Simon Belcher unlikely to race after shunt with Mike Bushell
Mike Bushell and Simon Belcher were involved in a high speed incident during qualifying for the third event of the 2015 BTCC season, sending Bushell to hospital with a suspected broken femur and potentially ending Belcher’s weekend with substantial damage to his car.
The incident happened just six minutes in to the 30 minute session, with Belcher and Bushell coming together as the former began a flying lap as Bushell exited the pits through Allard, sending both the Ford Focus and Toyota Avensis in to the barriers on the outside of the corner.
“I was on a fast lap, came round turn one and Mike Bushell just came out of the pitlane,” Belcher told TouringCarTimes. “Obviously he didn’t see me as he came out the pit lane and just come on to what is the racing line, clipped the rear corner of my car and we’ve ended up smashed in the barriers.”
Bushell was sent to Southampton Hospital with a suspected broken femur from the crash, while Belcher’s Toyota suffered severe damage to both the front and rear end.
“I’m fine, we just think it’s very unlikely that the car’s going to be out tomorrow,” said Belcher to TouringCarTimes. “It’s taken a heavy impact backwards in to the barrier, it depends how much damage there is to the pick up points on the rear sub frame, they’re going to have a look at it. If there’s any way we’ll be able to get out tomorrow then we’ll do it.”
Belcher suffered similar luck at Thruxton last year, going off at high speed at Church and ending up in the trees. However, despite a recent run of bad luck at the Hampshire circuit, he still regards it as one of his favourite circuits.
“After last year at Thruxton it’s just unbelievable. We were having a reasonably good weekend with P20 in FP2, confident we could do something in qualifying and to go and have this happen in qualifying is pretty gutting really, but that’s racing. The trouble is I love this place, I think the circuit is brilliant, it just keeps biting me, but hey ho, onwards and upwards.”
