LAS VEGAS ACCIDENT REVIEW COMPLETE

[Midnight Rider]

LAS VEGAS ACCIDENT REVIEW COMPLETE
INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 15, 2011) - A comprehensive review of the racing accident
that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon is complete, INDYCAR announced Dec. 15.

Wheldon, the 2005 IZOD IndyCar Series champion and two-time Indianapolis 500
winner, suffered a non-survivable head injury Oct. 16 in a 15-car crash in Turn
2 of Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the final race of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar
Series season.

"There are multiple factors that are not uncommon to racing that came together
in a way that claimed Dan's life," said Brian Barnhart, President of
Operations, INDYCAR. "It is a tragedy. Our thoughts and support will always be
with Dan's family."

The accident review revealed that Wheldon's path on the lower portion of the
racetrack was blocked by the multi-car crash he was approaching. The No. 77 car
became airborne and ultimately impacted a vertical post of the track fencing.
The pole intruded the cockpit, and the impact with the driver's helmeted head
produced non-survivable blunt force trauma.

The response to the scene by INDYCAR's Holmatro Safety Team was
rapid and decisive, according to the review.

INDYCAR analyzed data from the accident data recorders carried on board each
race car involved in the crash, the on-board data acquisition system from
teams, timing and scoring data, video, still photographs, physical evidence and
eyewitness reports from participants. Third-party experts with
Indianapolis-based Wolf Technical Services provided independent assurance that
the investigation protocol, evidence examined and reviewed, and the conclusions
reached are consistent and appropriate to standard scientific and engineering
investigation methods.

Examination of video of the incident demonstrates normal "pack racing" that is
common on high-banked ovals. However, there was almost unlimited movement on
the track surface under race conditions not previously experienced that is
attributed to track geometry beyond banking. Such freedom of movement outside
of normal racing grooves not only increased the probability for car-to-car
contact, but made it more difficult for drivers to predict the movement of
other drivers. As a result, the opportunity for this incident was increased.

While this incident could have occurred at any track at any time,
the dynamic of the current car and the overall track geometry at Las Vegas
Motor Speedway under race conditions appears to have been one of the
contributing factors in this incident.

The 34-car starting field was determined to be acceptable based on factors such
as length and width of the racetrack and pit space capability. This incident
and its consequences could have occurred with any size starting field at any
track.
"INDYCAR's commitment to safety was enhanced by Dan Wheldon's testing
throughout 2011 of the new car to be used by INDYCAR in 2012," said Randy
Bernard, CEO, INDYCAR. "The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season ushers in an era of
a new race car and the opportunity for continued safety advancements. Dan
Wheldon was instrumental in the testing and development of this new car and the
safety innovations that it represents. We are thankful for his efforts and
commitment to racing."

The 2012 Dallara Automobili chassis enhances safety components such as side
intrusion panels and wheel tethers. The cockpit is longer and wider than the
decommissioned monocoque, which allows for additional padding underneath and
behind the driver. Also, a "floating headrest" works in conjunction with the
mandatory FHR (Frontal Head Restraint) attached to the helmet. Driver
positioning allows for better sightlines.

- series
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Capitol City Online - telnet://cco.ath.cx - 502-875-8938

[Ray O'Hara]

"Midnight Rider" <midnigh...@capcity2.synchro.net> wrote in message
news:4EEA824F.20...@capcity2.synchro.net...

Crahes happen, sometimes people get killed.

[Ken Plotkin]

On Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:50:22 -0500, "Ray O'Hara"
<raymon...@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Crahes happen, sometimes people get killed.
>

That's about it. The only special factor, after reading the whole
press conference transcript, seems to be that with the progressive
banking there were no preferred lines so any car could be anywhere.

Their claim that up to 37 cars would have been OK is at odds with
prior rules about how many cars could run on tracks of various
lengths.

I haven't read the actual report yet. I'm hoping it's not as weasely
as NASCAR's "3 Car" report.

Ken Plotkin

[Dillon Pyron]

Thus spake "Ray O'Hara" <raymon...@hotmail.com> :

>
>"Midnight Rider" <midnigh...@capcity2.synchro.net> wrote in message
>news:4EEA824F.20...@capcity2.synchro.net...
>> LAS VEGAS ACCIDENT REVIEW COMPLETE
>> INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 15, 2011) - A comprehensive review of the racing
>> accident
>> that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon is complete, INDYCAR announced Dec.
>> 15.
>>
>> Wheldon, the 2005 IZOD IndyCar Series champion and two-time Indianapolis

<snip>

>> The 2012 Dallara Automobili chassis enhances safety components such as
>> side
>> intrusion panels and wheel tethers. The cockpit is longer and wider than
>> the
>> decommissioned monocoque, which allows for additional padding underneath
>> and
>> behind the driver. Also, a "floating headrest" works in conjunction with
>> the
>> mandatory FHR (Frontal Head Restraint) attached to the helmet. Driver
>> positioning allows for better sightlines.
>>
>> - series
>> --- Synchronet 3.15a-Linux NewsLink 1.92-mlp
>> Capitol City Online - telnet://cco.ath.cx - 502-875-8938
>
>Crahes happen, sometimes people get killed.
>

Okay, what's the exact Hemmingway quote? Auto racing, bull fighting
and mountain climbing are the only true sports? They are the only
ones in which death is a real threat.

Exact quote would be appreciated.
--

- dillon I am not invalid

So Kim Jung Ill shows up at the barbecue. "Wait,"
says Qadaffi, "you don't have any peircings." "If you
starve your people enough they'll be too weak to rebbel."
"You have the same number of holes in your head as when
you were born," says bin Laden. "My compound had radar
and antiacraft misslles." "Your neck," shouted Hussein,
"it's the same length." "I didn't piss on W's father."
"Then what happened?" the three asked. "Damned counterfiet
Lipitor and insulin!"

[AC]

And presumably people learn the lessons, right?

--
AC

[lenny]

"Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real
sports ... all others are games."

Another good quote for this occasion would be:

"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he
lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another."

Both by Ernest Hemingway...

--
Jim

[Hoof Hearted]

"lenny" <le...@leonard.com> wrote in message
news:jcv7s2$ute$1...@dont-email.me...

For the moronic brain-trust that currently comprises rasi:
http://www.timelesshemingway.com/content/quotationsfaq

What is Hemingway's "there are only three sports" quote?

"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and
mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."

This is one in a long list of quotations mysteriously attributed to Ernest
Hemingway. While the general public seem to agree that this is in fact a
Hemingway quotation, scholars have some reservations and for good reason.
The early Hemingway did not believe that bullfighting was a sport. For him
it was a tragedy. See his October 20, 1923 article titled "Bullfighting A
Tragedy" reprinted in By-Line: Ernest Hemingway Selected Articles and
Dispatches of Four Decadesedited by William White. Hemingway reiterates his
beliefs regarding the tragedy of bullfighting in his 1932 book, Death in the
Afternoon.

In July of 2006, Gerald Roush, a visitor to Timeless Hemingway, provided a
possible source for the "three sports" quotation. He cited a story titled
"Blood Sport" by Ken Purdy, which originally appeared in the July 27, 1957
edition of the Saturday Evening Post. The story is reprinted in Ken Purdy's
Book of Automobiles (1972). Gerald provided a scan of where the quotation
appeared and it reads as follows: " 'There are three sports,' she remembered
Helmut Ovden saying. 'Bullfighting, motor racing, mountain climbing. All the
rest are recreations.' " Gerald noted that the character of Helmut Ovden is
modelled after Ernest Hemingway. This could explain why the quote has been
so widely attributed to Hemingway over the years.

In May of 2007, Rocky Entriken wrote to Timeless Hemingway with another
possible author of the "three sports" quotation:

"As I am told, the quote belongs to Barnaby Conrad, a writer of the same era
as Hemingway and a San Francisco raconteur of some note. Mostly he did
magazine articles but his books include The Death of Manolete. My source is
Dan Gerber, yet another writer of the era."

[Midnight Rider]

To: AC

> And presumably people learn the lessons, right?

Considering the fact that they say the car count has nothing to do with it
makes me wonder. If Wade Cunningham gets a seat (ever again), we will know for
sure that nothing was learned.

[Ray O'Hara]

"AC" <x...@xxx.xxx> wrote in message
news:fdwIq.143826$T%1.7...@newsfe12.ams2...

> Ray O'Hara wrote:
>> Crahes happen, sometimes people get killed.
>>
>>
>
> And presumably people learn the lessons, right?
>
> --
> AC

debatable

[Dillon Pyron]

Thus spake Ken Plotkin <kplo...@nospam-cox.net> :

Was that the one that avoided the "fact" that DE had himself
incorrectly installed the belts because his way was the better way? Or
the part about racing to the line when a yellow comes out? Or the
part that kind of glosses over the autopsy findings and comes to its
own determination as to the cause of death?

Indy Car seems to have done a much better job of it. Now LV needs to
look at whether their retention system really is "save enough" (no
such thing as "safe"). I personally don't know and can't say from
here, but I question the strong conclusion they made within a couple
of hours of the release of the preliminary report.

[Ken Plotkin]

On Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:06:23 -0600, Dillon Pyron
<invalid...@austin.rr.com> wrote:


>Was that the one that avoided the "fact" that DE had himself
>incorrectly installed the belts because his way was the better way? Or
>the part about racing to the line when a yellow comes out? Or the
>part that kind of glosses over the autopsy findings and comes to its
>own determination as to the cause of death?

Yes - that's the one. They listed so many contributing factors
(possibly including the phase of the moon) that they thought they
could lose the seat belt thing in the noise.

I don't think NASCAR had access to DE's remains or any of the actual
evidence used for the real autopsy, so it was duck soup for them to
make up their own conclusions.

>Indy Car seems to have done a much better job of it. Now LV needs to
>look at whether their retention system really is "save enough" (no
>such thing as "safe"). I personally don't know and can't say from
>here, but I question the strong conclusion they made within a couple
>of hours of the release of the preliminary report.

IMHO, Indy Car did as straight a job as possible. Hard to take issue
with any of their conclusions. I just hope they remember it all, and
stay away from LVMS unless the banking is either knocked down or made
flat. I wish they'd keep away from all the pack drafting tracks, but
maybe that's just me.

Ken Plotkin