Murphy’s law typically states that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong”, and you should stay as far away as possible when something does happen in racing.
We’ve said it before: few things can stop an out-of-control racing car. Due to its unpredictable nature, any form of motorsport will, at some point, become hazardous not only for the participants, but for onlookers as well. Racing requires the minutest of details to be taken into account, otherwise the consequences can be devastating.
A cameraman learned this the hard way after a BTCC Chevrolet Cruze crashed and tipped the camera gantry where he was standing, at the start of the third race at Snetterton Circuit. Hunter Abbott’s Power Maxed Racing Chevy went into a barrel roll and into the TV tower, after colliding with Team BKR Mark Howard’s Passat CC.
Fortunately, according to Touring CarTimes, the ITV Sport cameraman on top of the gantry jumped to safety and was unharmed in the incident. No penalties were issued post-race, but the event was red-flagged for the second time.
“I’ve rolled a car before, and have landed on top of the barrier before, so I knew what to expect and I was just hoping that I wasn’t going to go over it and into the crowd.
I wasn’t even aware until I left the medical centre later that I’d hit the camera gantry as that was the point when someone told me it had gone over, and it was just the worst feeling imaginable”, said Hunter Abbott.