In NASCAR they talk about “The Big One”, referring to multi-car crashes on super speedways. Thank goodness motorcycle racing doesn’t often experience “The Big One”, but here’s a case where it happened. It was at Grattan during a combined WERA Formula 2/Vintage 4 race sometime in the late 1980s – a massive pileup involving at least seven riders. Amazingly only one rider was injured. Randy Illg (laying face down on he edge of the track and being hit by Robert Tapscott) suffered a broken collarbone. Most of the other riders were able to make the races restart.
A pileup during a WERA Formula 2/Vintage 4 race at Grattan Raceway in the late 1980s. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Rider Files 
Hey Larry. I’m a (now retired) road racer and now track photographer. Really enjoy your stuff. Don’t subscribe or anything (yet) but seriously appreciate the history you’ve stored and share.
This photo popped up on a facebook page and folks were asking where it was shot. I told them I was pretty sure it was running counterclockwise and is t10a (or some call it turn 11). Running backwards it would be the second turn off the straight away….but the viewpoint appears you’re in a deerblind…or tree…and have some serious lens. I know my 500mm from the woods in the busstop would catch it this tight.
Just curious if you can recall from where this was shot.
Thanks in advance.
Jig
WERA Ex #36
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Jig
It looks like I have some elevation on the bikes, so that leads me to believe it could be the turn after the esses (running backwards) heading up to the jump, but I don’t know for sure.
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That may be me lying face down but I can assure you that I did not break my collar bone at Grattan, I broke it at the grand Nat vintage final in V3 riding my Triton, maybe 1988 or 9. Thanks
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