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When cars are traveling at that speed, there is always going to be a risk of death. There is no way to make this sport completely safe. As dbbd said, though, that does not mean they cannot learn from accidents like this.
My apologies to ABC. If they were not willing partners than it was IRL who kept the commercials airing. Look at the time line. Dan was pronounced dead at 1:54 local time It was at least an hour after that that it was announced. Someone at IRL knew.
Come off it.
Of course they knew, but that doesn't mean they should have gone rushing to the cameras.
The right thing to do was to make sure all of his family members, including his parents in England, were notified, as well as his crew members and fellow drivers. Only after that would it have been appropriate to announce it on ABC.
The chassis itself is the biggest problem. They're essentially lightweight airplane wings on wheels. They work great when the air flows over them but if the tiniest bit of air gets underneath the nose, they take off.
It doesn't take much to lift the nose, either. Mario Andretti took a somersaulting airborne ride at Indy after running over a piece of debris on the track during a testing run in 2003.
Pack racing on banked ovals like Texas has been one of IndyCar's saving graces. That close-quarters battling is their biggest marketing tool right now. It's a double-edged sword, though, because pack racing dramatically increases the odds of a major disaster.
I agree with you that speed plays a part but these cars are so light that it wouldn't surprise me at all to see one fly at 150-175mph. If you slow the cars down that much, though, it'll be the end of the IndyCar Series.
You're right,
Hopefully some good will come in and Indy learn from and develop new safety devices.
The chassis itself is the biggest problem. They're essentially lightweight airplane wings on wheels. They work great when the air flows over them but if the tiniest bit of air gets underneath the nose, they take off.
It doesn't take much to lift the nose, either. Mario Andretti took a somersaulting airborne ride at Indy after running over a piece of debris on the track during a testing run in 2003.
Pack racing on banked ovals like Texas has been one of IndyCar's saving graces. That close-quarters battling is their biggest marketing tool right now. It's a double-edged sword, though, because pack racing dramatically increases the odds of a major disaster.
I agree with you that speed plays a part but these cars are so light that it wouldn't surprise me at all to see one fly at 150-175mph. If you slow the cars down that much, though, it'll be the NASCAR Series.
The chassis itself is the biggest problem. They're essentially lightweight airplane wings on wheels. They work great when the air flows over them but if the tiniest bit of air gets underneath the nose, they take off.
It doesn't take much to lift the nose, either. Mario Andretti took a somersaulting airborne ride at Indy after running over a piece of debris on the track during a testing run in 2003.
Pack racing on banked ovals like Texas has been one of IndyCar's saving graces. That close-quarters battling is their biggest marketing tool right now. It's a double-edged sword, though, because pack racing dramatically increases the odds of a major disaster.
I agree with you that speed plays a part but these cars are so light that it wouldn't surprise me at all to see one fly at 150-175mph.If you slow the cars down that much, though, it still won't be as good as the NASCAR Series.
ABC's coverage made me furious. I am a retired auto racing Chaplain and have been at the track when a driver dies. I understand that a driver never dies at the track. It was obvious to me by observing the reaction of the other drivers, crews and the change in the comments from the announcers that he did not survive. I think ABC & IRL delayed the announcement so they could fill TV time for their sponsors.
My heart and prayers go out to his family.
I was at the track for the race. This is not true. The drivers and crews did not react in grief until after the driver's meeting. Until that time, there was hope.
As much as how I don't like how they LOOK, maybe the new car, with it's mostly closed in wheels will help lessen the risk of similiar things happening. Also, more of a cage around the driver would help as well.
Ironically, Dan Wheldon had a significant role in the development of the newer safer cars that will come out next year.
Ironically, Dan Wheldon had a significant role in the development of the newer safer cars that will come out next year.
Yeah, and a sad irony it is.
The front wheels will still be as open as they are now if the design stays as is, so I'm not sure if it would've helped in this case or not. Even the NASCAR "stock" cars will climb over the wheel if they hit at the right angle and crush the fender.
I still think that while Wheldon's death is tragic, it's a tribute to the safety of the cars (and a lot of luck) that everyone else walked away relatively unscathed. Power came real close to coming down right on top of someone else - don't have the picture in front of me, and really don't care to look at it right now.
It's a dangerous sport, and it can be cruel sometimes. Put a human in something traveling 200MPH and you won't be able to make it 100% safe. That's something that the people who don't follow racing don't understand.
By all means, they should investigate, figure out what happened and try to improve. But it's not going to eliminate the risk totally.
The front wheels will still be as open as they are now if the design stays as is, so I'm not sure if it would've helped in this case or not. Even the NASCAR "stock" cars will climb over the wheel if they hit at the right angle and crush the fender.
I still think that while Wheldon's death is tragic, it's a tribute to the safety of the cars (and a lot of luck) that everyone else walked away relatively unscathed. Power came real close to coming down right on top of someone else - don't have the picture in front of me, and really don't care to look at it right now.
It's a dangerous sport, and it can be cruel sometimes. Put a human in something traveling 200MPH and you won't be able to make it 100% safe. That's something that the people who don't follow racing don't understand.
By all means, they should investigate, figure out what happened and try to improve. But it's not going to eliminate the risk totally.
Think about the freak way Ayrton Senna died. I suppose when it's your time, it's your time.
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