Any Open wheel race fans here....

[formula_gramps]

Indycar, ChampCar, F1.......?

It would seem that any F-Body owner would at least like SOME sort of racing.

Amazing how far they've progressed in safety engineering. An example of that was Katherine Legge's crash a couple of weeks ago. Imagine how you'd fair in your F-body (assuming you could hit 180 mph), LOL.

If you didn't catch it here's a link:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...legge%22&hl=en

I've been a fan of this type of racing since the mid sixties and every driver I've ever seen involved in a crash of this type before, is dead. Her surviving with virtually no injuries is amazing!

Gramps

[fastTa]

I have always been a huge fan of open wheel racing....actually I'm a pretty big fan of any type of automobile racing. I follow NASCAR, F1, and Indy pretty closely and it IS amazing how far they have come in the way of safety.

NASCAR started using the "softer" barriers a few years back and it has substantially helped!

The only thing is, is that the media and even the racing sanctioning body typically grossly overexaggerate how fast the cars are actually traveling when they actually make impact with the wall.

From what I've gathered, Katherine's telemetry data showed she got into that turn at 161, by the time she spun around and got into the wall she was probably doing less than 100. Those cars slow down very quickly once they get sideways. But, still that is very impressive that she was able to walk away and smile.

[formula_gramps]

Fasta'

Yup, that's not surprising about the speed. I guess the approach to the turn is at about 180, but she was already in the breaking zone at the time that the rear wing component decided to take flight on its own.

Having unloaded the rear end while under heavy breaking would dictate that the car would immediately swap ends....which it did, bleeding off more speed as you indicated. Still, a hell of an accident.

The safer barriers are a great innovation. Seems to me they next need to think about the catch fences. Once a car gets up into them, it seems to shred them pretty badly. I'm thinking of that kid (forget his name) in IndyCars last year at Chicago that got up into the fence with similar results to the car but greater injury, and also about 10 years ago when Champ Car driver Jeff Krosnoff got up into the catch fence in Toronto, and was killed instantly.

Still in all, when I think back to being an F1 fan in the 70's, you knew at the start of the season that 2 or more of the drivers would not make it to the end of the season....we've come a long way !

[fastTa]

I remember each and every one of those "in the fence" Indy accidents. I always thought they could make the fences out of the same elastic type fencing that they use for emergency aircraft landings. But that could prove to be a challenge in engineering.

I'll never forget the race that prompted NASCAR to start using restrictor plates in the first place. In 1987, Bobby Allison got his #22 car airborne after blowing a tire going into turn 2 at Talledega. They think he was going between 210-215 MPH when the car flew up and mangled part of the fence. Those fans sitting right there in the now dubbed Allison Grandstands, were extremely lucky.

I hate to see NASCAR now slowing down the cars even more with the Car of Tomorrow and the smaller 325ci motors. But, I can assure you with all of the money and engine building wizards that NASCAR has, it shouldn't slow them down much at all.

But it's just like NHRA. They have stated for the last few years that they don't want the Fuel cars going over 330 MPH ever again. They have staeadily lowered the nitromethane percentage over the years, they have changed the clutch setup rules, and they are constantly messing with new ignition guidelines. But the Top Fuel guys will always find a way to make more power! Only thing is we probably won't ever see too many 330+ MPH passes ever again. I'll still settle for hearing 7,000 HP going down the track. It's the best sound in the world.

[formula_gramps]

Slowing them down.....

Yeah, it seems like every time officials decide the cars are going too fast, and put restrictions on the cars that drive the speed down, it's like throwing down the gauntlet to the engineers. I swear if it wasn't for the restrictions sometimes we might not have some of the innovations and design enhancements that the engineers have come up with to get the speed back.

There's been some pretty silly ones over the years though. I think the worst was the grooved tires in F1. First year they tried 3. Next year it was 4 grooves.

There's been some goofy ones in Champ Car too. I've always thought the easiest way was to reduce the boost. Hell, the sanctioning body calibrates the pop-off valves anyway. Seems like that would be easiest. Make the engines last a little longer too......

Yes, hearing all those horses is quite a thrill, but I particularly like watching Champ Cars or Indy Cars taking the green flag on a super speedway and heading into the first turn. Every time I see that (live...not on TV) I still find it hard to believe that they are going make it around the corner!