When it comes to thrills versus cost of entry, little else has got the bang for your buck as grass roots land speed competitions. However, when things really do go bang, little else can be more terrifying.
On November 10, driver Brian Gillespie lost control of his Hasport Honda Insight at speeds approaching 190 MPH. It is unclear whether the accident was caused by crosswinds, abrupt surface change, mechanical failure, misjudged steering input, or all of the above, but the Insight went sideways on the dry lake bed, dug in, and barrel rolled end over end more times than we could count.
The Hasport Honda Insight disintegrates before our eyes until we can clearly see that there's little left of it other than the rollcage that's protecting Gillespie. To call Brian Gillespie's survival miraculous would be a disservice to the makers of the rollcage-- however, we can think of no better word.
"Brian's survival is testament to the safety measures and the obvious craftsmanship in the roll structure," said HotRod Magazine writer David Freiburger. "SCTA over the past few years has mandated head-and-neck restraints and side-to-side head support, and it's saved a lot of guys in snap rollovers like this."
Gillespie emerged from the catastrophe with a torn and collapsed right lung and a concussion. First responders in a life-flight helicopter quickly brought Gillespie to a local California hospital. Remarkably, Gillespie was released just a week after the gnarly 190 mph crash that could have taken his life.
The Hasport Honda Insight was the season's points champion. Brian Gillespie was advised by doctors to take at least a month to recover. However, Gillespie is already thinking about his next big project to go even faster. Be sure to watch the terrifying 190 mph crash in the video below:
