IT SAYS it on all the paddock passes and race tickets, motorsport is dangerous. It’s a fact of life and nothing can be done about that to remove the risk element away. However, when the unthinkable happens, it still gives the community both a massive shock and a chilling reminder of the dangers in competing at the highest level. Dan Wheldon’s tragic death in Sunday’s IndyCar finale has not only sent a worldwide feel of loss and remorse, but raised questions about the safety of motorsport in general and what can be done to prevent these sorts of accidents from happening more frequently.
THE SAFETY OF INDYCAR RACING
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| WRECK: The Las Vegas circuit was too tight for so many cars |
INDYCAR’s safety record is good, but not great. Both Gonzalo Rodriguez and Greg Moore were killed within six weeks of events in 1999. Paul Dana was the last driver to lose his life at an IndyCar event, five years ago. Open-wheel racing has always carried significant risks and will continue to do so. As Mark Blundell summed it up yesterday, the events of Sunday were a ‘recipe for disaster.’ Cars going side-by-side at 220mph has a real fear of danger if something goes wrong. Plus, it doesn’t have to be driver error; mechanical failure in these cars is still possible in this day and age. There is no doubt that IndyCar has worked extremely hard with safety organisations to improve its track record, which frankly, was diabolical in the 1990s. Plus, there are a lot of dedicated marshals and medical facilities are better than ever before. However, the risks will always remain and in the light of the recent events at the weekend, more has to be done to make the cars stronger to absorb the impacts of a big accident. 1979 Formula One world champion, Jody Scheckter has told BBC that he wants his son, Tomas to quit because it is too dangerous. Scheckter Jnr was involved in the 15-car pile-up in Las Vegas and Jody said “It is the most dangerous form of motor racing at the moment. Hopefully this will knock some sense into him and realise there is more to life. It really isn’t worth it.”
CIRCUITS IN THE US; THE DANGERS
THE officials at the Las Vegas circuit should be prepared for some serious stick over the coming weeks. The circuit is far too narrow for these types of cars to go racing. Principally, this track has been used mainly for NASCAR racing, not open-wheel combat. Drivers raised their concerns during testing for the event, including the defending champion, Dario Franchitti. If they did this and the track officials ignored their requests for more safety considerations or even to cancel the event, they are going to be in a whole lot of hot water. A prime example will be Formula One’s fateful trip to Indianapolis in 2005. Michelin failed to bring suitable tyres to the Brickyard, which saw a farcical six-car race take place. Two weeks later, Max Mosley said on the Official 2005 F1 DVD; “You can’t just build a chicane at the team’s request, because if an accident happens, an American judge wouldn’t care about the safety consequences. It is unfortunate what happened, but we couldn’t allow it to happen.” It is unlikely, but if Franchitti can prove his comments were valid through transcripts or audio recordings, then this tragedy could have been prevented. I don’t know the full implications of American law, but the Las Vegas track officials could be facing some tough and testing questions from higher forces should this happen. Although oval racing is popular in the States, maybe it is time to restrict this form of racing to the classic Indianapolis 500. The risks of racing on ovals are far greater than both street and road circuits. The thrill may disappear, but at the safety of the championship’s future integrity, it might be the safest option, if not the most plausible option.
WILL IT HAPPEN IN FORMULA ONE?
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| SAFE: The FIA has done immense work in the safety department |
DEATH in Formula One is possible. It has happened before and without wanting to sound callous, it will probably happen again at some stage. However, it has now been 17 years since that horrific weekend at Imola, when both Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna were killed. The last fatality at any Grand Prix event was Marshal Graham Beveridge; killed by flying debris from a serious crash at the 2001 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The introduction of the HANS (Head and Neck Safety) system in 2003 has restricted the potential possibility for fatal neck and head injuries. Ironically, the HANS device came in after successful testing in American racing. Professor Sid Watkins, Dr. Gary Hartstein and the FIA can take immense satisfaction for the work they have done in recent years. Who can forget Robert Kubica’s aeroplane shunt in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, which would have probably been a fatal shunt ten years earlier, saw Kubica only suffer a sprained ankle and that is down to HANS and the vigorous safety cells and crash tests each car has to pass in pre-season. 1993 IndyCar champion Nigel Mansell praised Formula One’s safety record and told BBC Radio 5 Live, that IndyCars could learn from the premier competition in motorsport; “In Indy racing, there is simply nowhere to go. When an accident happens, you are into the wall in a split second. This is why Formula 1 does an exemplary job. The tarmac runs off so the driver has time to decelerate the car.”
THE COCKPITS: SHOULD THEY BE CLOSED?
NO IS the simple answer to this. Dan Wheldon’s death will understandably trigger this debate again, which was raised in 2009 when Henry Surtees died in an F2 race at Brands Hatch after being struck by debris, then Felipe Massa received life-threatening injuries in a similar, freakish incident during qualifying for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. There is talk of a canopy being installed around the driver and yes, it would be better for a safety issue. However, there is no guarantee of this being the breakthrough to prevent incidents like those that have happened in the past. Remember, it was the impact with the wall and the resultant fire that was Dan Wheldon’s downfall on Sunday, not a result of the flying debris. Like I’ve said, motorsport is dangerous, but I think a real element would be taken away if the cockpits became closed within the driver area. It isn’t a regular occurrence and any action like this would be seen by me as a desperate action. IndyCar need to look at better racetracks, safer barriers at these tracks and the structure strength of the cars, rather than changing cockpit levels.
HOW IT HAS AFFECTED ME?
PEOPLE who know me will understand the love of motor racing I have. I don’t follow American racing, but of course, I want the Brits to do really well in any motorsport they take part in. First indication of potential trouble came when I saw Jonathan Legard’s status on Twitter, about a big IndyCar accident. Curious, I checked out YouTube to see how big it was and I wished I hadn’t. When I saw the crash, it felt like my heart stopped beating and you don’t want to hear the words that muttered out of my mouth when I witnessed it online for the first time. When I saw another of Legard’s tweets in the evening, which said that Dan Wheldon’s condition was serious, with no word on injuries, I knew the situation looked very bleak and sadly, the news came through just before midnight of his death.
Yesterday, I kept seeing the crash on news broadcasts and I felt there was no need for that, especially for Dan’s devastated family. In this situation, I would stick to images and videos of the wrecked cars and driver reactions. It made me sick watching it everytime. All day at Uni yesterday, it was a talking point with a lot of the journalism students and I just didn’t want to be there. It was on my mind all day and maybe some will say; ‘Why does it affect you?’ Well it does and I can’t help that. I had to show the crash to one of my friend’s yesterday afternoon and seeing it again made me feel like, well rubbish in the politest term possible. As Dan was British, plus he grew up in my hometown of Milton Keynes, it made it even worse to think about. Thankfully, I don’t remember Ayrton Senna’s death vividly, so this is the first real motorsport tragedy I have seen and it puts perspectives into life. We still have the basics, can move around and look forward to a potential promising future. I won’t stop watching motor racing, such as Formula One, but I will certainly appreciate the risks far more than I did and actually, I will probably feel more different when watching the next event on TV because I fully understand the risks and consequences of what might happen if it goes horribly wrong.
Motorsport is dangerous and Sunday’s tragedy in Las Vegas is a reminder for everyone; drivers, fans, marshals, racing organisations etc to not take anything for granted. It is a wake-up for the whole community and safety must continue to advance in all forms, so these sorts of tragedies such as Dan Wheldon’s accident can be prevented more in future.
Dan Wheldon – 22 June 1978 – 17 October 2011, RIP
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