Nelson Piquet Jr. made his Indy Lights debut in Toronto on pole, but a horrifying crash with another driver dashed his hopes for a win. The good news is that he and the driver he collided with, RC Enerson, were both uninjured. That’s kind of a miracle when you see what happened to Enerson’s car.
During this evening’s race in Toronto, 18-year-old Enerson was battling ex-Formula One driver and current Formula E champ Piquet for first place when the two made contact in Turn Three, according to news reports.
Autosport reports Enerson misjudged the turn and struck Piquet’s left rear tire with his own front right. The crash launched Enerson’s car into the air and then sliding down an escape road and into a tire barrier.
It looks bad, but Enerson reportedly walked away on his own. Here’s what Piquet said after:
“Obviously the driver behind was a bit quicker; I don’t think we had the pace we were expecting,” said Piquet, who was also eliminated from the race in the accident. “I was just trying to hold my position. He outbraked himself at the end of the straight and there was nothing I could do.
“Young kids, they get a bit aggressive, but it’s OK.”
Kids these days! Spencer Pigot, who was running third at the time of the race, ultimately took the win. Enerson, unfortunately, will miss tomorrow’s second race.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.