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Scott Dixon walks away from massive accident at Indianapolis 500

28 May, 2017

 

After claiming pole position last Monday, Scott Dixon looked hopeful to win the 101st Indianapolis 500 and repeat his success of 2008 where he won from pole position.

But after leading early into the race, Dixon was taken out by Jay Howard after his car got up out of the groove in Turn 1, contacting the outside wall, and barreling down into the path of Dixon’s car — the result was a wild ride up and over Howard, sending Dixon flying through the air and plummeting down onto a barrier which damn near ripped the car in half.

Helio Castroneves can be seen driving completely underneath Dixon as he is airborne and run off into the grass to avoid being collected in the incident.

Thankfully all drivers involved were able to emerge unaided and the race was red-flagged in order for repairs to be made to the barrier and fencing.

As for the cause of the incident,  Howard blamed Ryan Hunter-Reay for pushing him up in the gray, saying: “We were out there just trying to pick up some laps and see if we get some yellows and try to salvage something from the race. Hunter-Reay comes, gets a run on me [and] I lift, let him go trying to be the nice guy. And then he merged right over on me and pushed me out in all the gray and all the marbles. And the rest is history … [causing] a massive accident.

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“To say I’m unhappy is an understatement.”

Dixon remained a lot calmer and humble following the horrifying accident, telling local media that he was “Just bummed” and “Glad [that] everybody is okay. It was definitely a wild ride for sure. Big thanks to Dallara and everybody for the safety we have right now.”

See just how lucky he was in the footage below:

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.