Sunday’s horrific accident in the final F4 race at Donington Park has become even worse as Billy Monger was placed in an induced coma and had both his lower legs amputated following the crash. The JHR Developments driver had re-signed for the 2017 campaign back in November of 2016 despite limited seat-time and testing, he looked to be heading for an exciting season:
“Notwithstanding limited testing and his comparative lack of seat time in open-wheel machinery, Billy routinely took the fight to older and more experienced rivals and refused to be intimidated by anybody. He was tremendously unlucky not to win at Rockingham – one of a number of races in which he was denied the result he deserved – but more importantly, he proved he has the pace to run right at the front and be a regular contender for podium finishes if not more.
“It’s great news that we’ve been able to reach an agreement so soon after the end of the season, which means we can really crack on with our preparations for 2017 and lay the foundations for a concerted title bid.”
It took nearly two hours to extricate Monger from the crash in which he ran into the back of a stationary car driven by Patrik Pasma. both drivers were taken to Queen’s Medical Centre and Pasma was released with no serious injuries.
A statement from the series read:
“Billy’s family would like to express their gratitude for the first-class medical attention given by Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham and take this opportunity to thank the medical teams, marshals, extrication crews and air ambulance staff for their skilled response and hard work.
“Furthermore, they would like to thank Billy’s colleagues, friends, fans and everyone who has demonstrated their affection for him over the past few days.
“These messages help give the great strength needed for the recovery process that lies ahead.
“The F4 community and wider motorsport world will no doubt be saddened by this news, but are asked to respect the family’s wish for privacy during this difficult time.”
A fundraiser was started to help Billy reach £260,000 but has already reached that goal and was at £300,000 at the time of this writing. The support page can be found here.
A report suggests he is set to be woken up in the next few days.
If there was ever a time to seek the help of other drivers, I can think of no one better than Alex Zanardi who is a champion and true testament to the driver spirit and will to succeed even in adversity.
It’s been an exceptionally tough few days for the British Touring Car paddock, and fans of the entire Toca package, of which British F4 is a part. Obviously thoughts remain with Billy and hope that he gets the support he needs on the road to the strongest recovery he can achieve. As someone who follows the package closely, I’d like to express gratitude as a fan to the BTCC extrication team, to the marshals who attend Billy’s accident and the doctors involved, for their professionalism, which they took in looking after both young drivers involved in this accident. They did… Read more »
Prayers go out to him and his family. There was absolutely nothing he could have done to avoid the collision. Sad situation indeed.
He needs to have a talk with Alex Zanardi
When you see the video, horrible. Why was the car stopped there? They could have gotten off the course.