Deathtraps

Indy car racing is one of the most spectacular styles of racing in the world.   It is also one of the deadliest of all racing sports as was witnessed yesterday in Las Vegas.  Dan Weldon, one of the brightest stars in open wheel racing was killed in a multi-car collision near the start of the race.  It isn't surprising.  The Indy car is designed for speed.  Very little has been done to improve driver safety.



If you were to design the most unsafe race car imaginable, you would start with open wheels.  As one driver hits the wheels of another, the effect is to launch the race car into the air as happened during yesterdays accident.  If that isn't enough, the driver's head is slightly extended from the fuselage of the car which travels at 220-240 MPH.  It is a vehicle that tends to kill drivers.

It will be interesting to see how the Indy Car league reacts.  After NASCAR lost Dale Earnhardt in 1991, they set about improving driver safety.  Soft walls were installed at every track.  The HANS device was invented and widely adopted to stop the drivers hear from whipping forward at impact.  The entire car was redesigned with fire suppression systems and foam protective panels.  A carbon fiber seat acts like a safety cocoon for the driver.  The result is a safe race car. 

Just Saturday evening, Jimmy Johnson, the biggest star in NASCAR, slammed head on into a wall going 190 MPH.  Five minutes later he was being interviewed on the broadcast.  His biggest complaint was that he had the wind knocked out of him.  The Indy Car series will need to take dramatic steps to avoid a repeat of yesterday's mishap.  They may need to slow the cars down as NASCAR did years ago with restrictor plates.  They definitely need to protect their drivers heads and keep the cars on the track.