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Pangaea_Ron's avatar
Pangaea_Ron
Explorer
Jul 01, 2015

RV Driver killed racing at NY Racetrack

NEW LEBANON, N.Y. (AP) — State police say the driver of a motorhome has been killed in a crash during an upstate New York racetrack's annual "Eve of Destruction" event.

Troopers say the accident occurred around 10 p.m. Tuesday at Lebanon Valley Speedway in the Columbia County town of New Lebanon, on the Massachusetts border, 25 miles southeast of Albany.

Police say Shawn Rivers of Castleton, New York, was racing a Winnebago motorhome around the track when another vehicle intentionally hit the RV, causing it to overturn and collapse.

Troopers say Rivers was taken to an Albany hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The track's popular "Eve of Destruction" is a demolition derby-type event featuring a series of vehicle stunts. Troopers say Tuesday night's fatal crash occurred during a race involving vehicles attempting to disable an RV.
Class A
  • bob_nestor's avatar
    bob_nestor
    Explorer III
    Jul 01, 2015
    J-Rooster wrote:
    As everyone knows RV's are not set up to race! Was there a failure in his roll cage or roll bar? You can't get on a legal sanctioned race track in these types of vehicles without protection? The only RV race that I heard of is when Chinook RV out of Yakima, WA. many years ago took one of there coaches off the production line. And took it to a race track to see how fast it would go. It was a gasser, big block chevy (8.1) and it did 101 mph and this took place at speed week on the salt flats to set and new land speed record for RV's.


    I owned two Chinooks and they were both Ford based. Didn't know they ever built on Chevy, and I remember seeing the video of that land speed record run. It looked identical to my Ford 350 Chinook Concourse that had the V-10.
  • Rbertalotto's avatar
    Rbertalotto
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    Chill out folks...He knew what he was getting into. It's entertainment and it actually is great fun! I've competed in many demolition derbys when I was younger and always had a GREAT time. Always concerned about burning to death rather than getting hurt in a collision.
  • 96Bounder30E's avatar
    96Bounder30E
    Explorer II
    Jul 01, 2015
    Our local track "Irwindale motor speedway" does the same thing....."night of destruction-trailer racing".......


    It sure is fun to watch BUT...it sure looks dangerous! Sad to hear someone lost their life entertaining others......


  • J-Rooster's avatar
    J-Rooster
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    As everyone knows RV's are not set up to race! Was there a failure in his roll cage or roll bar? You can't get on a legal sanctioned race track in these types of vehicles without protection? The only RV race that I heard of is when Chinook RV out of Yakima, WA. many years ago took one of there coaches off the production line. And took it to a race track to see how fast it would go. It was a gasser, big block chevy (8.1) and it did 101 mph and this took place at speed week on the salt flats to set and new land speed record for RV's.
  • frankdamp's avatar
    frankdamp
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    It appears that he was the "target" of an intentional collision. I've always thought "Demolition Derbies" were stupid.
  • Campfire_Time's avatar
    Campfire_Time
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    gbopp wrote:
    dvitale300 wrote:
    I think we're all just a teeny weeny bit safer not that this guy is off the road.


    I don't know. There's a lot of drivers out there that would like to disable RV's with their cars. :E

    It is sad that someone lost their life in this incident.


    You do realize of course that this did not happen on the road, but at a demolition derby on a closed track? :S
  • gbopp's avatar
    gbopp
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    It is sad that someone lost their life in this incident.
  • Pangaea_Ron's avatar
    Pangaea_Ron
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2015
    Truly sad, but not very smart.

    He probably got killed by the microwave coming forward.

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