Collecting points the key to TRS glory
Cresswell back in pit lane after serious crash
Twelve months ago Russell Cresswell had to get a special release from hospital to attend the New Zealand Grand Prix in a wheelchair, this year he is working in pit lane.
The Giles Motorsport mechanic is one of two men tasked with looking after the car of Dutch driver Richard Verschoor in the Toyota Racing Series.
But just being able to stand on two feet is a major achievement for Cresswell who was rushed to intensive care after a car crash near Taupo on Christmas Eve 2015.
Cresswell was heading back home to Palmerston North after finishing preparing the TRS single-seaters for the 2016 competition when a car crossed the centre-line and hit him.
He said he owed his life to the man who arrived first on the scene.
‘‘[He] had first aid training with St John and was in the volunteer fire brigade for a few years,’’ Cresswell said.
‘‘He got into my car and managed to get my chair back a bit to get me breathing again because I was slumped over in my seat with my steering wheel pinning my head into position. The dash was folded over me so I was stuck in the car.
‘‘My car was smoking at the time and people were worried about it catching fire and were trying to get me out, but he told them to get fire extinguishers to put out the fire and only move me once they had braced me properly.’’
Making sure the right care was taken to remove him from the car proved crucial.
Among Cresswell’s list of injuries was a fracture to his C1 vertebrae, which can be fatal or cause full paralysis due to it being near the top of the neck.
The full extent of his injuries only became apparent when he reached hospital. He was in a coma and had significant bruising in the frontal lobe of his brain.
He had broken his tibia (lower leg), fractured his pelvis, dislocated his left hip, broke his left arm just above the elbow damaging the joint, fractured his T3 vertebrae (between the shoulder blades) and the C1 vertebrae in his neck and fractured his left eye socket, cheek bone and jaw.
The bruising in his brain meant he had issues with his memory.
Cresswell said there was a 28-day period where he does not remember anything - the day of the crash and the following 27 days.
Each of the Giles Motorsport cars in the 2016 TRS carried ‘‘Get well soon Russell’’ messages on their spoilers.
Three and a half months after the crash, Cresswell was able to shed his wheelchair and his steps towards recovery have continued to be promising. So much so, he was able to sign on for another year in the pits for the TRS.
‘‘It is good being back in the garage. It is something that I have been working on through the year with my recovery.’’
‘‘But being back in the garage has shown me that I have a while to go before I am back at 100 percent. At the moment my biggest issue with working is that I get in a lot of pain. I am having to rely on painkillers to do this. Not a lot of it seems to be my muscle strength, it is my joints.’’
He is yet to get back to fulltime work, but was determined to to use mechanical engineering degree.
‘‘I would like to return to work as soon as possible. Maybe starting with some office work and then getting back into the field for some practical stuff.’’
But he admitted he may have to change his career aspirations following the crash.
‘‘My original plan was that last year was going to be my gap year where I was going to do some general work and save up to head over to England to work in motorsport. I had the idea that I would like to do F1,’’ he said. ’’But now with my limitations, I am not too sure what I am going to do.’’
For now he was just enjoying being back in pit lane and is hoping to help Verschoor regain top spot in the TRS. Consistency over the weekend was the key directive for each of the three leading Toyota Racing Series drivers as they head into the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild.
Australian Thomas Randle sits on top of the standings through four rounds, but he is being closely chased by Richard Verschoor (Netherlands) and Pedro Piquet (Brazil).
Verschoor lost the championship lead at the last round.
He was hoping to have a strong bounce back from what he described as an off-week for him.
He had a rough start to the week after battling food poisoning, but said he had strong sessions in the simulator which was a promising sign for his Manfeild debut.
Following the TRS, Verschoor will compete in the Formula Renault Eurocup.
Verschoor is in his second year under the development wing of F1 team Red Bull.
He said they have helped most with his simulator, physical and mental training. He knew his opportunity with Red Bull was unique.
‘‘It is the biggest chance of my life now so I will focus and give it everything I have got to stay in it.’’
But if he wants to leave New Zealand on a winning note, he will have to be on top of his game to beat out Randle.
The Australian has been consistency personified this year.
‘‘I made a point to myself from the start that points mean prizes. You do not win championships, you lose them in my opinion. We have had really good results, my worst has been seventh,’’ he said.
This will be his third crack at the NZGP and he believed the stars were aligning for success this year.
‘‘I would really like to win the New Zealand Grand Prix because the last Australian driver to win the New Zealand Motor Cup was Warwick Brown and that year he went on to win the New Zealand Grand Prix so hopefully I can continue the streak.
That was back in 1975 and was the final of a six-year run of Australians holding the NZGP.
Randle took a relaxed start to the week fishing, before turning his focus to racing on Wednesday.
Following the TRS, Randle will compete in a Ligier LMP3 in the British Le Mans Cup in what he hopes will be the start of his endurance racing career.
Meanwhile, Piquet was just focused on staying ahead of the duo ahead of him on the table.
‘‘It really depends on where Richard and Thomas finish. If they finish 10th, I am happy with fifth, but if they finish third and I finish second then maybe not so much. It is all about the points and how much I can be in front of them.’’
Piquet will race in the European Formula 3 after the TRS.
He has been buoyed on by the help of his father, F1 legend Nelson Piquet.
‘‘He is an inspiration, a friend and everything.’’
‘‘I do not treat him as an idol, I treat him as a really close friend who I can talk to.‘‘