AJ Foyt driver Sting Ray Robb talks about his violent crash in Iowa – The IndyCar driver was briefly unconscious
Sting Ray Robb was involved in a violent accident at Iowa. On the final lap of Sunday’s race, the AJ Foyt driver rear-ended Alexander Rossi, who was slowing without fuel. Robb was thrown into the air while other cars collided. Robb had to withstand 109 g and even briefly lost consciousness. Now the American is talking about the accident.
Robb is already preparing for the next IndyCar race in Toronto and will not be taking a break. Although he was taken to hospital for examination, he was quickly released. Back to Iowa: The safety team first had to turn the car around before they could free him. Then it was off to the hospital by helicopter.
“There was a lot of fuel saving in the last stint, we were also low on fuel,” says Robb. “I was trying to keep a big group behind me, but at the same time I had to save every drop of fuel. I was battling with Ed [Carpenter], it was a good fight. I was surprised I was able to keep him behind me.”
Robb then noticed that Rossi was slowing down, but could not estimate how far the McLaren driver had to ease off the gas. “I came up on him very, very quickly after three quarters of the corner. It was the worst scenario you could imagine,” he explained. He then crashed into Rossi’s car and took off.
109 Gs were measured when Robb crashed into his opponent. Although the AJ Foyt driver is allowed to start in Toronto, he is still in a bad way. When he slowed down, he immediately checked himself to see how he was feeling. “I couldn’t breathe, the harnesses were working fine,” he recalls. “Everything worked as it should. I had no cuts or other strange injuries.”
Bruises on his hip were the only injuries Robb attributes to the “working” seat belts. When he got out of the car, it flickered before his eyes. “It was like getting out of bed too fast. I saw stars.” Then he briefly lost consciousness.
A look at the multi-car incident on the final lap at @IowaSpeedway
Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter and Kyle Kirkwood have been seen and released. pic.twitter.com/EWvkQFSbhZ
– NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 14, 2024
“Then I was gone, but I don’t know how long,” he says. “It happened very quickly.” He wasn’t feeling well, which he also told the security staff at the track. As a precautionary measure, he was placed on a stretcher. After the long race, the doctors also wanted to be sure that he wasn’t just dehydrated.
“Once I was on the stretcher, I was fine and could see clearly again,” says Robb. “Then they took me to the ambulance. I immediately felt the energy in my body and was ready to carry on.” A CT scan was carried out at the hospital. Everything was fine, which is why Robb blames the adrenaline for the brief moment of unconsciousness. “It wasn’t the pain,” he says.
Robb had also injured his finger. “I was adjusting the halo when I got out of the car,” he explains. “When titanium slides across the tarmac for hundreds of meters, it gets bloody hot. I learned my lesson.” So he burned himself on the hot material that had heated up on his head as a result of the sliding.
