. The big iron was not a whole lot faster.
Bringing this full circle back to cycling, the same concepts apply to bike racing. As one of my good friends (who's a pro cycling coach) says, it's not the time you spend at FT power that counts, it's how much time you can spend at 0 watts. The less energy expended to stay at the front of the race, the better. The best of both worlds: bike racing at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock!

Greg

[oliver1850]

I remember the Can-Am flip at Lime Rock the summer of 1983. I was at the track, but not at the uphill when it happened. When I first drove on the Lime Rock circuit the following spring, I found that even my wimpy street car unweighted at the top of the uphill. The pros who drove the Can-Am and IMSA prototypes on that circuit were a fearless bunch!

Greg

I was there on race day, drove up from the Trans Am/IMSA shop in NJ. Believe the flip happened the day before. It was the brand new VDS 003 driven by Phil Compton, similar to the 001 and 002 that Al Holbert and Patrick Tambay had driven in 1982 and that Geoff Brabham used to win the championship in 1981.

My best memory of that weekend is talking to Milt Minter about the Herb Adams sidewinder car he was driving at the time.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WeirdWheels/comments/6vqa2u/the_adams_escort_canam_pontoon_prototype_driver/

[benb]

It's just a car.. if they really didn't want to crash it they wouldn't run it.

I'm sure everyone involved in putting the car out on the track new they were taking a pretty big chance on destroying the car by running it on a track instead of leaving it in a museum.

The fans are always way more upset than the owners/drivers...

[Bruce K]

Oliver

Did you miss the pictures posted above?

Your memory is excellent!

BK