Dragbike.com Calls on the Racing Community to Support Ari Lapiolahti We at Dragbike.com are reaching out to the entire race community for support. Our fellow racer and Salakari teammate, Ari Lapiolahti (Nitro Jesus), has recently endured a severe roadside accident that left him in seriously injured. This unfortunate incident occurred while he was en route […]
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Dragbike.com Calls on the Racing Community to Support Ari Lapiolahti
We at Dragbike.com are reaching out to the entire race community for support. Our fellow racer and Salakari teammate, Ari Lapiolahti (Nitro Jesus), has recently endured a severe roadside accident that left him in seriously injured. This unfortunate incident occurred while he was en route to the NHRA Virginia Nationals to compete in the Top Fuel Motorcycle class.
In light of this tragic event, a GoFundMe account has been established to help Ari with his mounting medical expenses. As we all know, the racing community is a close-knit family, and now is the time to come together and show our support for one of our own.
Your generous contributions will make a significant difference in Ari’s recovery journey. Every donation, no matter how small, will help alleviate the financial burden on him and his family during this challenging time while he is so far form his home of Finland.
Let’s rally together to support Ari Lapiolahti, reminding him that he is not alone in this fight. Please visit the GoFundMe page and contribute what you can. Additionally, sharing this message within your networks will greatly amplify our efforts.
Thank you for your kindness and support.
-Tom McCarthy/Dragbike.com
Tom McCarthy/Dragbike.com
Ari was struck during a necessary roadside service of a racing rig, on I-40 during the early morning hours, of Wednesday, 19 June 2024, he is severely injured.
Ari flew to the USA from Finland in support of his friend, Top Fuel motorcycle racer, Jaska Salakari, to assist during the NHRA, Virginia Nationals, June 21-23, 2024. A licensed CDL driver, Ari, was hired to drive the tractor and trailer owned by Sam Wills, on loan to Jaska and his team. This he did, until fate dealt him a cruel hand.
While driving the race team and rig from Oklahoma, to Virginia, the rig passed over a bad bump in the roadway and the force was sufficient to dislodge the trailer from the tractor trailer hitch. Ari skillfully slowed the rig and exited into the breakdown lane to deal with the issue. He deployed safety devices and engaged emergency flashers in accordance with DOT procedures.
Ari needed to jack up the trailer hitch to reattach the trailer and continue on. While Ari was doing this, his teammates exited the tractor and moved safely onto the grass to the right rear of the trailer.
While attempting to reattach the rig to the trailer, the nightmare began. A tractor-trailer traveling eastbound on I-40 failed to change lanes and yield to the roadside rig being worked upon. The second tractor-trailer struck the parked trailer in the left rear corner. Ari was in the act of working on the reattachment and never saw the incident coming. The impact violently vaulted the race trailer forward, severely injuring Ari in the process.
Emergency medical services arrived quickly at the scene and stabilized Ari for transport. His fellow teammates were also struck by the trailer and received medical services.
Ari’s injuries are extremely severe, and he will be in the hospital for quite some time before he can be released to his loved ones and return to his home country of Finland. Within 24 hours of the crash, Ari endured multiple emergency surgeries. It is unknown as of this writing (21 June 24) how long Ari will remain under hospitalized care. What is known is that Ari’s medical bills are starting to look like the national debt and climb exponentially, daily.
*The seriousness of Ari’s injuries is currently being withheld until his family can be notified.*
Ari’s wife is flying in from Finland to be at his bedside and attend to all the issues at hand.
These racers and their family members are the foundation of our racing community. They are very much in need of, and deserving of our help. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.
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