Dario Franchitti survives another horror crash

October 6th is historically not a good day for European drivers on US race circuits.

Less bad than it used to be, i suppose.
 
Our hillbilly internet isn't letting me see the video but hope all is well. Sounds like a brutal one.
 
Julie1979 said:
Our hillbilly internet isn't letting me see the video but hope all is well. Sounds like a brutal one.
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"The Scot remained in the car until he was extracted by medical crews, and was taken directly to the nearby Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Centre, where he was assessed and found to have suffered a concussion, a fractured vertebra that will not require surgery, and a fractured right ankle."
 
He's cheated the grim reaper a couple of times before too.

[YOUTUBE]gk4isl03KgM[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]EAzHTlIEAlA[/YOUTUBE]
 
Saw it on BBC news and still thought......Who??
 
I can never understand how they have so many crashes on an oval.
Why do they even get so close.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
I can never understand how they have so many crashes on an oval.
Why do they even get so close.
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That most recent crash was not on an oval.

On oval races they get close to eachother to benefit from drafting. Not only does the car in front suck you along, you use significantly less fuel too.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
That most recent crash was not on an oval.

On oval races they get close to eachother to benefit from drafting. Not only does the car in front suck you along, you use significantly less fuel too.
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So you are saying that they drive dangerously.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
That most recent crash was not on an oval.

On oval races they get close to eachother to benefit from drafting. Not only does the car in front suck you along, you use significantly less fuel too.
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The IndyCars also have a lot less downforce than F1 cars, so if anything happens, to break their grip with the track, or if they swerve for any reason, then it can be catastrophic.
 
andy700 said:
The IndyCars also have a lot less downforce than F1 cars, so if anything happens, to break their grip with the track, or if they swerve for any reason, then it can be catastrophic.
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Andy, I'm probably one of the few people here that's seen Dario Franchitti racing on an oval at an average speed of over 200mph. On superspeedways they run hardly any wing at all. On short-track ovals, street courses and race circuits they will run a lot of wing. If you look at a photo of the DW12 taken at Indianapolis, you'll see it looks a lot different compared to when it's racing the streets of Toronto for example.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
I can never understand how they have so many crashes on an oval.
Why do they even get so close.
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to pass someone you have to get close to them, both to benefit from the aerodynamic advantages and because the track is only so wide, the favoured lines are narrow still so you must be in close proximity with the people you are attempting to overtake,
at velocities of 90m/s (200mph for the sake of rounding) everything is darn close, if we consider a reaction time for the human brain to take in what is happening and react of about .4 seconds that we have travelled 36 metres that means that a certain amount of 'pre-empting' of the other persons movement has to happen. i wouldnt class it in any way shape or form of 'driving dangerously' - dangerously in motorsport terms means purposeful blocking, erratic weaving, or trying to make contact with other vehicles, something that is suprisingly rare on ovals because the drivers are aware of the risks and generally act sensibly, however occasionally accidents happen


thankfully Dario is on the mend, the spectator injuries were relatively minor and should be the focus of improved safety, when a car gets into the catch fence it is important that the fence constrains the incident and not in the case of this incident collapses. there is another video taken by spectators which is fairly frightening.

there was an incident earlier this year in nascar where during an incident an engine had been ripped from a car and ended up going through the catch fencing... however the challenge here is creating a catch fence that contains a car and allows spectators visibility!
 
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He announced his retirement on Twitter. Sad but probably the best decision.
 
I think he's made the right decision. Not as if he's short of success or money.

I see the new forum broke the video embedding links.
 
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