PLUCKY ESCAPE
Watch incredible moment F4 driver is hit in the head by PHEASANT while travelling at 105mph
THIS is the incredible moment an F4 driver had a plucky escape with a pheasant while travelling at 105mph.
Tommy Foster was heading back to the pits at Croft circuit in Yorkshire when his feathery friend became a real bird-en.
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While speeding around the corner, the pheasant ruffled Foster's feathers when it smashed into his helmet.
The collision had a force of 288,000 Newtons - equivalent to the pressure from an African Elephant standing on it.
Fortunately for the 17-year-old, he came out of it sporting just a huge headache although admitted it could have been much worse.
He said: "It was at the end of my run on my in lap so I was still at full speed coming down the straight when all of a sudden - massive pheasant.
"I was just braking just before the impact so was moving 170kph - or 105mph - I had no time to react.
"I just caught sight of it but it flew up too quick and that was that. I thought it was a pigeon but it turned out to be a pheasant.
"It felt like somebody had thrown a brick at my helmet. It was weird - I hadn't quite fully shut my visor.
"There's a safety lock which wasn't shut so when the bird hit it pulled up my visor as well - so I was lucky the visor and helmet were strong enough to withstand it.
"I came into the pits and there were feathers all over me, on the air intake, on the rear wing - it looked like a crime scene.
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"It could have been a lot worse.
"Felipe Massa had a stray bolt almost kill him a few years ago.
"To have a pheasant hit you and just come away with a broken visor and chip in my helmet paint is hugely lucky.
"The headache was pretty serious but I actually went out again and carried on as normal."
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