UOP Shadow Totaled at Road America

[Jeff Higgins]

https://journal.classiccars.com/2020/07/25/terrible-shadow-crash-at-road-america/




It was a beautiful day Saturday for historic racing at Elkhart Lake’s Road America for the WeatherTech International Challenge vintage races. However, Jim Pace, driving a 1974 Can-Am championship-winning Shadow DN4 may have had the wildest ride of the day.

As part of the festivities, the featured marque for the weekend is the 50th Anniversary of Don Nichols’ Shadow cars. Many of the great cars from the mysterious career of the late Can-Am, Formula One and Formula 5000 constructor were on display and were running in the afternoon qualifying session.

Coming up the straightaway at close to 180 mph, Pace was tucked under and behind the other DN4, driven by Craig Bennett. As the cars came up the hill and crested the hump under the bridge, the air came off Pace’s Shadow and it “flew straight up, did a half turn, landed on the roll bar and skidded for 150 yards,” according to eyewitness and local Wisconsin radio personality Steve Zautke.

Unbelievably, Pace, clearly shaken, walked away from the total wreck, which had to be winched off the straightaway. It was just four years ago that Craig Bennett had a suspension/brake failure going into turn twelve tire wall at Road Atlanta in a DN4, causing life-threatening injuries to his spine and limbs, injuries from which the driver since has recovered and returned to the cockpit.

Aerodynamics have been one of the most effective developments in motorsports in the last 60 years, but they also have been the cause of some scary crashes. Think Brian Redman in 1977 at Mont Treblant and Yannick Dalmas in a Porsche 996 GTi at Road Atlanta in 1998. Dalmas walked away, but Redman suffered life-threatening injuries from which he, too, recovered.

The Shadow DN4 driven by Pace and owned by Jim Bartel, a long-time Shadow collector, is a complete wreck. However, the DN4 crashed by Bennett was rebuilt. There is probably a future for the damaged car to be fixed and run again.

[Tobra]

yikes

[pavulon]

It may be gentlemen racing from mid-pack back but up front, not so much, The RA front straight seems to claim some vintage iron with regularity.

That car appears repairable unless the monocoque is hopelessly bent.

[Jeff Higgins]

I think with the deep pockets of today's vintage racers, at least the guys running at that level, any "repair" will essentially entail just building a whole new car. I think it's a lot like "remodeling" an old house, wherein the intent is really to completely replace it - if just one wall is left standing, it can be called a "remodel" and avoid all of the permitting and such for a new build. So, yeah, they'll keep the steering wheel or something and call it a "repair"...

I'm just glad the driver was alright. Vintage race cars come with vintage perils - I remember Mario Andretti once saying, when asked why he never got into the vintage racing scene, answered something like "are you kidding - you know how many of my friends died in those things? I was lucky to survive those cars once - why would I ever want to risk that again?"

[dafischer]

I saw Jackie Oliver in that car win the Can-Am at the Glen in July 74.

[VillaRicaGA911]

Yikes for sure, I unfortunately witnessed the aforementioned crash at Road Atlanta, the bottom of the hill at turn 12 is not a place you want to go for an off track excursion.

[Jeff Higgins]

I've seen that car run up here at Pacific Raceways for our annual 4th of July SOVREN (Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts) Historics. Really scary car - it looks like the poor driver is sitting on top of it, almost go-kart style. Very exposed. Amazing he was not hurt.

[SCadaddle]

Jim is a long time local Central Mississippi boy. I'm sure glad he walked away from that.


I was at the Petite LeMans race at Road Atlanta the year that the Porsche GT-1 did it's back flip. Wasn't long after I seem to remember that Mercedes had 1 possibly 2 cars that did a back flip at LeMans before retiring the rest of the fleet from the race.

[Jeff Higgins]

[madcorgi]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I've seen that car run up here at Pacific Raceways for our annual 4th of July SOVREN (Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts) Historics. Really scary car - it looks like the poor driver is sitting on top of it, almost go-kart style. Very exposed. Amazing he was not hurt.

I'll miss seeing that car, assuming we ever have the Historics again . . . It was very cool.

[wdfifteen]

We were there for the Can Am historics two years ago. I was reminded of how boring road racing can be from a spectator point of view. I watched several Can Ams at Mid Ohio. It was great to see these amazing cars and big name drivers, but other wise it wasn't much of a show. The cars zoom by every few minutes and it's hard to keep track of who is where in the lineup.
I am happy for the memories of attending the Can Ams at Mid Ohio and Can Ams and Grands Prix at Watkins Glen, but they weren't exactly thrilling experiences unless you were a committed enthusiast.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by madcorgi

I'll miss seeing that car, assuming we ever have the Historics again . . . It was very cool.

One of the best races I ever saw at the Historics was one of the Shadows vs. the ex Jackie Stewart Tyrell Ford, from around 1972 or so. They were running in the "exhibition" class, both being too new to meet the old 1969 cutoff.

That 500 inch aluminum Chevy "Rat" motor would just crush that poor little Cosworth DFV powered Tyrell down the long front straight, then the little F1 car would overtake it down below, through 3A, 3B, 4, 5A, 5B, and 6. Back on the front straight, the Shadow wouldn't actually overtake the Tyrell, it would simply suck it in through that big scoop and fart it back out through its exhaust, putting it back behind it once again. This went on for the whole race - at least two lead changes per lap. Fantastic stuff. I hope they get to do it again some day...

[smadsen]

I remember those cars from the Riverside CanAm's. I'm sure the car will be rebuilt, probably over a new tub.

[fred cook]

I saw the Shadow race at Road Atlanta during the Can Am days. And, at Road Atlanta, under the bridge, falling down the hill and making the right hand 90 degree turn is no place to have any kind of mechanical failure! I hope they find a way to rebuild the car!

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

We were there for the Can Am historics two years ago. I was reminded of how boring road racing can be from a spectator point of view. I watched several Can Ams at Mid Ohio. It was great to see these amazing cars and big name drivers, but other wise it wasn't much of a show. The cars zoom by every few minutes and it's hard to keep track of who is where in the lineup.
I am happy for the memories of attending the Can Ams at Mid Ohio and Can Ams and Grands Prix at Watkins Glen, but they weren't exactly thrilling experiences unless you were a committed enthusiast.

Due to the infrastructure making only short sections visible, you just described the Long Beach Grand Prix. The Can Am at the old Riverside track allowed a much wider spectrum and sitting on the esses was probably the best seat in the house.

I didn't care a lot about who was actually leading albeit it was not hard as the usuals were always up front. Only pit stops temporarily shook up the order, same as today.

Watching those beasts driven by some of the best drivers in history was about as thrilling as it gets. That's why I don't attend the historics. It's not the same if Jim Hall and Bruce aren't dicing with John Surtees, blasting around in his Lola. Rounding out the excitement was Chris Amon in the Ferrari. That car could have been on the track all alone and provide a good show.

Damn, those cars were slick in the hands of mentionables such as Gurney, Revson, Donohue, Follmer, Hulme and Andretti.

[CurtEgerer]

We were standing near the end of the straight when this happened. How Pace walked away uninjured in a 50 year old car with only a roll hoop is beyond amazing. The bigger question is why? There have been thousands of cars draft up the hill over the decades at similar speeds and in similar cars. Why a flip now?

And I wish they would have run the 1969 prototype Shadow! Note the near vertical steering column.

[GH85Carrera]

The good news is the driver walked away, and it is just a race car, that CAN be fixed with a large pile of money. Nothing is ever really totaled if the owner wants to put the money into fixing it.

[KFC911]

LOL.... gonna need some good wax and at least two buffing pads for that one.

[CurtEgerer]

It was awesome to see the '70 Mk I actually on track - although it only lasted 1 lap the guy was driving the piss out of it. Had seen the car static a few times, but never in action. Basically a big block Chevy with a seat bolted to the water pump

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

We were standing near the end of the straight when this happened. How Pace walked away uninjured in a 50 year old car with only a roll hoop is beyond amazing. The bigger question is why? There have been thousands of cars draft up the hill over the decades at similar speeds and in similar cars. Why a flip now?

And I wish they would have run the 1969 prototype Shadow! Note the near vertical steering column.

Saw that there as well. It reminded me of a lawn mower set-up. No, thanks.

The video seems to show the totaled UOP car start to move out from behind the leading car just as they crested the front straight hill. I'd imagine it was already lacking front down force from being in the lead car's draft (compounded by the road leveling out. All of this may have unloaded the nose enough to let air under it as it moved out of the slipstream.