[DMVR] Re: $ vs. skill

[Bill Hart]

I think Fred's point was that things can happen no matter how much  
money, skill, or brains you have.  It doesn't matter that the driver  
was experienced if the pit marshall screws up.

There are lots of stories floating around about what "really  
happened" based on various view points and people who knew them.

What it boils down to was that this guy had a fast car on a race  
track (seems like a pretty smart move so far) and something happened  
that caused him to lose control.  In the end he died doing what he  
loved.

This whole money/brains versus skill is such a moot point, accidents  
happen, humans err, they're just facts of life and we take our  
chances whether behind the wheel on the track, on the street, or just  
walking out the front door.  Heck sleeping in your bed can be  
dangerous depending on where your bed happens to be in relation to  
falling trees and things, I don't think anyone would say you were  
lacking in skill money or brains if a tree fell on you in your sleep ...

I would hope that if some such fate were to await me that the cost of  
the car I was driving would have very little bearing on how people  
viewed the incident.  I would hope that people would realize I was  
doing something I love to do and cinch their belts an extra time  
before heading out to do something they love.

Bill

"Bang a drum for tomorrow, bang a drum for the past.
Bang a drum for the heroes who walk on by"
   -- Chris LeDoux  1948-2005

On Jun 6, 2005, at 2:28 PM, Karl T wrote:

> True - heard the same.
>
> Guess what I should have said was '$$ vs. Brains'.
>
> I had heard he was doing 100mph, but either way, 100 or 150 in a  
> street
> car with no cage, on a track, is just asking for problems.
>
> Karl
>
>
> --- Bell <fourbells1@mchsi.com> wrote:
>
>
>> From what I read on other boards - always subject to hearsay  
>> problems -
>> the
>> Carrera GT driver was quite experienced.  This was a Ferrari club  
>> event,
>> not
>> using corner workers, and with a configuration at Calif Speedway that
>> has a
>> very short, rather blind, pit-out blend area rather than the usual  
>> long
>> one
>> on the oval.  The driver swerved to avoid a car entering from pit- 
>> out,
>> and
>> lost it at about 150 mph.  The entering car reportedly messed up the
>> timing
>> somewhat in its entrance to the track - some confusion between a  
>> course
>> marshal and someone in the car as to whether to go ahead or hold up.
>>
>> Sounds like the problems were with the event organizers on track
>> configuration and staffing, more than anything else, and somewhat  
>> with
>> the
>> entering car.  That and driving a street car, however fancy and  
>> fast, at
>>
>> race car speeds without race car protection.
>> Fred