I was discussing this last night with a friend who races in SCCA IT.
That's not Indy cars or F1 by a long shot, but it was interesting to get
a racer's perspective.
He noted that the wall Greg hit was not nearly well enough protected.
Although well off the track, there is only grass and an access road
between the wall and the track. There were no tire barriers or water
barrels in front of the wall. There is nothing to slow a car before it
hits the wall.
It looked like the car started to tumble after hitting the access road.
Even a small difference in surface height between the road and the
surrounding grass could have flipped a car at that speed. They need to
look at that too.
Any wall off the race track surface that a car could conceivably come in
contact with should be protected with energy absorbing barriers. Kitty
litter or gravel pits should be between the wall and the track. Sure,
you want to leave a buffer of grass so a mild off track will not end a
racer's day, but having nothing but grass the entire distance is simply
stupid.
Yes, I believe the track is poorly designed from a safety standpoint.
--
Ron Katona
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