This is one of the best crash photos I’ve come across. The dramatic shot was captured by Greg Sickmeier at the 1985 WERA Grand National Finals. It shows Bob Englert crashing the Team Gibsonia Yamaha FJ1100 during the national endurance race. I believe this is the turn four area of the track. There are so many amazing elements in this photograph. Sickmeier caught the bike flipped completely upside-down, you have the dust and dirt kicked up dramatically from the red Georgia clay with sunlight filtering through and then there’s Englert digging in trying to slow down and the corner working already running into action. It’s simply a great action shot that captures the moment perfectly. The icing on the cake was a year or two later Sickmeier was at a race and sitting down to dinner with friends at a restaurant. In walks a guy with a Team Gibsonia t-shirt. Sickmeier asked if he happened to be the guy who crashed at the GNF in ’85, it was Englert. “Well I’ve got a photo you might like to see,” Sickmeier said. I first saw the shot hanging up framed at Sickmeier’s house. I’m happy he allowed us to share it.
Bob Englert crashing the Team Gibsonia Yamaha FJ1100 during the national endurance race at the 1985 WERA Grand National Finals. (Greg Sickmeier photo)
Rider Files 
Hey Larry, did you find the whole sequence in my negatives?
This was one of maybe a dozen frames from my trusty Canon A1 with it’s 5 1/2 frame per second motor drive.
By total luck, I had Bob in my view finder when he and another bike tangled. If I remember, there were several frames with both bikes in the shot.
Yes, this was definately the best of the sequence!
The best part of the dinner encounter a couple years later was it was back at Road Atlanta and Bob & his group were in line behind us at the restaurant when a large table became available, we turned and asked the “group of racers” behind us if they wanted to join us for an immediate seating. Sitting at the table is when I noticed the Team Gibsonia shirts and remembered the photos from the ’85 GNF.
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Greg, Yes I scanned the sequence. This shot was the most dramatic of the set. I’ll get the others online soon if you like. I’ll check it out next week when I’m back in town.
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