Before I add to this discussion (and actually my intent was to help
move past it), I want to say that I feel the armchair quarterbacking and
reactionism is inappropriate at this time. The racing community as a
whole has suffered a great loss. And I wish only the best for the Moore
family as they have to deal with this long after we have moved on to the
rest of the insanity that fills our lives.
kart38 wrote:
>
> What I meant with bad luck was the car flipping over. Not the fact that
> there was no sand trap (?!) in the infield. In my opinion gravel would have
> insured his car flipped. Gravel works great.....as long as you aren't going
> over say 100mph. After that the car just skips like a rock on a pond. If
> you saw Shumacher's accident at Silverstone you know what I am talking
> about.
Yes, even this weekend when Eddie Ervine tagged the tire barrier in
Japan. His car spun across the top of the gravel like a skipping stone.
I'm glad that Eddie was able to walk away from that, especially after
the G-forces he must have endured in that spin.
> I think the best thing to do is pave everything between the walls.
> Asphalt will slow the car down quicker than grass or gravel and has less
> risk of roling the car over.
****
Yes! Not only that, but it would make for an ideal site for autoxes when
the track isn't in use!! :-) (ob. autox content)
****
> As far as making tracks safer I agree with an
> energy absorbing barrier for infield walls (like Indy has in turn 4).
The fact that barriers such as deformable armcos or tire wall have not
been installed at most of the ovals and speedways is just a bit
disturbing. I think I spoke my peace about open wheel cars on ovals
after a crash earlier this year claimed the lives of three spectators
(that's five deaths in CART this year.). Not that energy absorbing
barriers would have prevented that particular incident in the least, but
that when a NASCAR car tags the infield wall, they're wrapped up in a
big steel cage. Tires and walls have a harder time of getting to the
driver then. Do I think that open wheel cars are unsafe? No. But I do
feel that they may be more susceptable at some venues more than at others.
Yes, racing is a risk. It is highly unlikely that the risk can or will
ever be eliminated from racing. It's always going to be there. Some
people have even expressed that the risk itself is why they do it (wrong
motivation if you ask me, but that's just my opinion). They all know
that the risk exists. It's just a terrible shame that the risk caught up
with (and overtook) young Greg yesterday.
my $0.02, for whatever that's worth nowadays.
-Josh2
--
Joshua Hadler '74 914 2.0 CSP/Bi - Hooligan Racing #29 - CONIVOR
'87 Quantum Syncro - aka stealth quattro
jhadler@rmi.net
http://rainbow.rmi.net/~jhadler/
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