Hunter-Reay unhurt in pit fire
Ryan Hunter-Reay and his American Spirit Team Johansson crew escaped unhurt after a massive fire during his final pit stop in the Champ Car World Series race in Denver yesterday (Sunday)
The American rookie pitted with 26 laps to go in the race. However, the fuel nozzle became stuck in his car as he was cleared to leave. The fuel hose was stretched and then split, releasing the remaining contents of the pit lane fuel tank, which then rapidly ignited. Around 31 crew and safety officials quickly extinguished the invisible methanol fire within minutes.
"I was told verbally and motioned to go, so I did, the next thing I knew, I felt a massive heat wave coming over me and realised I was on fire," said Hunter-Reay. " We think there was something wrong with the redhead (fuelling equipment).
"The Sparco equipment did a great job for me today. I was in the car with everything around me on fire, including me for about 10-15 seconds, and I have no burns anywhere and neither does anyone on my crew."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Ferrari announces Miami F1 livery change to mark US anniversary
Haas disputes Magnussen's Chinese GP F1 penalty was "justifiable"
Ranking the top 10 BTCC liveries
RB brands Ricciardo/Tsunoda Chinese GP crashes “unnecessary”
How motorsport is embracing the opportunities of AI
The unlikely series providing an open door to innovation
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2023
How a lost Lotus that could have revolutionised Can-Am finally came to life
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments