History has a habit of repeating itself. Back in the early 70's I was heavily involved in drag racing and a group of us race marshals were invited to help crew a jet car at Elvington driven by a mad Swede called Arnie Sundvquist. The car was basically a jet engine (with afterburner) with a Volvo wheel at each corner of the RSJ chassis. During an attempt at the flying kilometre a gust of wind hit the car side on, he popped the 'chutes an flew off into the middle of nowhere. When we reached him he was just climbing out of the cockpit the top of his bonedome (not crash helmet) having been grazed by a 4" diameter wooden stake from a trackside hoarding. Peering into the cockpit we noticed the air speed indicator jammed at just over 300 knots. He was lucky, shaken but unscathed.

I hope Richard Hammond recovers and goes off to recuperate with a long caravan holiday.