Mert

Any word on Mert?

 

I spoke with his son Brad on saturday evening. They took Mert to the hospital to check him out but he is ok and was back at the track that evening. I saw him in the pits today (sunday). The car looked pretty messed up though. I heard that they cut the roll cage off to get him out.

-chris

 

(We posted this on another site):

Hey everybody,

To clarify what happened, the TAFC driven by Mert Littlefield crashed in the sand trap on the final qualifying lap on Saturday at Pomona. After crossing the finish line at over 250 mph, the parachutes did not deploy (reasons currently unknown) and Mert was unable to get the car stopped before the sand trap. After hitting the sand trap, which was more of a mud pit after Friday's rain, the car catapulted 20-25 feet into the air according to top-end observers. The car landed upside-down in the mud past the second catch net, and the body landed on Fairplex Drive right next to a police vehicle (much to their surprise).
Mert was conscious and alert, and the track officials cut the roll cage and used a backboard to transport Mert out of the car as a precaution. He was taken to the hospital and was found to have no injuries other than a puncture in his left leg, probably from the reverse lever. He arrived back to the track at 9 that night, and it is needless to say that he is sore but otherwise healthy. The car, however, is totaled. The body is a throwaway and the chassis is severely damaged. The extent of the damage is to be determined when the car is evaluated on a later date. It is likely that the team will return, but it is too early to predict when.
We would like to thank all those who helped at the top end and in the pits, including the Safety Safari, RFC, and various racers, friends, and helpful observers. We would also like to thank Paul Kuhnke for building a great car that withstood the impact of the wreck and kept Mert safe.
It has been a tough year after crashing the racecar at the Winternationals and wrecking the truck and trailer last April in a 66-car pileup, but we have also had a lot of fun during this time and received a lot of support. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and concerns and hope to be back to the races soon.

Thank you,
the Littlefield family