Fan Takes A Spin in Two-Seater
(Detroit Free Press May 12, 2001)
Roberto Guerrero has crashed before at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. But Friday's wreck was the first with someone in the
backseat.
Guerrero was driving in an Indy Racing League ride-along program with
Scott Schroepfer of McHenry, Ill., who paid $1,000 for a few laps
around the 2.5-mile oval at about 160 m.p.h.
Coming down the front stretch, the car's rear wing came loose.
"The wing pretty much fell off," Guerrero said. "It didn't fly away, but
it slid all the way in the back. And it's funny, because I heard a little
weird noise. And when I went by, they told me (via radio), 'Stop! Stop!
Stop!' But by then I had already turned -- I was already spinning. We
spun twice, and I just kissed the wall with the nose a little."
Schroepfer apparently was more amused than terrified. "And that was
amazing," Guerrero said. "As soon as I stopped, he said, 'Oh, man, that
was awesome!' "
The crash came the day before pole qualifying for the Indianapolis
500. Guerrero, named Friday to drive the rest of this year's IRL
series for team owner Dick Simon, was participating in the ride-along
program for the first time.
"They were out of drivers," said Guerrero, 41. "And I said, 'Well,
that's perfect. I'm going to be getting in a real car, and I haven't been
on the track since last year. That would get me acclimated.'
Unfortunately, it got me acclimated the wrong way."
Simon said: "It got his heart going." Guerrero: "It woke me up."
The wreck apparently brought the IRL's two-car ride-along program to
a screeching halt. Earlier this week, in separate incidents, the cars
suffered a blown engine and broken suspension system.
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