Looks like the mod's removed some posts in the Dan Wheldon thread and hinted that they might be better for a new topic, so I thought I'd carry on the conversation.

This tragic death was the result of a combination of circumstances that basically added up to be the "perfect storm". Had Wheldon survived or even just had minor injuries, these much needed discussions concerning the safety in Indy racing and which tracks they should or should not race on would probably not be taking place.

As I and others mentioned, they need to engineer something to help keep these cars from launching like they do when they run over a car in front of them. The rear of these cars is shaped like a jump ramp from where the rear suspension is up to the air intake and roll hoop behind the drivers head. Does speed play a role? Absolutely, but you don't have to be going 200+ mph to launch. They'll do it at 120 mph.

I don't want to say that what killed Wheldon was bad luck, but I would just say that he was extremely unfortunate in that his car rotated in mid-air to exactly the worst position it could have been in when it collided with the catch fence. We'll never know, but virtually any other way he could have hit that fence he might have survived and possibly with only minor injuries like many other Indy drivers who have gotten in the catch fence over the years. But when he went in cockpit first with his head exposed he didn't have a chance. I'd almost put money on the possibility that he was killed instantly. (That's just my gut opinion though.)

One thing I've not seen discussed much is a means of protecting these drivers heads. I saw a picture of his car and entire roll hoop and air intake were sheared off level with the main pod of the car with his head sticking above everything. If these cars had a roll cage completely around and above the drivers head (like you see on top fuel dragsters today) it might just have saved his life.

Perhaps the greatest irony in Dan's passing is that he was the primary test driver for the new chassis coming out next year, which has new safety features that are supposed to help keep these cars from getting airborne. Word was that he was very, very excited and enthusiastic about the new design and was always updating all the other drivers about what they were testing. So maybe his death and legacy will be that while he lost his life and we lost a great person and Champion, he ultimately helped save other lives.

It's a dangerous sport and the drivers know the risks involved.

This, and people are too quick to jump on the Health and Safety band wagon because some died.
Its a shame, yes, but it doesn't call for an overhaul of a sport.

Next boxing will be non-contact <_<

I have to say, and meaning no disrespect to any fans of Indycar, but this kind of disaster was bound to happen with how the race is held. You have a large oval ring and a huge running pack, which means everyone is constantly going flat out and jostling each other for position. In Formula 1 only the first corner is ever really a problem, with everyone bunched up from the start - and sometimes that can cause an equally ugly pile-up - but during the course of the race the pack becomes more spread out as the turns and chicanes force drivers to ease off and be more tactical about their driving lines. Not only is it safer, I think it also makes for better racing: where a car is more than just a powerful engine, but also requires careful balance between the wheels, braking power, and so on.

Of course, the oval goes back to the traditions of early motor racing and even the hippodromes of ancient Rome, but really it was never designed for speeds over 200MPH - at those speeds there's just no time to react to any accident, with little or no run-off area to avoid disaster.

There is already a http://blog.roadandtrack.com/swedish-safety-breakthrough/ about such protection for the drivers head.


This article has the http://www.roadandtrack.com/racing/motorsports/dan-wheldon-triumph-and-tragedy (read it the whole article) why Dan Wheldon was elected to be a test driver for the new car chassis next year. Here is comments of two retired F1 drivers.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/urgent-safety-review-after-indycar-horror-16065295.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/15336902.stm