Quote:
Bob Akin: 1936-2002 Former Sebring winner succumbs to crash injuries
US Sportscar racer Bob Akin has died following a testing accident at Road Atlanta.
The 66-year-old was driving a 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo car last Friday in preparation for an historic race at the circuit. He was tagged by another machine as he went through the esses formed by turns two and three. The car hit the wall at an acute angle, then flipped down the wall and ended up on the other side in flames.
Akin suffered severe spinal injuries, breaks to his left leg, right arm and left shoulder, multiple lacerations and third degree burns to 15 percent of his body. He finally succumbed today (Tuesday).
Akin won the Sebring 12 Hours classic twice in '79 and '86, the highlights of a distinguished career. He was a regular in the US IMSA series and made six starts in the Le Mans 24 Hours. His best finish at La Sarthe was fourth in '84.
His racing career began in '57 driving dragsters, before a switch to road racing in '59. Akin retired in '61 to concentrate on his business, but returned to the sport in '73. He retired from professional racing for good in '91, but retained an interest in racing through a vintage and historic car business
bron: autosport
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Het wordt volgens mij is tijd dat Don Panoz ook is wat geld gaat steken in de veiligheid op road atlanta. Als je ziet dat er ieder jaar wel een mogelijk catastrofale crash gebeurd in petit le mans. De veiligheid moet daar toch is dringend bekeken worden. Zomaar over een muur flippen kan volgens mij toch niet.
01-05-2002, 18:59
