RIP Dan Weldon Britsh Indy Car Star

Sad 2011 Indy 500 winner dead :(
http://sports.nationalpost.com/2011/10/16/dan-wheldon-dies-in-las-vegas-indy-crash/

Extremely sad news, however, that is the nature of motor sports, especially oval racing. I have not followed IndyCar or Nascar myself, but what has struck me about these types of races have been the amount of deaths and serious accidents that have occurred during races even in recent times. What type of safety improvements have been implemented to prevent further deaths? Should races in these oval tracks simply be stopped, or should there be less cars in races to avoid massive pileups.

For comparison, Formula One really took safety seriously after the loss of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger in 1994, so my question is, what has Indycar and other American motorsports done to improve the safety of drivers? When you race cars at high speeds, naturally there are serious risks involved, and accidents can have fatal consequences, however, have the risks been minimized?

What struck me among other things about this sad event was the video that was replayed ad infinitum of his car cam as he drove into the pileup, then went airborne, then erupted in flames as he crashed into the catch fence.  Did we really need to witness the last moments of his life so intimately like that, and on loop?  It felt to me like the footage of the luger that died on the track at the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Just kind of invasive and voyeuristic.   Maybe I'm just getting old.

Its been awhile since there was a death in motorsport, because of improvements with softer walls, and the HANS head& neck  device. But the problem was these Indy Cars were racing on a track designed for Nascar. The corners are banked 20degrees With speeds avg 225mph the cars are paper light when air gets under them, Too fast of a track for this style of car.

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[b]GratefulFan wrote: [/b] What struck me among other things about this sad event was the video that was replayed ad infinitum of his car cam as he drove into the pileup, then went airborne, then erupted in flames as he crashed into the catch fence.  Did we really need to witness the last moments of his life so intimately like that, and on loop?  It felt to me like the footage of the luger that died on the track at the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Just kind of invasive and voyeuristic.   Maybe I'm just getting old.[/QUOTE]
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The sports TV-makers have been getting off on crash scenes for decades. The more terrible, the better, as far as they are concerned. It gives them news-value.

What possible safety precautions can you take when you are travelling at 220mph surrounded by a concrete wall? There comes a point where the only real safe thing to do is slow down.

If there was no risk, why would anyone care?

If Dan Weldon was just an average joe and died in a car wreck, we certainly wouldn't be talking about it here. 

Let's NOT change things up just because someone died.  If we make them drive 50mph, guys like Weldon wouldn't be in the sport in the first place, your Mom would.

True, I have been to plenty of motor racing events including the British Grand Prix. I go for the same reason as anyone else.. to see a massive great fucking crash right in front of me....

Otherwise its boring as hell.. Touring Cars are a lot more exciting than F1/Indycar

Meh, racing fans only go to these to see the crashes - just like with air shows.

Why anyone would like to watch cars go around in circles to begin with is beyond me.

Funeral in America?

I agree these races are too dangerous for human beings. Therefore I believe it would be more humane to use chimps instead of human drivers. I wouldn't bother trying to train them to drive: better just to strap them into the driver's seat and have humans drive the cars by remote control. In that way it would still be a fair contest and the audience would still get to see a large mammal hurt or killed if there is a crash. I would also fill the car with badgers. But that's just personal taste.

Holly2003 wrote: "I would also fill the car with badgers. But that's just personal taste."

Not nice. You better hope that Brian doesn't read this, otherwise he'll turn up at your house with a shotgun.

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[b]thomasquinn 32989 wrote: [/b] Why anyone would like to watch cars go around in circles to begin with is beyond me.[/QUOTE]
they're americans...