Motorsports are a dangerous endeavor whether you’re on a circuit, a drag strip, or doing some big slides. Formula Drift star James Deane and a ride-along passenger got a taste of that danger over the weekend when Deane’s Ford Mustang RTR racer burst into flames mid-lap.
The incident took place in the lead-up to the Long Beach Formula Drift event held last weekend, during a media session. Fellow drifter and YouTuber Kevin Darwish had the opportunity to sit alongside Deane during a tandem lap, but things didn’t go according to plan. Luckily for all of us, Darwish had cameras rolling during the scary situation. With Deane pitched sideways in a smokey drift, a wall of fire quickly found its way out of the engine bay. Deane, being a consummate professional, managed to get the car stopped quickly without having a big crash. The driver then operated the kill switch found on the dash, but not before the fire made rapid progress in the interior. The two occupants quickly fumbled with their safety harnesses before extricating themselves from the burning pony car.
It was a particularly freaky situation, as Darwish was riding along in jeans and a t-shirt, seemingly lacking any sort of proper fire protection. Someone without as much experience as Darwish could’ve ended up badly injured in a situation like this. We're glad that wasn't the case.
While the safety crews at Long Beach were able to get the Mustang put out, the fire burned long enough to destroy the entire engine bay. RTR wasn’t able to immediately determine the cause of the fire due to the amount of damage sustained before the safety crews arrived. That should have spelled the end of the weekend for Deane, but the driver has a badass crew behind him. The team was able to strip the crispy components and replace them in time for Deane to participate, resulting in an overall win after a battle with driver Simen Olsen. That sort of result is exactly what motorsports is all about, especially after fighting through a bit of a scary incident.
Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry. He may daily drive an aging Mustang, but his Porsche 944 and NB Miata both take up most of his free time.
