Accidents Mar Indy Pro Series Miami 100 Race
Pablo Perez Launched Into Catch-Fence After Striking Sean Guthrie
Medical Officials Describe Argentinian Driver as "Awake With Orthopedic Injuries to Legs"
Alex Lloyd and Chris Festa battle with Hideki Mutoh in wild season-opener at Homestead
by Allan Brewer
allan@indyproracer.com
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| Pablo Perez. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL |
Two serious accidents marred the season-opening Indy Pro Series Miami 100 on Saturday. Driver Pablo Perez appeared to suffer serious injury when his car disintegrated after striking the catch fence in turn two of Homestead Miami Speedway on lap 46. A late update defined his condition as “awake and alert” with “orthopedic injuries to both legs”.
The 67-lap Miami 100 was marred by serious incidents on the track on two occasions. During the second accident on lap 46 Chip Ganassi Racing driver Pablo Perez drifted wide right into Guthrie Racing’s Sean Guthrie. The cars struck wheels and Perez was launched into the catch-fence above the track. The engine and “tub” portion of the car separated and Perez was carried inside the cockpit to the white line at the base of turn two.
Ganassi Driver Airlifted Awake to Hospital After Frightening Crash
Medical crews on the scene attended the driver who was taken immediately to the infield hospital. Perez was airlifted to local Jackson Memorial Hospital off-track within minutes. He was described as “awake and alert” with “orthopedic injuries to both legs” by official medical personnel trackside shortly before 2PM EDT.
Guthrie was cleared medically by the infield hospital personnel afterwards, as was Mickey Gilbert of Mile High Motorsports.
The race was won by Alex Lloyd of Sam Schmidt Motorsports. He was followed across the finish under yellow by Chris Festa, the pole-sitter for the race, in a car also entered by first-year Indy Pro Series entrant Chip Ganassi Racing.
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Lloyd Takes Yellow Checkered. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL |
Hideki Mutoh of Super Aguri/Panther Racing finished third, with Andretti Green/AFS Racing’s Jaime Camara fourth and Andrew Prendeville of RLR/Andersen Racing fifth. Brian Stewart Racing’s Bobby Wilson took sixth and Apex Racing’s Mike Potekhen placed seventh.
Robbie Pecorari was eighth, followed by CR Crews, while newly-signed defending Indy Pro Series champion Jay Howard finished tenth in his Speedworks racecar.
The win gives Lloyd fifty two points toward the 2007 Indy Pro Series championship, an eleven-point cushion over runner-up Festa at this early point in the sixteen-race season.
Three Accidents Gobble Up Track Time at Homestead
The race was stalled for twenty-two laps in an earlier incident that took former Indy Pro Series champion Wade Cunningham out of the race. He appeared to lose downforce while leading Chris Festa out of turn two, spun and struck the SAFER barrier on the outside of the turn.
A chain-reaction ensued as Sam Schmidt Motorsport’s Ryan Justice struck at high speed Cunningham’s rear wing lying on the track. Justice slammed into the outside of the turn in a fiery, hard hit and was pulled unconscious from his car. He later regained consciousness and was taken to local Jackson Memorial Hospital for further examination suffering from what appears to have been a concussion.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Cunningham later. “The car was handling good. I just lost it and hit the wall. I’m just assuming ‘driver error’ as the cause,” he said.
The track had only gone green for three laps when Perez’s accident occurred, approximately fifty yards further down the turn from the location Justice struck the outside wall of the 1.5 mile oval. The track is equipped with permanent SAFER barriers to help absorb impacts like the one Justice experienced.
Perez came into the race in the first year of Indy Pro Series competition for Chip Ganassi Racing. The twenty-three year-old driver hails from Argentina, the only driver from the South American country participating in the Indy Pro Series.
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Pablo Perez of Chip Ganassi Racing. Photo: RonMcQueeneyIRL |
A third accident, on lap seven, also brought out yellow for several laps after AJ Russell of Playa Del Racing and Apex Racing’s Tom Wood collided on the track.
Competition Intense as Teams Show Racy Cards All-Round
The accidents marred a hotly-competed race that saw the considered favorites from SSM and Chip Ganassi Racing take the track by storm. Wade Cunningham showed surprising strength prior to his mishap in his AFS/Andretti Green Racing car as well. Hideki Mutoh followed up his impressive fast times of the Homestead testing in February and looks to contend for the title in the Indy Pro Series too.
The prolonged clean-up of the Perez accident brought out a combined yellow-checkered flag finish to the race ten laps shy of its scheduled conclusion.
Temperatures were in the upper seventies with gusting winds to twenty-three miles per hour recorded. No opinion was offered by officials whether climatic conditions may have contributed to the several accidents observed in the race.
Pablo Perez, the young racer who started Saturday's Miami 100 for Chip Ganassi Racing, underwent surgery in a Miami hospital Saturday evening.
The racer experienced severe injures to his lower extremities, particularly his feet, in a frightening cartwheel along the Homestead-Miami Speedway catch-fence after flipping over another racecar at high speed.
No further medical information is available as of 8PM EDT Saturday.
IndyProRacer.com will post the latest information on Perez's condition when it becomes available.
Posted by: Allan Brewer | March 24, 2007 at 05:19 PM
From Indy Pro Series Media Reports:
Sunday, March 25th 5PM EDT
Indy Pro Series driver Pablo Perez underwent surgery for serious leg injuries March 24th at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said Dr. Michael Olinger, director of medical services for the Indy Racing League.
Perez is listed in stable condition, and is progressing as expected, Olinger said.
Perez, a rookie from Buenos Aries, Argentina, sustained his injuries in a multi-car accident on Lap 47 of the Miami 100 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the season-opening race of the 2007 Indy Pro Series season.
IndyProRacer.com will continue to keep you updated on the latest information regarding Pablo Perez's accident and recovery from surgery.
Prayers to Pablo. Get well soon.
Posted by: Allan Brewer | March 25, 2007 at 02:08 PM