rec.autos.simulators

As most of you already know, Scott Brayton has been killed today in a tragic
accident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Could this loss have been prevented?
Probably. Yes, this is auto racing; yes, it is dangerous; yes, it can kill
you. But today's accident could have been prevented. Why has the IRL been
formed? The president of IMS does not like road course racing very much, and
he wanted to go back to good 'ol American circle track racing. Another reason
was to reduce the cost of IndyCar racing. Tony George has something against
CART. It seems to me, because next year new and slower IndyCars will be used
in the IRL, that Tony wanted to take the last chance he has, and put CART out
of the fastest lap speed record book by having an IRL driver break the track
record. He repaved IMS to bring up the speeds, gave Menard extra boost, and
so on. In other words, these IRL cars are very fast. Last year's cars were
racing on the edge at record speeds, slower than this years speeds. Stan Fox
had a serious accident. It should have been realized back then that the
speeds need to be reduced to prevent serious or fatal accidents. This has not
been the case. To me the IRL is just a big joke. It is very irresponsible for
Tony George to raise up the speeds like this. The only part of the IRL that I
agree with is the reduction of cost. If you don't like road course racing,
thats your own opinion. But if you want to have a series that races mainly or
just on circle tracks, there are several different options. There is NASCAR
with only 2 road course races, there are USAC Sprint Cars and Midgets, BGN,
World of Outlaws, and many more. But going at these high speeds with cars
like these....What I have just all stated may not all be true. It is simply
my opinion.

Tim

May the IRL learn from Scott Brayton's fatal accident. My condolences for
Scott and his family.

Tim

If Tony George wouldn't have increased the speeds like this, Scott would have
hit the wall slower and might not have died.

Which shows that the speeds were high enough and should have been lowered.

Tim

    I've been saying since the beginning of the month that Tony George was
going to end up killing someone.  It's unfortunate that it had to happen,
and I wish that this would should Tony George that he can't play God.
Brayton's crash happened in practice, what's going to happen on race day
when 33 cars are all bunched together at 200 miles an hour.  My
prediction, an opening lap accident that ends up taking more that half the
field out.  I just hope that nobody else has to suffer like Brayton did
before the IRL dies.  Don't bet on it :(

Can You Really Blame The IRL. From The Video , It Was The Blown Tire
That Cause The Lost Of Control.

I Wonder What Type of Speeds Would Be Posted if EVERONE Was At Indy.

I Don't Think Any Driver/Owner Would Ever Put Hype Above The Driver's
Life.

BTW Last Year's Indy Start Had A Major Accident.

Matt

I'm continuing a thread started in rec.autos.simulators, and this is
cross-posted to two newsgroups.  Anyone with replies, please do so by
e-mail.

Scott Brayton is the 40th driver to die in practice for the
Indianapolis 500.  I, like many aficionados of motor racing, have
spent the last few days groping unsuccessfully to find a reason why it
had to happen.

There are those who have said, "Quit whining about it!  One guy's
death on a racetrack pales in significance to the worldwide
suffering(tm) that takes place," etc. etc. etc.  What they don't
realize is that we watched Scott Brayton die in our own homes.  One
minute he was driving a car he himself said was "on rails," the next
he's slumped over his wheel, probably already dead, as the mangled
remains of his car squeal to a halt.  It's not something you get over
very quickly, even in a society desensitized by the media.

There are so many questions that need answers that will never get
them.  Some people ask, "Why did it happen?"  Others, more shallow and
infinitely less tactful, ask, "Who is to blame?"  Some cynical,
analytical portion of my mind knew from the instant that Brayton's
head hit the wall at 228mph that people would start to point fingers
at Tony George and the IRL.  Other fingers might point straight at
CART.  The fact that Brayton's first start at Indy was in 1981, that
he was the most experienced driver at Indy this year, and that his
crash was, sadly, a clear example of a freak accident, won't change
that.

Why do people point fingers?  Some say that the IRL have mandated
faster speeds, higher boost levels, and other tweaks to add
credibility to the starting field.  Others might point out some
differences in safety between the 1996 and 1995 IndyCar chassis.
Frankly, I don't know how many possible variations on the Oliver Stone
theory there are.  

But the fact of the matter is this: This is not the fault of IRL,
CART, or inexperience.  This is a matter of physics.  When the left
side of an IndyCar hits a wall, there is no restraining head pad on
that side of the***pit.  Even with energy-absorbing sidepods, the
impact against an unshielded concrete wall will catapult the driver's
head into the wall as well.  It has happened to different people in
different racing series (Jovy Marcelo, JD MacDuffie and Joe Weatherly
in NASCAR, etc.), but the end result is the same.  The driver dies.

It is not the FACT of Brayton, Senna, Bonnett, or any other racer's
death that strikes us so poignantly.  It is the cold reality of death
brought into clear and intimate focus right before our eyes.  No
longer is death a distant entity.  We who saw the wreck will be forced
to relive it over and over in our minds; we will see Brayton's wife
and family suffer from the intense first agony, knowing that the much
longer-lived emptiness of his loss will haunt them forever.  We see it
first-hand with our own eyes.

I guess in a couple of weeks the shock will pass sufficiently for the
real name-calling, finger-pointing, and mudslinging to start (or
return, in some cases).  But for me, it will never be a question of
blame.  I can only ask, "Why?"
--

IWCCCARS Project Coordinator
Racer's Choice Web Directory Editor
Hawaii Racer ID: IWCCCARS

I'm *not* an IRL supporter or a Tony George fan, but, it's a bit unrealistic
to expect that nothing of this kind could/would/does happen.  This is a very
dangerous sport which is why rank amatures are not allowed and that,
historically, only the very best could get into the field.  Brayton was the
most experienced driver at Indy and certainly knew the risks.  Furthermore,
until the results of the investigations, certainly Lola will be interested
in this as well as other parties, are complete and published, it's a bit
pre-mature to hold Tony up as the *** boy.
  I've seen many accidents in this sport and in watching the wreck, it
certainly didn't look like a fatal accident, having seen many of what could
only be a fatal crashes only to see drivers spring out of cars and wave to
crouds I was a bit surprised.  But until we see the reports, I wouldn't
point fingers.  This could have happened with CART present anyhow.

Mike

--
    _
___/ \___ Speed Bump Motorsports...  The name says it all.
NRL95 #110 Hershey's Kiss Chevrolet Monte Carlo
PRO95 #53 Hershey's Kiss Penske PC23/Ilmor D
SIMCAR96 #45 Hershey's Kiss Pontiac Grand Prix
IVGA #2027 (membership, not the car!)

This really pisses me off. Scott unfortunate accident is no more Tony
Georges fault, than it is mine or yours. Scott blew a tire, in the apex
of a turn. If he was going 190 mph, and the same thing happened, I
would venture to say the same outcome would have happened. He hit at
the wrong angle, in the wrong part of the track.

Tony repaved the track because it was falling apart, "chunking" if you
will. He also made numerous improvments, like more run-off on the
low-side coming out turns 2-4, so if someone spins they have room for
the car to slow before hitting something.

This is racing. If have seen people killed at much slower speeds, on
much smaller tracks. No matter what speed you a moving, if you hit at
the wrong angle, at the wrong time, in the wrong spot, you could be
killed. Sorry, but that is the truth.

Instead of trying to point the finger at someone, say a prayer for
Scotts family, and shut up.

Mike

You people a stupid as hell. Tony did nothing to increase the speeds at
Indy. The track was falling apart, so he repaved it. The cars keep
getting faster and faster. Technology...Ever hear of it? This is why
they break records at every track almost everytime they visit it.

Geeez.

Mike

<SNIP>

Very well put.

Mike

Fear not race fans, at least there is still NASCAR!

Gary

"Adam Saal, spokesman for IndyCar, which oversees the PPG Cup series, said boost
for the turbocharged engines are limited to 40 inches at MIS for safety reasons.
Saal said some cars at Indy had as much as 65 inches of boost."

Also the fact that the IRL is not using 1996 chasis may also be a factor. Safety
improvements are made every year, this split in indycars is dangerous, scary and
f'n stupid. later.