• The Way It Is/ Some hard lessons

      by
      mclark2112
      Published on 10-24-2011 02:45 PM
      4 Comments Comments
      I highly recommend reading Gordon Kirby's latest article.

      Link

      Dan Wheldon's death at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a terrible blow. But unlike most fatal accidents in racing the really shocking and disgusting thing is that it was so unsurprising to many motor sport fans around the world. Most of us knew Indy cars should not be racing on the high-banked track, particularly with 34 starters, some of them lacking much experience with the fearful world of 'pack racing'. Many fans I've heard from or read their comments at Motor Sport's website cannot believe that IndyCar could have brazenly manufactured such a desperately dangerous scenario...
      Comments 4 Comments
      1. RealRacer's Avatar
        RealRacer - 10-24-2011, 09:03 PM
        I think that was the best, most informed article I've read about this whole situation yet. Thanks for sharing.

        EDIT: It seems like these gomers aren't taking this too well.
      1. PoplarPal's Avatar
        PoplarPal - 10-24-2011, 11:50 PM
        Quote Originally Posted by RealRacer View Post
        I think that was the best, most informed article I've read about this whole situation yet. Thanks for sharing.

        EDIT: It seems like these gomers aren't taking this too well.
        Great article. Kudos to Kirby. Every once in awhile he comes through with a good helicopter view. This is definitely one of those moments.
      1. bolochampcar's Avatar
        bolochampcar - 10-28-2011, 11:00 AM
        Ashmore believes next year's Dallara is not a big enough change to seriously address the problems with the now-retired car that Paul Tracy rightfully christened 'The Crap Wagon'. "The thing that really aggravates and upsets me," Ashmore growls, "is IndyCar are touting and telling the world that they've made a big change with the new car that will solve all the problems they've got now. But they've really made only a small blip, a very small step of probably five percent from where they are now. They think they've made a 100 percent change, but in fact they've made at best a five percent change. "The problem is they're going to have the same accident again. It might be the first race of 2012 or it might take six years, but that same set of circumstances will happen again. They think they've solved it by scrapping all this equipment and making everybody buy new equipment. But they haven't solved the problem."
        The IRL does not and will not get it. Sad and ignorant.
      1. 95500's Avatar
        95500 - 11-02-2011, 02:16 AM
        Sorry guys, I disagree with Bruce Ashmore. The tracks he mentions were not unsucessfull because there is something intrisically wrong with racing an open wheel car on a high speed oval. On the contrary, Indy Car racing was never better than when Cart had high speed and short ovals mixed in with road circuits & streets. No other series in the world offered such a varied driving or engineering challenge; which was the basis for the respect AOWR had in the past. Atlanta and Charlotte were unsuccessful because they are in the south and Nascar fans just don't like high tech open wheel; never did, never will. Atlanta is a terrible sports town in general. He is really stretching to make a point by saying Michigan was unsucessful; in the Cart days Michigan drew great crowds because it had some of the best racing ever. Michigan's last days and Chicago (I asssume he means Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet and not the defunct Chicago Motor speedway in Cicero) were failures because they were run by theIRL. Ashmore is letting the IRL management off the hook by blaiming the tracks. Th solution is that the impact of a racing car into a barrier at 220 mph must a considered parameter when the chassis is designed. In addition, the increased level of risk must be respected by the mangers of the sport, who must be knowledgeable, experienced racing people with the same basic attitude as NASA has when they launch the space shuttle; NOT run by a bunch of inexpereinced, thrill seeking, rodeo clowns with the same basic attitude as as Ringaling Brothers when they present a trapeze act without a net.Ashmore gives cudos to Nascar? Are you kidding me? The same guys who sweepDale Earnharts' anti-safety attitude as a significant component in the cause of his death under the carpet because it may tarnish the image of one of their heros. First off Nascar's rigid frame level of technology is basically the same as the indy roadsters in the '50's and NOT an adequate basis for and open wheel car. Nascar does not travel at 220 mph, nor do they have to consider that when a front tire touches a rear tire there is a head on collision contact at a surface speed of 440 mph. No, I am afraid thatthe boys who feel the "rubbin' is racin" just ain't the answer for open wheel. In fact, Nascar is one of the problems, because the boobs running open wheel want to emuate them by filling the track up with a maximum amount of cars and run them around in a train travelling at the same speed. Sorry Bruce, I ain't buying it.