How do you spell "Lucky to live through it?"

Ken Killam

Ken Killam

Fats
As the question of regulations regarding open cockpit cars might seem over emphasized to some, view this video and consider the odds at your next event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-9XSOM5eIo&feature=player_embedded

I love Cobras, and I hate to see what happens to them when they have any kind of catastophic failure.

For the sake your customers at HPDE, and track day events take safety scutineering seriously. PLEASE!!

Would you want to be the one that responds to this incident where someone that isn't as lucky?
 
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A few things to note:
  • This is why cars are required to have passenger-side safety devices equal to that of the driver when carrying an instructor. With no rollbar on the passenger side, can you imagine how that might've turned out? (This is partly why I won't instruct in convertibles anymore.)
  • This is why open-cockpit racers are required to have arm restraints. I'm surprised he didn't at least break a wrist.
  • This is why I don't understand non-karters who wear those silly neck collars instead of a HANS-type device.
 
I got my start at Willow Springs. It's an historic track but it does have several turns where bad things can happen if you screw up. Turn 9 is the most notorious as many cars have rolled there. The guy in the Cobra was on the long front straight heading into turn 1 when his car crashed.
 
I don't think I would have pulled his helmet off without medical help being there.
Lift the visor, talk to the driver OK, but after a ride like that and no head/neck device hmmmmmm it wouldn't have been my first choice.
The passenger seat harness flailing around like that with big buckles not a good way to go either. Could that shatter a visor given the velocity??
I love the open wheel wheel/cockpit cars, but whenever they come on track my stomach just tightens up a tad.

There was an O/W car at PIR a few years ago and as the car was flying down the back stretch at Turn 9, the driver leans forward, sticks his arm out the cockpit and adjusts his right side mirror. Not only did I question his arm restraints but.......how in the hell did he manage to lean so far forward if his belts were tight?? That was an injury just waiting to happen. Driver did the same thing in his next session. Sheeeeesh
Sometimes it's the little things that can bite bad too.
 
The driver claims rear suspension failure (was a Backdraft Cobra and they use BMW rear control arms, if I remember right). Also noted that his helmet was very close the to top of the roll loop on the car.
 
Nice post Ken. Too many things wrong with that response to even list, looked like a track day and not a regular race day I hope!!!
 
T'was a HPDE/Track Day at Willow Springs. Probably some other driver that raised his hand to go take a session on a turn to 'observe' with a yellow flag and a radio. "Hey, it's just another day at the track. What could go wrong?" kind of idea, I'm sure.

If viewed on the YouTube site, the video is paired up with the longer (9+ minute) version where he's taking pictures (before) and leaving the pits... a few laps with some edited comments up to the mechanical failure.
 
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That's the problem with track days, not enough of the right people **IF** something goes wrong. I don't have a problem with the track days just the amount of people (flaggers/safety) that are available to be there.
 
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