The Motorsport racing community is praying for Colin Turner after suffering injuries in an on-track accident due to wet conditions Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. This accident took place at Silverstone Circuit in England.
What Are Formula Ford 1600 Racing Car?
The Formula Ford 1600 racing cars are small open-wheel race cars with small engines used for recreational, amateur drivers, and young aspiring professional racers. There were six racer vehicles involved in the array of crashes.
What Caused Collision?
The collision happened when the racer Dean Forward lost control and hit the pit wall.
They were trying to get the vehicle off the track, and then the car was hit again by Turner. Racers David Billington, David Porter, and George Ditchfield were the other cars involved in the accident.
Turner suffering the most serious injuries had to be airlifted to the hospital in Coventry with serious leg and back injuries and a bleed on the brain. While undergoing surgery, both his legs had to be amputated. Before surgery, Turner reached out to his racer colleagues, letting them know that he would be alright.
Turner, who has just turned 70 this week, received support from famous Scots racers Dario Franchitti and Allan McNish. For his birthday, Turner received an inspirational video message from racer Billy Monger who suffered a double amputation in 2017.
Racer Online Crowdfunding
An online crowdfunding page has been set up to raise monies to assist racer Turner in his recovery. Neil, one of the organizers of the 2020 Scottish Formula Ford Renegade Cup Stated:
I’ve set up the page to raise funds to support his post-treatment recovery – enhanced physio, upgraded prosthetics, home adaption, in-home care, and the like.
Duncan Vincent Knockhill, a lead commentator, said:
Colin is the nicest man in the paddock, a real gentleman, but also someone who has a more colourful background than he lets on, [He was] never one to do anything silly on the track, he’s just a guy who enjoyed driving a racing car and having a fun time with like-minded people.
The Scottish Motor Racing Club Chairman Sandy Denham said:
We were shocked to hear the news of Colin’s accident, particularly as he is a past member and competitor of ours, As a club, we have been happy to support this and will commit to helping Colin wherever we can on his road to recovery. In the interim, our thoughts are with him and his family during this difficult time.
In just a few days, the fund has already raised more than $27,000.
Written by Omari Jahi
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Fox News: Racing driver loses both legs in multicar crash, Gary Gastelu
Autosport: Formula Ford driver Turner has legs amputated after Walter Hayes crash, Stephen Lickorish
Daily Record: Motorsport community unites to support badly injured Scots racer Colin Turner, Giles Blair
Feature Image by Richard Taylor Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Jen Ross’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
