Indy Car Death

[Sasquatch]

Not sure how many watch other forms of motor sports. Justin Wilson died after a piece of nose section off a wrecked car entered the cockpit of his Indy Race car. Severe head trauma was the result and death followed later on. I heard about it on the news and had not watched the race yet. I watched the race last night (I always record sports of all kinds so I can watch them without sitting through the commercials) and was horrified at how hard the blow was. It made you wince when it struck!

Always tragic when motor sports looses a racer and a family a father and husband! RIP Justin!

 

[steiner]

Wow! That was nasty. Sad to see.
I remember watching a Toronto Indy where near the end of the race there was wheel to wheel contact and a driver took a lamp post to the head and a track worker took the front suspension to the head.
Both where fatal collisions.

 

[Sasquatch]

I watched a Nascar race from Quebec when a driver barrel rolled the car 4 complete revs nothing left of the bodywork and all the wheels came off but because they now use cables to attach the spindles to the car as a safety setup all the wheels stayed with the car and did not become projectiles. Indy has implemented this I think as well because of all the wrecks I have seen lately the tires stay with the car even when the a arms are torn from the chassis.

 

[steiner]

Yup. Wheels are now tethered to the car. Unfortunately this would not of helped in the TO crash.

 

[Sasquatch]

Ya quite a wreck! Workers right at trackside, you don't see that anymore! Looks like the tire suspension was still attached when it hit the worker but even cables are not indestructible and the front wheels came free. Its a dangerous activity to race, anything can happen and sooner or later does. They keep making things safer all the time but when speed and competition are combined stuff happens. Maybe this is why racing is so popular, you don't want anyone to get hurt, especially die but its hard to not be amazed and enthralled by a wreck. I back up and slow motion wrecks to see the carnage its fascinating to watch and am always amazed when people walk away from them. When people die its shocking! Someone gave their life for their sport and your entertainment. It tugs a bit! Reality is the part of the cars the racer sits in are near indestructible but #*$&@ happens and things get redesigned and rules barriers changed. Track worker rules and barriers have been changed since those deaths. They are now talking enclosed cockpits for Indy cars but have concerns about getting drivers out in the case of a fire.