A day of hardcore testing at Buttonwillow Raceway in California turned into a nightmare for the Big Red Camaro team on Monday as the car burst into flames and suffered a major league fire. The burn job has ended their plans to attend the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb this year and we’re guessing it will sideline them from many other racing events as well. We do not know the details of the conflagration past the photos that the team posted to their Facebook page but this looks like it was a pretty nasty fire. Thankfully RJ Gottlieb was not hurt nor as anyone else and the Big Red Camaro can be fixed and made better (is that possible?!) for future competition.
If you are unaware of the history that the Big Red Camaro has racked up, please remove yourself from under the rock where you live, turn on your Google machine and get to reading. This is a car that has done about all that there is to do in racing from open road stuff to land speed, to road course action, and more. It may be the greatest father/son project gone awry ever and we love the fact that the guys are going to fix it and continue on the mission that this car has had from day one. What’s that? To kick ass!
Here’s the full statement from the Big Red Camaro team:
It is with heavy hearts today that Team Big Red Camaro must announce our withdrawal from the 2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (Official Site). While testing with Big Red on Monday, 6/13, the car was badly damaged when a fire broke out. No-one was seriously hurt but the car cannot be repaired in time for Pikes Peak. We wish all our fellow PPIHC competitors a safe, dry and fast week of racing and hope that we can go back to the mountain next year.
Damn that sucks! Read about this car fir years and hope the car is salvageable. The damage looks extensive.
Big Red will be back, no crash or fire has stopped it yet!
Most of that should buff right out…..
This just adds to the legend of the car…..
Bent
Christine!!! “Bad to the bone…Ba Ba Ba bad”
Where is Keith Gordon when you need him!
More Photos
http://www.superchevy.com/news/1606-big-red-1969-camaro-severely-damaged-in-testing-fire/