IndyCar collides with mannequin during race in bizarre incident

An IndyCar race had an unexpected guest at the weekend, in the form of a mannequin named Georgina...

(Yes, you read correctly).

It was 52 laps (out of 90) into the race at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama on Sunday (April 28) when the mannequin fell from a pedestrian bridge onto the track in the middle of the race, much to the surprise of both the drivers and viewers.

The mannequin wasn't a fan's but rather a feature installed a few years ago on the bridge by the track's owner, according to Top Gear.

"Oh boy, there's been an accident of a different kind," one commentator said, while another added: "Not a real person, we should point that out right away, this is part of the eccentric art that populates Barbour Motorsports Park."

In the clip, Georgina falls to the ground near the racing line just as a race car passes by.

A.J. Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci shouted over the radio: “That lady hanging from the bridge fell!”

Unfortunately, Georgina didn't come out unscathed as one race car made contact with the mannequin - made of fibreglass and plastic - at high speed, tearing one of her hands off.

Ouch.

The bizarre incident didn't cause a yellow flag, though when one was waved three laps later for a separate incident (A.J. Foyt's Sting Ray Robb crashed due to a steering failure) that's when safety crews cleared up with pieces of the mannequin, Autosport reported.

While Georgina had been damaged, it didn't ruin the leader Scott McLaughlin's race who won the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.

After the race, the Team Penske driver said: “I love the artistic stuff but it probably doesn't need to be above the track to cause a yellow [flag] like that. It's probably what will change next year maybe, I don't know.

"I do love that part of this. It's unique. It's just a fun track. Yeah, if I lost to that, to a lady that fell off... I won't say anymore. It was a mannequin. It wasn't a real person.”

Taking to social media, McLaughlin was reunited with an injured Georgina as he snapped a photo with the damaged doll, holding the hand that wasn't mowed off.

"Had to meet the ol’girl even though she nearly ruined my race," he wrote.

Here's how viewers reacted to Georgina:

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