A terrible accident almost happened with a 1949 Ford F-1 race truck on the Pikes Peak trail this week. A camera installed in the cabin nailed down the moment when a sudden brake failure caused the diesel old-timer to lose control, veer off the track and go tumbling down a slope.
Several years ago, the Ford F-1 starring in the video set the international record on the same track in the Diesel category. It had a Cummins engine under the hood boosted to 1,400 horsepower (1,044 kilowatts). It completed the climb in 11 minutes and barely over 24 seconds.
In another race earlier this week, the truck had a brake failure that sent it flying 50 meters (164 feet) and turning over 8 times or so. Contrary to all expectation, the driver was able to unbuckle himself and get out of the cabin. A medical examination on-site revealed no serious injuries – but the truck was reduced to a pile of scrap metal.
