This may distress some as sadly a photographer died in this accident.
But as you can see you maybe driving a great race all under control and the guy next to you changes all that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxk6s2pkxC0
Might be a repost but I have not seen it on here.
Very sad really, the RX8 driver should have shut down, but who knows what we each would do in that situation.
When the record for rotaries was broken a few weeks back that car also was on back wheels for a lot of the track and still made the run albeit a bit out of shape too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl2NoQHD_kM
Yeh I saw this, don\'t really like watching stuff when there\'s a tragedy. The car is all over the place and doesn\'t once look to be in control of it.
Personally that driver should not be allowed to race again after what he caused as a result of his decision to keep his foot down.
I will be having a roll cage, and a fire extinguisher system in my car after my friend lost a friend at York drag way due too the car setting in fire after a crash. They don\'t weigh anything and can save your life
Scary, Surely the barriers should be designed to keep the car on track?
Ya, that drive should have back off. He did not have control of that car at any point. Unfortunatly, these things happen. We have a saying here: "even if its supposed to be fun or just playing, if we put helmet on we grow horns and taste of blood comes to mouth..."
That car is just sick! Front tires wont touch the ground... :)
I suppose it\'s possible that his throttle stuck on - we don\'t know, but if he did still have control - I agree, should have backed off while he was stilll vaguely going in a straight line :-(
Quote from: Prof;870341I suppose it\'s possible that his throttle stuck on - we don\'t know, but if he did still have control - I agree, should have backed off while he was stilll vaguely going in a straight line :-(
When your out of control that bad you should let off, or kill the engine and pull the shoots.
Obviously the driver wanted to win and had the capability in the car as he stayed with the other even though he was out of shape from the start, but he should have backed off as it just didn\'t want to go straight
Quote from: boosted;870339Scary, Surely the barriers should be designed to keep the car on track?
You have got to remember that those cars will have been close to 200mph when they made contact, a 3ft high wall won\'t stop anything at those speeds. By the looks of it the one car went off into an access area onto the track. If it had been 200ft earlier the car may have not gone over.
well in my view the owners of the track are also responsible as well, there are people by the finish line just over the concrete barrier for fook sake!!!!!
Santa Pod all the area is barriered off with fencing and no one is allowed anywhere near the finish line, even the emergency services are above it on a small hill by the finish line.
Yes that\'s absolutely true Mark it was irresponsible for having people where they were.
Nowadays a camera can be set up with no person present to capture footage from areas of the track that are just too dangerous for someone to be standing there.
Santapod has photographers just behind the concrete barrier when 8,000 hp monster to down the track.
I would Imagine santapod is of a higher standard of track
Santapod have stepped up the crowns protection, with the new 7 ft fence along the pit side, as I remember a fair few years ago there not being any kind of fencing other than a barrier to keep people back. I think they have also stopped putting generators at the top end of the track to stop people standing on top of them
hmm but not at the finishing line, never seen them down there, only on a platform or the hill if at the finishing line
I was stood on top of a generator about 2 years ago on the finish line. Didn\'t see any this year though as I was wanting to get some better pictures, but yeh there\'s nothing after that ever.
That barrier at the end to left where the other car exited offered little protection, Track organisers need barriers much like our road design where the shear bolts give to allow the barrier to move and direct car back onto track. Our barriers will stop a hgv crossing a motorway.
Probably a case of cars have developed over the years but the crash barrier has remained the same since the 70s .
I expect the track organisers have had to spend some money now but its europe and unlike us they have little regard for H&S!
If that happened at the pod the HSE would probably try and ban any further racing until safety measure had been put in place.
The track in the vids is across the water Puerta Rico not Europe so defo no H&S lol, Drag Tracks in Europe are either MSA or FSA sanctioned
Quote from: BlitzBoy;870351The track in the vids is across the water Puerta Rico not Europe so defo no H&S lol, Drag Tracks in Europe are either MSA or FSA sanctioned
Well lets hope they learn from there mistakes as someone lost there life which is inexcusable and brings drag racing and all motorsport into disrepute and that gets all the beardies banging on about H&S and trying to ban stuff!.
Yeh it\'s definately Puerto Rico, there\'s no rotaries running that fast in this country!!
That first video is horrific. So sorry to hear a fatality occurred. I sincerely hope whoever is responsible for operating the strip makes changes to prevent it ever happening again.
Yes, I suppose that tracks like Santa Pod has better safety barriers than they have but dont know for sure...
Interesting is that, I have been in security/trackmarshal (or something like that) basically all my life in rallyes, rallysprints, rallycross and track events. When I see some moron photocrapher or videoguy in dangerous place and I go tell him to move a bit, he allways says, "I have a media pass, I dont have to move". They really think that "mediapass" makes them immortal!