Motorsports: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution crashes on first practice day of Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Filed under: Motorsports, Mitsubishi, Electric, Racing

Mitsubishi had high hopes for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, entering a production i-MiEV and a radical racing version called the i-MiEV Evolution into the ever-growing Electric Division. We had our eye on the Evolution model in particular, as the car was specially developed for the hill climb with a tube-frame chassis, sleek carbon fiber body and an all-wheel-drive system.

Things haven't started quite as Mitsubishi planned, though, with the i-MiEV Evolution crashing during today's second practice session on the lower third of Pikes Peak. The car overshot one of the many hairpins on the course, ending up in a ditch several feet off the road. There's no word on whether the incident was due to a mechanical problem or driver error, but the car looks to be pretty heavily damaged. Fortunately, driver Hiroshi Masuoka, one of Mitsubishi's test drivers and two-time Dakar Rally winner, was unhurt in the accident.

We don't know whether the crew at Mitsubishi will be able to repair the car in time for this weekend's race, but we hope to see it on the mountain come Sunday.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution crashes on first practice day of Pikes Peak Hill Climb originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Truck crashes on overpass, rains sheep down on motorists

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Safety, Videos, Work, Australia

In one of the more bizarre and macabre accidents we've ever seen, a truck carrying 400 sheep turned on its side on an overpass in Australia yesterday, ripping the trailer open and tossing the hapless livestock onto the traffic below, according to reports.

One car rolled over four times and a number of other vehicles had the animals fall through their windshields as they drove through the downpour of sheep, which can weigh more than 100 pounds each.

"We looked up and we could see the truck flip on its side and then the next minute, we were underneath and yeah, raining sheep doesn't happen everyday," said Kristy Davis, a witness, talking to reporters.

No people were seriously hurt during the incident. But the sheep were not as lucky. A final tally by reporters said that fewer than 10 sheep survived. The chaos caused some nine hours of delays on the roads.

Scroll down to see the video. Warning: The footage may be a bit graphic for some.

Continue reading Truck crashes on overpass, rains sheep down on motorists

Truck crashes on overpass, rains sheep down on motorists originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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