I noticed in the high resolution images prior to impact that the tail was not retracted and that you could not see the pilot’s head in the cockpit. The pilot’s head was easily seen in the images prior to the race.
I wondered why his head wasn’t visible too. No idea if it should have been visible in that racing style cockpit. And why was the tailwheel down? Is there any chance that the force of the violent maneuver could have ripped it out of the retracted position?