A disabled racing driver from Newport stayed calm even though his car caught fire during a race.
Andy Tucker of Llandevaud was driving for Team BRIT at Silverstone in the Britcar Championship last weekend when his car caught fire in the final minutes of the race.
Looking back on the unusual accident, Mr. Tucker said, “I was coming out of a curve, put in fourth gear, then fifth, hit the accelerator, when I noticed a strange, high-pitched ‘hiss’. I looked at the rear view camera and could see smoke billowing out.
“I felt like oil was leaking, which was causing the flames, so I drove the car off the track so as not to endanger the other drivers.
“I drove it down the escape route and stopped in front of the marshal’s post. I got out and pulled the cable for the Lifeline fire extinguisher before the marshals immediately went to work and put out the fire. ”
Mr. Tucker – who was seriously injured by a car while standing still on his motorcycle in 2013 – used his quick thinking to prevent more accidents (and save tens of thousands of pounds in damage to the car).
Despite the ordeal, he didn’t panic.
“I knew what I had to do from the training at the academy and the help I had received from the team,” he said.
“I’ve followed motorsport all my life and seen how other drivers deal with these situations. Ultimately, I also had confidence in the car – our crew built a great machine that is as safe as possible, the firewall made sure that no flames got inside the car.
“I also knew the marshals would do their job – they’re all amazing volunteers and I’m so grateful for their quick response.”
Despite the incident, caused by a turbocharger defect, Mr. Tucker secured crucial points by covering the distance for the race and is now pushing for third place in the class standings. He was accompanied at Silverstone by guest driver Paul Voakes.
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Team BRIT Race Engineer Al Locke said, “I can’t praise Andy enough for how he handled the situation. It was the perfect answer.
Racing driver Andy Tucker (Image: Darren S Cook / Scruffy Bear Pictures)
“He was in communication the whole time telling me what happened. He got the car off the track immediately, which prevented any serious danger to other drivers, and parked it right next to the marshals where he could get help.
“I’m very happy that he’s doing well and our thanks and gratitude go to the fantastic actions of the volunteer marshals.”
“This also underscores why we make sure that we only have the best safety kit in our entire fleet. Andy was able to access our LifeLine fire extinguisher, which was immediately available to the marshals. ”
The BRIT team wants to be the first purely handicapped team to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and supports people with physical and psychological challenges when entering motorsport.
Mr. Tucker goes back to Brand Hatch on August 1st.
