By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
According to Bruce Read, crew chief for Jim Read Racing, his Top Fuel Dragster had a backfire before a pass at the Nitro Champs event at Sydney Dragway in Sydney, Australia. He had his hat knocked off his head by the backfire.
We reported on Saturday that five crew members had to go to the hospital over the incident. One had to remain to get a further evaluation on his hand, according to the team following the backfire.
“I knew exactly what happened,” Bruce Read, Jim Read Racing crew chief, said in an interview with 7News. “I was more cranky than anything. We have a process where we turn the motor over and get a little bit of oil pressure to clear all the cylinders. I pulled the trigger and bang.”
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7News said that the motor was in containment straps and a ballistic bag that saved more damage from happening. The reporter said without them, it would have been a shrapnel bomb.
Four of the crew members had bad burns, according to the video clip. Crew member Gus had his hand severely cut. We do not have any other update on his condition.
Despite limited updates on Gus, the team said in a previous post that he is expected to make a full recovery.
“Thank you for your messages of concern for everyone that was around the race car on the starting line,” the team said in a Facebook post. “Our crew has been checked by [the] medical staff. Four crew members have been released from [the] hospital and a fifth crew member needs further treatment on his hand and should make a full recovery.
“Thank you to everyone who helped us in this unforeseen situation. We sincerely appreciate it.”
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After the backfire, the team had to withdraw from the event. The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has said that they are investigating what happened.
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