[h=2]Hurricane Irma impacts IMSA drivers, teams, racetracks[/h] Thursday, 14 September 2017
By IMSA Wire Service / Image by Peter Burke/LAT
567 Shares
While most IMSA teams and drivers have been preparing for the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next weekend, others were forced to plan last week for one of the strongest storms in history.
After developing into the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane by wind speed (185 mph) on record, Hurricane Irma swept through the Caribbean, moving north across the southeastern region of the United States. The state of Florida took the brunt of the hit.
Irma was the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in 2005, and for perspective, the Orlando Utilities Commission expects the future utility restoration and rebuild project to potentially be the largest in the history of the United States.
"It was like everyone was preparing for Armageddon," said IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship driver Jordan Taylor, describing how gas stations ran out of fuel and stores were out of water, coal and propane. Taylor, an Orlando native and resident, planned to stay alone at his house with his dog, Fonzie, as he had experienced a few hurricanes in the past.
"At about 8 p.m., I peeked out the back side of my house, and was watching my metal awning rip apart from the wind," Taylor said. "I was looking up towards the top of it when, all of a sudden, two huge bangs and flashes happened simultaneously. All the lights go out, and I call my dad to see if he has any power.
"So my dad, being the tough guy that he is, decides to drive over to my house to get me. As I look outside my front door and I see my neighbor's massive tree has fallen across the street, taking the power lines with it. I see my dad on the other side, obviously blocked in, in a little sedan. He calls me, and it sounds like we're in a war zone. I tell him not to worry about it, and he responds with something along the lines of 'I never leave a man behind!'"
Wayne Taylor was true to his word. He managed to get to his son and Fonzie, and brought the two back to his home for the remainder of the evening.