Random Thoughts... (Motorsports Edition)

Apparently Sadler's crash was the hardest hit ever recorded in NASCAR history according to Midweek Motorsport.

Is that just their opinion or is there accelerometer data to back that up?

I'm a ninja. With fireproofed pubes.


http://a.imageshack.**/img825/1350/alpwhitenomex1.jpg


And these gloves are sex for my hands.


http://a.imageshack.**/img717/3159/00137tx1lg.jpg
 
They had accelerometer data to back it up, they said it was something like 50Gs I think.
 
NASCAR had informed Sadler that his car achieved the greatest impact force they'd ever recorded, but didn't specify the number.
Kyle Petty had an 80 G crash in 2003...
 
That's odd, it didn't seem such a dramatic crash from the video footage at least... Lucky guy then, glad he's alright
 
I'm ruining this apex's day.


http://a.imageshack.**/img153/2599/958798464bx6gno1280.jpg
 
At least 8 dead in California 200 off-road race tragedy

The Associated Press is reporting that eight people are dead after an off-road racing truck hit spectators near the start of the California 200 off-road race Saturday evening. Witnesses say the truck had just completed a jump called "the rockpile" that occurs about two miles from the start of the race when it lost control, struck spectators and came to a rest on its roof. Six people died at the scene, two others after being airlifted to the Loma Linda University Medical Center and 12 others were injured. It reportedly took rescue vehicles and helicopters a half hour to reach scene, during which time spectators tried to help the injured. Witnesses say the driver of the truck, who remains unidentified, had to flee the scene after some spectators became hostile and began to throw rocks at him.

The California 200 is a 200-mile off-road race that occurs in the Mojave Desert close to the city of Lucerne Valley, just 100 miles away from Los Angeles. As with most off-road races of this type, there are no barriers separating spectators from race vehicles that can rocket by at near triple-digit speeds while facing obstacles like jumps that are designed to get all four wheels off the ground.

While the California Highway Patrol normally does not investigate crashes at organized motorsport events, AP reports that the CHP has taken the lead on this one due to its "scope". The Federal Bureau of Land Management is also assisting. At this point, it's not known what caused the driver of the truck to lose control, though we expect that and the driver's identity to be revealed in due time.

The families of the victims will be in our thoughts as we try to process this tragedy, and we'll let you know as soon as more information is available.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/15/breaking-at-least-8-dead-in-california-200-off-road-race-traged/
 
I don't mean to seem unsympathetic here, but it's a chance they took standing next to what is essentially a rally race. I would never go to a race that didn't have at least some protection for the fans. Watching live motorsports is great fun but it's not worth dying for.

CNN article and video
 
RIP Lionel Regal :(
Killed this weekend here in Switzerland...

Here's him in action...
 
Well, last weekend was my biggest race weekend of the year, 3 days at Mosport.

Friday a 2h endurance race, Saturday the heat race for my class and a mixed class race, and Sunday the final for my class.

Unfortunately, 51m into the endurance race on Friday (so 9 minutes before I came in to give the bike to my teammate), I crashed in turn 2, a very fast blind downhill left-hander. I was probably going somewhere between 150 and 200km/h. Net result, broke my right tibia at the ankle level. That's one way to cut short a race weekend...

Turn 2 in the background:
ankle-turn2.jpg
 
You broke something while riding a bike?! Surely not... :p
 
TOCA announced this after the Arena Ford's qualified 1st and 2nd at Silverstone

Autosport said:
TOCA limits Fords' performance.

Tom Onslow-Cole, Ford, Silverstone 2010Arena Motorsport's pair of Ford Focus STs have had their performance pegged back by British Touring Car Championship organiser TOCA.

Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom Chilton locked out the front row at Silverstone in their turbocharged LPG-powered Focuses, more than half a second up on the best of the normally-aspirated cars.

But after qualifying BTCC co-ordinator Dan Mayo issued a bulletin stating that all cars powered by alternative fuels would have their engine performance capped with immediate effect. An upper boost limit has now been imposed on the turbocharged machines with a reduction in the air restrictor size from 36 to 35mm also mandated.

The bulletin read: "In accordance with CR 5.3, the Administrator has mandates that any registered cars running to those regulations are now required to run at a maximum boost pressure of 0.7 bar (1.7 bar absolute) and fit a 35mm turbo inlet restrictor with effect from, and including, round 19 of the 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship."

Arena is the only team affected by the amendment to the technical regulations.

It seems TOCA doesn't like progress i guess?
 
They want a level playing field between different technologies. Which is nice on theory but in practice things can go ugly fast, as proven by FIA with turbodiesels in WTCC. Whether TOCA will do a better job remains to be seen but mid-season rule changes are never a good sign.
 
Back from karting today. It was going brilliantly at first. We had 2 heat races instead of a qualifying session, as they were having issues with transponders, and I "qualified" 1st. But in the last race my kart stalled, and that was that. :(
 
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Good luck MadCat! You're living the dream bro :D Hope you can make some helmet vids

I went karting too but it was just family fun non competitive bumping into eachother...
 
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