RIP 2005 Indy Champion Dan Wheldon.

[punkypink (imported)]

Just heard the news. In absolute shock and grief.

[Riverwind (imported)]

I watched it on last nights news after the football game, tragic.

River

[punkypink (imported)]

i saw the news when i woke up. i cried for a good few hours.

[Riverwind (imported)]

NASCAR drivers have said that a banked oval is great for stock cars but Indy cars go to fast and become airborne, this was an accident waiting for a happening.

It is always tragic when a race car driver is killed on the track, that is not what the sport is about and never was. Its not about the wrecks, or people getting hurt, racing lost a great driver and from what I can find out a really good person, husband and father. I know the UK is morning this loss, and Punkypink I feel your pain. He is not the first, and I am sorry to say he wont be the last.

Hugs,

River

[punkypink (imported)]

You're absolutely right about the cause of the accident being the high possibility of indycars going airborne. I think it's high time they looked at ways of preventing that, since you can't have the sort of wide runoff areas on a banked oval like you do on the race circuits used in F1. Perhaps wheel fairings on Indycars. I happen to know a couple years back the "Indycar of the Future" design was presented with faired wheels but they rejected it. Many other series have taken measures to prevent cars from going airborne or flipping. Le Mans racers have adopted the dorsal fin to prevent cars from flipping when they go sideways and the aerodynamics stop working, NASCAR has reverse roof flaps that deploy to generate downforce should a car be going sideways or backwards to prevent flipping. Indy seems to have been slightly complacent on the safety front.

It just seems so pointlessly tragic.

[Riverwind (imported)]

It is unfortunate that it takes the death of a popular driver to bring change, the same happened to NASCAR after Earnhardt Sr, hit the wall several years ago. Now they all ware the Hans device, you are right about the roof flaps, and the speed. NASCAR's two biggest races and fastest tracks they put on restricter plates to slow the cars down. All these cars can fly at the speeds they run.

I am sure that the owners of these Indy cars and tracks will be taking a very close look at what they can and can't do and expect changes to how they do business, driver safety being the highest priority.

River

[punkypink (imported)]

Don't know how many people here know who Jim Clark was, but I always thought Dan looked rather like Jim.... what a sad coincidence that he's also met his demise the same way Jim did. Jim was 32 when he was killed on 7th April 1968 in Germany.... Dan was 33 when he was killed on sunday.

Oh... Jim Clark's anniversay is also coincidentally my birthday.

[smoothie (imported)]

Don't know how many people here know who Jim Clark was, but I always thought Dan looked rather like Jim.... what a sad coincidence that he's also met his demise the same way Jim did. Jim was 32 when he was killed on 7th April 1968 in Germany.... Dan was 33 when he was killed on sunday.

Oh... Jim Clark's anniversay is also coincidentally my birthday.

Jim was one of the greatest ever formula one drivers.

Al Unser(big Al) once told me

It is always so tragic and sad when drivers die on the track.

I think so much more can be done in the safety area.This type car just

is so vulnerable in the head area.