Gugelmin doubtful for Sunday after '113 G' impact

Gugelmin's PacWest Reynard-Toyota snapped loose exiting the Turn 2 banking on Friday afternoon and speared into the inner retaining wall with an instantaneous 66 G impact.

The Brazilian's right foot then got wedged between the brake and
throttle pedals, essentially driving the crashed car down the back straight with a series of smaller impacts, shedding parts all the while. The crippled machine then spun around and clouted the outer Turn 3 wall backwards with an instaneous 113 G impact.

"I had been running a few laps behind another car and I could feel a slight turn from the rear of my car coming out of Turn 2," Gugelmin said. "I was able to correct the first twitch, but then the back end came around again and I lost it.

"I remember heading towards the wall, then the next thing I remember is letting go of the wheel and I became a passenger. Then when I finally stopped, I could see daylight by my feet and (CART medical boss) Dr (Terry) Trammell greeting me at my car."

Gugelmin's Reynard chassis stood up well to the multiple impacts, and doctors credited the HANS Device, mandatory for all Champ Car oval races, -with minimizing Gugelmin's injuries or possibly saving his life.

"I didn't plan on being the test driver for the HANS but I'm definitely glad I had it," Gugelmin remarked. "I can't say enough about that device. I truly believe it saved me from a much more serious injury because I basically had two major crashes at once.

"This was a negative situation that ended up being a positive considering the magnitude of the impact," he added. "I'm glad nothing bad happened, but my walking away from this impact is a testimony to just how seriously CART takes the safety issue."

PacWest boss Bruce McCaw acknowledged the CART Safety Team and added, "It is unlikely that Mauricio will race on Sunday, but we are very thankful that he did not receive any significant injuries."