1968 #16 Penske Camaro - Watkins Glenn 2013 - tirewall/guardrail collision

[firstgenaddict]

I was rereading the dec issue of Vintage Motorsport Magazine and read about the loss of braking which led to crashing into the tirewall and guardrail, for which the driver was airlifted to the hospital. (a photographer was also injured & received treatment for a compound fracture)
Driver was released later but was reported as saying "He was glad he was wearing a HANS for the SEVERE impact."

Severe is what I am referring to... 

Does anyone know how badly the car was damaged?

[Jon Mello]

I saw a video of the car hitting the barrier but nothing more than that. It was a serious collision but the car has been repaired and was at Monterey for the Historics last month. The owner, Bill Bryan, told me has was still dealing with some lingering issues from the collision so he had former owner Don Lee drive the car for him at Monterey.

[SMKZ28]

These are the pictures I remember seeing after it happened.  The following write up can be found here: http://mokanmotorsports.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=7303

Photographer is going to be okay.

Star-Gazette racing writer recovering from accident

Star-Gazette reporter and photographer Ron Levanduski will undergo surgery Wednesday for injuries suffered during a vintage car race at Watkins Glen International.

Levanduski was photographing Sunday’s New York State Governor’s Cup event for Historic Trans-Am cars from the Boot of the Glen’s 3.37-mile long course when the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Bill Bryant of Fruitland Park, Fla., slammed into the “toe area” of the Boot, where Levanduski was working.

“I was knocked out cold,” Levanduski said Monday.

Levanduski was sent by helicopter to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre. He had three broken ribs, three broken bones in his upper left arm along with two puncture wounds in his arm from the breaks, a small “brain bleed,” and multiple cuts and abrasions.

On Monday he said, “I saw through the lens that the Camaro looked like it was making a pass in the corner. I saw a puff of smoke, maybe he was locking his brakes. But he didn’t slow down. He was coming full-bore at me.”

The force of the impact knocked Levanduski 10 feet into the air and into a creek, Phil Barnes, manager of security at WGI, said a witness told him.

Tom Ryder of Binghamton was also shooting the race for the Associated Press from the same spot as Levanduski.

“I was standing 30 feet to his right, right up against the guardrail,” Ryder said Monday, estimating the car was going about 120 mph when it slammed into the tire barrier in front of the guardrail. “Two laps before that I was right next to Ron. We spoke briefly and I told him I was going to move down a bit. Two laps later the car hit right where I would have been standing. The guardrail V’d when the tires kicked back into the guardrail.

“I heard a jolt and the car went through. I looked over and didn’t see Ron. I put my camera down and saw he was laying on his back near a small little bridge made of plywood over this little creek. It had to be 15 feet from the guardrail. I went over to him, and I could hear him moaning and groaning.”

Ryder added Bryan was able to get out of his car and was standing on the grass before he went down.