Death in the racing world

[bszopi]

Scott Kalita died today in Englishtown, NJ, when his car burst into flames around 300mph.

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/8269208?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002

I'm sure people have seen things like this before, but the majority of the time, the people are able to survive. Unfortunately, this time, Scott wasn't so lucky.

RIP

[Joseph Upson]

His parachute was not able to function in a sufficient enough manner to slow him down, that's really sad because that makes this a preventable fatality although other factors hindered the parachute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6yvA2rCDY8

[bszopi]

Holy crap. I hadn't seen the video until that. But yeah, the parachute not working was definately a factor. I'm sure the gravel trap at the end of the track slowed him down some, but not much when the car is travelling 300+.

[RednBlack]

Everyone that races, understands. I can name countless people. It is the nature of the beast. RIP, My condolence to the Kalitta family.

[OldSkoolGP]

It was bound to happen. Those top fuel guys are going WAY too fast for the tracks in existence. It's bad enough the engines are so fragile they have to be rebuilt after every run and can explode just like that, but then you have a single safety feature to slow the car down safely, and if it fails, the result is Kalitta's accident.

They put restrictor plates on stock cars to slow them down on superspeedways because it was getting too dangerous. Indy cars were slowed down and restricted for the same reason. The eletronic drivers aids were put back on F1 cars after the deadly 1994 season. It's time for someone to say to the NHRA enough is enough. 4.47 @ 320 MPH is just too fast to be safe when a single point of failure can result in Kalitta's crash and death. The British land speed record for a car is only 301 MPH, and they have 5 mile runways to make runs on. Going from 0-300+ in a 1/4 mile and then being forced to stop in maybe a 1/2 mile from that point is too dangerous, and it needs to stop before we have more Scott Kalittas.

Don't forget that NHRA guidelines say that chutes are required on any car that goes faster than 150 MPH in the 1/4 mile. These guys are doing more than double that with the same system, and only the same system. It will be interesting to see if any rule or safety changes come out of this. If none do, it may take someone like a John Force dying for things to change. Earnhardt's death finally changed the safety rules in NASCAR. Senna's death changed them in F1. Rest in peace, Scott Kalitta.

[Joseph Upson]

The engine explosions are pretty intense as can be seen in this compilation. Some good points were made regarding the increase of speed without apparent upgrades to track length to accomodate them. It appears impacting the gravel trap or the end of it is what killed him. It's unfortunate that no one seems to have considered the need to make a change in that area, perhaps over confidence in the parachute over shadowed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heiYovdw5Ws&feature=related

[bszopi]

Read this over on GAGT...

NHRA shortens race distance for Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to 1,000 feet as an interim safety measure

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7/2/2008


As the investigation continues into the tragic accident that took the life of driver Scott Kalitta, NHRA has announced that beginning at the Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver, Colo., both the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes will race to 1,000 feet instead of the traditional 1,320 feet or one-quarter mile. This is an interim step that is being taken while NHRA continues to analyze and determine whether changes should be made to build upon the sport's long standing safety record, given the inherent risks and ever-present dangers associated with the sport.

This interim change was made by NHRA in collaboration with professional race teams. NHRA believes that racing the Top Fuel and Funny Car classes to 1,000 feet will allow NHRA and the racing community time to evaluate, analyze and implement potential changes based on the safety initiatives outlined last week.

With the change, fans will still be able to enjoy the sights, sounds and thrill of NHRA nitro racing with speeds around 300 mph and quick elapsed times to 1,000 feet.

Over the years, NHRA has implemented many initiatives to enhance safety including measures to limit speeds from increasing, personal protective gear, vehicle improvements, and track enhancements such as sand traps, catch nets and concrete barriers the entire length of the drag strip.

In the wake of the tragic series of events that took Kalitta's life, the following technical issues are currently under investigation: 1) what might be done to reduce engine failures; 2) parachute mounting techniques and materials as well as identifying a parachute material that could be more fire resistant; 3) exploring whether there is a way to increase brake efficiency when cars lose downforce due to the loss of the body; 4) analyzing additional methods that might be developed at the top end of the race track to help arrest runaway vehicles; 5) considering whether current speeds should be further limited or reduced to potentially improve safety.

“The board members of the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) wholeheartedly and unanimously support this decision,” said its president Kenny Bernstein. “We want to thank NHRA for listening to our input and suggestions to incorporate these changes. It is not lost on any of us that this constitutes a change in our history of running a quarter-mile, but it's the most immediate adjustment we can make in the interest of safety which is foremost on everyone's mind. This may be a temporary change and we recognize it is not the total answer. We will continue to work hand in hand with NHRA to evaluate other methods of making Top Fuel and Funny Car competition safer so that we might return to our quarter-mile racing standard. We also want to thank Connie Kalitta for his invaluable input. He has been a rock through these difficult

[Joseph Upson]

They're ultimately going to need to reduce the power output of the cars. Lengthening the track has no effect on engine or other mechanical parts failures. They also need to raise the height of the walls. Running a shorter distance will help to some extent but at the sacrifice of the legendary muscle car measuring stick known as the quarter mile, like the quarter horse it's a special title and will not be retired.

My guess is the risk will continue to be assumed because as far as I know they are at the limits of the metal technology so the extremes the engines operate at will still harbor the same explosive risk and personally limiting any of the above elements hurts the sport in which running at the very limit is what it takes to be the best at it. Formula 1 and NASCAR can go faster but is it worth the risk.