Formula 1

Happy Hump Day: IndyCar Driver Makes Amazing Hands-Free Save

The best part of motor racing is when it all seems to fall apart for a driver, but out of pure talent, skill, and a sprinkle of luck, they manage to pull their car back onto the track from whatever went wrong and continue like nothing ever happened.

This is exactly what happened to IndyCar driver Josef Newgarden when he lost control of his car during second IndyCar practice at Barber Motorsports park. On the final corner before the pit straight, Newgarden pushes to the outside of the corner slightly more than he would have liked. The car puts two wheels off of the tarmac, which then lose traction, throwing the car into oversteer.

Newgarden miraculously reacts within a split second counter-steering against this new change of direction, but the car pushes the other way, tank slapping to the right. With the front wheels under some serious force, the steering wheel spins out of his hands, and spins freely. Fortunately, the racing driver manages to catch it, adding some final steering lock before carrying on with his lap.

The only issue from the spin was a locked front-right wheel, slightly flat spotting the tyre. But with Newgarden fighting for his third championship, the team is lucky to have a driver that reacted fast enough to save the car before the race even began.

That’s your Happy Hump Day in the bag.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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