Image via Jason Hoard/Facebook
Drag racing dangerous, but one racer who went airborne in his heavily modified C7 Corvette is thanking his HANS device for saving his life. Incidents like this at a track are always heart-stopping to witness firsthand, so we’re glad the driver is okay.
Check out the runaway diesel fire at a tractor pull competition recently.
The incident in question went down at the World Wide Technology Raceway located in St. Louis last weekend. The C7 Corvette lined up against a Ford Mustang, both obviously heavily modified for quarter-mile runs.
While the Mustang got the jump on the ‘Vette, the sports car was gaining quickly when it suddenly went airborne, then came down on its rear. On impact, the vehicle broke into multiple pieces and hit the wall on the far side of the track, fortunately missing the Ford.
Jason Hoard, the driver of the C7 Corvette, is saying the fact he not only survived the horrific crash but walked away from it was all because of the HANS device he had a fabrication shop install while building the drag racer.
Hoard did say his other safety gear also helped save him, posting on Facebook that other enthusiasts should “get (their) safety gear in order.”
Considering the risks if things go south in a race, we have to agree. When you’re pushing the envelope so hard, things are liable to go wrong sometime and when they do, they can go really wrong. That’s exactly why safety gear exists.
We know not everyone is a fan of the HANS device, which stands for Head and Neck Support. Developed in the 80s by a GM biomechanical engineer, many racers do swear by the device, which is supposed to prevent your head and neck from whipping around in a violent crash.
It seemed to work beautifully in this scary incident.
In the aftermath of the crash, Hoard said rescuers had to cut through the front portion of his car’s safety cage to pull him out of the mangled mess. But he acknowledges the cage did its job well, keeping him free from harm.
Image via Jason Hoard/Facebook
