An enormous pile-up that happened only seconds into the maiden Formula Regional Middle East race at Kuwait Motor Town didn’t quite go as planned with the 2023 championship crash video viral
On Friday, a Formula Regional race got off to the wrong kind of start as ten vehicles were involved in a significant early collision. At the Kuwait Motor Town, two of the 27 drivers were propelled into the air in their cars in a matter of seconds, and many more were caught up in the ensuing commotion. Fortunately, everyone who was engaged in the terrifying incident was unharmed.
Massive car pile up at the Formula Regional Middle East Championship 2023, crash video goes viral
Formula Regional Middle East (#FRMEC) at Kuwait Motor Town giving me IndyCar at Pocono vibes, as they tried to go seven-wide. That was never going to work. pic.twitter.com/y4S2COvFzu
— Vincent Bruins 🧡 (@VincentJBruins) January 27, 2023
The bigger picture
Joshua Duerksen was launched into the air after colliding with one of the PHM racing cars as vehicles attempted to enter the corner five abreast. Sami Meguetounif, a teammate from the Hyderabad Blackbirds, was wedged between his car and the other.
However, worse was about to happen. Brad Benavides collided with Gabriele Mini’s Hitech GP at a high rate of speed, spun out, and then landed on top of multiple vehicles. He then rode for a few seconds upside down on top of Mari Boya, another member of the Hyderabad Blackbirds, before turning about once more and, luckily, coming to a stop in the gravel.
Several other vehicles were also forced to come to a complete stop in order to prevent collisions of their own, so it wasn’t only the automobiles that made contact that was in difficulty.
It was nothing but a complete mess.
On commentary, analysts called the incident “a complete mess,” but it was eventually confirmed that none of the drivers had suffered injuries. The incident was followed by a protracted safety car period, but once the debris was cleared, the action resumed.
The issues were still present, though. Sebastian Montoya, a Red Bull rookie, began 18th on the grid but moved up to fourth after what appeared to be a gift. But after another incident later in the race, he too was unable to complete it. Dino Beganovic ultimately seizes the opportunity. In contrast, Luke Browning, who was named the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year in December, finished seventh on his series debut after starting ninth and managing to avoid trouble.
A mixture of professional and amateur drivers compete in Formula Regional vehicles in the Middle East Championship. The Kuwait leg is the second of five events in the championship’s inaugural season.