Bicycling is WAY more dangerous than F1: Webber hit by SUV

Creepy irony about race drivers getting hit by cars while riding bicycles . I guess Red Bull driver Mark Webber is luckier than Bob Wollek but was seriously injured when he was hit head on by a Nissan SUV while riding in a charity event in Australia.

Here are some news accounts:

ABC Australia

Webber seriously injured in bike accident


Mark Webber is airlifted to hospital in Hobart after being hit by a car. (ABC TV)

Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber has been airlifted to hospital in Hobart after being hit by a car while riding his bicycle in his own charity event in Tasmania.

Webber was taken to Royal Hobart Hospital by helicopter from Fortescue Bay on the Tasman Peninsula after colliding head-on with a car during the mountain bike leg of the Webber Challenge.

Rescuers say Webber has a broken leg, but is in a stable condition.

A member of the rescue team, Sergeant Damien Bidgood, said the incident appears to have been an unfortunate accident.

"Basically Mark was riding down the Fortescue Road and he's had an accident running into a car coming the other way and basically broken his lower leg," he said.

Webber Challenge media manager Nancy Cook says Webber is disappointed his race has been ended by an accident.

"Mark's been involved in a minor accident, he's fine," she said.

"He's being treated, he's really disappointed that he's not going to be able to continue but he's well and being looked after."

The incident could see Webber out of action for at least six weeks.

The Mark Webber challenge is a 250-kilometre multi-sport event across Tasmania which sees competitors mountain bike, kayak and trek a daily course to raise funds for charity.


Fox claims more severe injuries



HOBART, Australia (AP) - Formula One driver Mark Webber broke bones in his arms and legs after being hit by a car during a charity multi-sport race, police said.

Webber, who drives for F1's Red Bull team, was cycling along a road near Port Arthur in the southeast of the island state of Tasmania when he and a four-wheel drive vehicle collided, Tasmania Police Sgt. Jon Ford said.

Ford said the Australian driver was competing in his own charity event, the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge, a 175-mile challenge using mountain bikes, kayaks and trekking, when the accident happened.

"As a result of the collision, the rider, Mark Webber, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries," Ford said. "He was attended at the scene by paramedics attached to the event before being airlifted to the Royal Hobart Hospital."

Ford said the event was being raced on open public roads and it was not known whether the stage along that road was cordoned off specifically for the racers.

The challenge, first staged in 2003, is scheduled to end Sunday in Hobart.

Red Bull has already begun its testing program ahead of the 2009 F1 season, but Saturday's accident is likely to have a major impact on Webber's preparation for the season, which begins in March.