paradocs98

Just saw this on R&T's site. Vintage Can-Am cars running at Road America over the weekend. Jim Pace was in a 1974 Shadow DN4 that caught air under the front end on the uphill portion of the track and somersaulted. Luckily reports are that he was unhurt. Shades of the '99 Mercedes Le Mans flip... I can't imagine how terrified and helpless he must have felt.

3Series

Dang. All that from random air turbulence??.....reminds of that Ferrari going airborne from contact going into Turn 5 from a couple years ago.

ProCoach

Yep. Out of Jim Bartell’s wonderful collection. I posted some in car (not of any accident) in the Road America top speed thread.

JP was really pushing early on and sliding the car around T14 in Larry Fulhorst’s good video taken at the exit of T14 all the way past launch. He didn’t have time to think or be scared, he said.

It is only by God’s good grace that JP emerged from the car, shaken but unhurt, and aided the pit lane crews and emergency services staff in putting out the small fire before leaning back against the pit wall, which the car rolled over to get into pit lane at the end.

This happened in Laguna Seca a few years ago with Kirt Bennett in another DN4 (Kirt was in the DN4 ahead of JP here in this video) on the front straight after the bridge and start/finish. He was pretty badly hurt but did recover and return to driving these cars.

Incredibly thankful that JP emerged unscathed. He’s a treasure, having won GTU at the Rolex 24 in 1992, won both The Rolex 24 AND the 12 Hours of Sebring overall in 1996, and mentoring tens of thousands over the years at Skip Barber Racing Schools, now at Level Up. He’s a great coach and a good friend.

paradocs98

^^ Thanks for further details, Peter. So lucky. Glad he was unhurt.

vintage914racer

I was at this event, and while I didn't see the accident happen, I saw the eerie image of the DN4 upside down on the main straight. As a racer it's definitely a hard sight to see. Fortunately, I also saw Jim on his feet directing the safety crew on how to lift the car. Thank goodness.

Jim is one of the good guys, a great instructor and all a round good person. He can now add "very lucky" to his list of attributes. He was my instructor 20 odd years ago at Skip Barber and I did some coaching with him a few years ago. Undoubtedly he's worked with hundreds (thousands?) of drivers, yet he always remember me and says hello when I see him at the track.

paradocs98

My apologies, all. I hadn't realized that this incident had already been mentioned a couple of days prior in the Road America top speed thread. Again, very happy that he was unscathed.

ProCoach

No apologies necessary! I think it IS of general interest, it did have a reasonably good outcome and we all love Road America.

Be careful out there...

Frank 993 C4S

No need to apologize! I was going to call an Enzo but the incident really deserved its own thread.

Jim really helped me when I ran with HSR as a Rookie for the first time at the Daytona 24 Classic and by sheer luck I ended up winning my group. Three years later, I ended up illegality passing another car in pit lane during the the pit stops and he gave me a really good talking to I will not forget. Jim is a great guy and I am so happy he came away unscathed. These are dangerous cars and demand respect.

ProCoach

http://vintagemotorsport.com/2020/07...-shadow-crash/

Good outcome to a bad situation.

paradocs98

Pace said he had the presence of mind to turn off the master switch as the car was sliding down the straight upside down. Nerves of steel... Truly amazing.

T&T Racing

Yes, /The exhaust noise brings back memories of the CanAm series with the Chevy engines

ProCoach

Pretty good wear on the topside of his helmet...

Matt Romanowski

A few narrated laps from Jim Pace done before the incident https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1012135039214037

ProCoach

I love it!

JP is nothing, if not a pro.

Saying "hey" to Walter Vollrath in the Carousel, Tom Shelton going into Turn 1, then weaving in the story of a Mississippi Highway Patrolman stopping him, asking what he was doing and Jim saying, "just testing my car and seeing how she'd run."

The answer of the patrolman? "She's running DAMN good, son!" And that's how she's running today...

Knocking it out of the park, while driving a 1000 bhp, forty-six year old car that won the 1974 Can-Am Championship, as usual!

ProCoach

More on the car and the competition that year.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/art...pen-domination