Image via CBS 8 San Diego/YouTube
The Baja 1000 turned deadly yet again with a truck plowing into spectators, killing two of them and leaving others injured. It’s the latest installment in what’s always been a crazy, unpredictable race as well as a reminder that motorsports aren’t just dangerous for racers but sometimes for the crowd, too.
Watch a Camaro literally drive on a retaining wall during a wild racing crash.
In this case, the cause of the crash seems to be a trophy truck driver who got a little too into showing off for the crowd. While lining up at a mechanical inspection point, as captured in multiple videos circulating social media (some of which are quite gruesome, so we can’t include them) we see a driver revving his engine.
With a line of other off-road rigs in stopped in front, the trophy truck suddenly lurches forward. That’s when it ran over several people, killing two and seriously injuring at least two others. One man was captured on camera with this left hand completely severed as he screamed in agony.
Mexican authorities reportedly arrested the trophy truck driver and seized the vehicle. A SCORE International spokesman told local media the organization would face some consequences from local and state government officials, reports CBS 8 San Diego. SCORE is the sanctioning body for the race.
Spectators have been hit and seriously injured or killed by competitors in the Baja 1000 and other off-road races in the region. Often this happens when people run across the dirt track, unaware a vehicle is rocketing towards them.
Spectators also will build obstacles on the courses, like jumps, which have sometimes led to horrific crashes. To say the Baja 1000 can be a little crazy at times isn’t an overstatement.
Having been run since the 1960s, the Baja 1000 is a grueling off-road endurance race that attracts competitors and spectators from all over the world. Held annually, it’s the final of four major off-road endurance races in Mexico, which include the San Felipe 250, Baja 400, and Baja 500. All four events are sanctioned by SCORE International.
Image via CBS 8 San Diego/YouTube
