Nasty Mini Crash At The Supertaxis Today

[Duncan]

We have been very lucky lately with our tracks, its a long time since something like this happened.

Apparently driver and a couple of spectactors were taken to hospital but are stable

[Victory]

When a car is rolling end for end it easily climbs over walls and fences so the spectators were very lucky not to be taken out big time. Good to see that the injuries sustained are not too serious.

[GTR-N1]

When a car is rolling end for end it easily climbs over walls and fences so the spectators were very lucky not to be taken out big time. Good to see that the injuries sustained are not too serious.

Couldn't have been said any better. ditto.

Momentum is a fascinating form of energy isn't it?

[NORMAL]

It's a wonder 'hoon' wasn't snuck in the report somehow. lol

[Roy]

Thats a biog accident. I jus found a telecast of the race and the first thing i see is Bargz park it and Safety Car comes on to the track. What calls comes over the radio to Tander? Keep up it, Safety car is out...then he pounds out a lap then at full speed just etches out the cars leavign the pits under the safety car. So blatant, yellows and SC mean nothing to the teams.

[OMGGTR]

It's a wonder 'hoon' wasn't snuck in the report somehow. lol

Lma fkn o....

[msports180]

Incredibly lucky no one was killed, good to see the marshalls running towards it before it had even stopped. You have to feel for the driver to, imagine coming to a stop and realizing you were in the crowd, imagining someone under your car.

On the yahoo news page someone commented this sport should be banned its so dangerous...

[Duncan]

exactly Roy...its a farce

[NISMO]

Thats a biog accident. I jus found a telecast of the race and the first thing i see is Bargz park it and Safety Car comes on to the track. What calls comes over the radio to Tander? Keep up it, Safety car is out...then he pounds out a lap then at full speed just etches out the cars leavign the pits under the safety car. So blatant, yellows and SC mean nothing to the teams.

Couldn't agree more. There's a really good thread on Ten Tenths about how leading drivers/teams simply don't give a rats about flags.

[Beer Baron]

fark, very unlucky for it to have unfolded like that. the problem was it spent so long sliding on it's roof like a sled which of course has a lot less traction than the other side... so it didn't slow down at all. most cars by the time they hit the sand have wiped off a lot of speed even with locked brakes but this thing was still hauling. very wild ride for the driver and very lucky escape for the spectators in the area.

[scarface_au]

We have been very lucky lately with our tracks, its a long time since something like this happened.

Apparently driver and a couple of spectactors were taken to hospital but are stable

Bloody hell, that's horrific. It could have been so much worse.

It's a one-in-a-million crash that will probably never happen again, but I still think they'll put up a new barrier for next year.

[gtstcruiser67]

Deeper sand traps filled with 10-20mm pebbles would have slowed the car down far more than dirt or sand.

Also the tyres were not tied down and there were not rows tyre barriers at the end of that straight to eliminate this from happening. As usual in hindsight it was avoidable but lessons will be learnt and more progress made in safer facilities.

The series is really is bad publicity for the sport as they are cheque book racers who are happy to crash and bash their way around the track. I have been to many many events over the years with club racing providing clean safe racing with minimal accidents. These show pony events encourage 'spills and thrills' racing which encourages aggressive/dangerous driving which is not what it is really all about. Certainly not for the majority of racers out there.

[scarface_au]

Deeper sand traps filled with 10-20mm pebbles would have slowed the car down far more than dirt or sand.

Also the tyres were not tied down and there were not rows tyre barriers at the end of that straight to eliminate this from happening. As usual in hindsight it was avoidable but lessons will be learnt and more progress made in safer facilities.

The series is really is bad publicity for the sport as they are cheque book racers who are happy to crash and bash their way around the track. I have been to many many events over the years with club racing providing clean safe racing with minimal accidents. These show pony events encourage 'spills and thrills' racing which encourages aggressive/dangerous driving which is not what it is really all about. Certainly not for the majority of racers out there.

My impression from the first viewing was that tyre barriers and gravel traps would have made little difference. The car basically bounced over the fence, you would have needed tyres 20 deep to stop that, otherwise it just would have jumped them. And gravel traps do almost nothing to slow a car that's rolling. Once the car started sliding on its roof and rolling, the only way to stop it was with a 10-metre-high catch fence. Nothing else would have made a difference.

[djr81]

The series is really is bad publicity for the sport as they are cheque book racers who are happy to crash and bash their way around the track. I have been to many many events over the years with club racing providing clean safe racing with minimal accidents. These show pony events encourage 'spills and thrills' racing which encourages aggressive/dangerous driving which is not what it is really all about. Certainly not for the majority of racers out there.

Having seen what happened to Garth Tander's missus Mini at Wanneroo last year I can't help but agree with that.

[NORMAL]

What about the other serious mini crash that weekend at the same spot! Have you seen this?

WOW!

[sneakey pete]

My impression from the first viewing was that tyre barriers and gravel traps would have made little difference. The car basically bounced over the fence, you would have needed tyres 20 deep to stop that, otherwise it just would have jumped them. And gravel traps do almost nothing to slow a car that's rolling. Once the car started sliding on its roof and rolling, the only way to stop it was with a 10-metre-high catch fence. Nothing else would have made a difference.

I think he was (but didn't mention) talking about the second crash there that happened on sunday. gravel traps didn't appear to do anything (that being said, cameara was following the car, hard to get a feel for any change in velocity).

[gtstcruiser67]

The gravel traps did very little to slow down the cars. They have to absorb the energy but sand isnt really going to do that. I dont prefess to know a lot about the science of tracks and safety but more could be done there.

As for the second accident, I would have to say the HANS device would have saved her life. That was a big hit which would break a neck quite easily.

I think the mini is more the problem. Sure they are a great little car but they are a brick and thats what happens to bricks when you throw them..

[sneakey pete]

I don't think any gravel would have an effect on the first crash. car was already on its roof before it left the track, as soon as it tilted far enough around to dig in it dug in and started flipping. could ahve had small boulders in there and it still would have flipped.

I wonder how possible it would be to build an exact replica of lakeside on the QR track...

Edited May 4, 2010 by sneakey pete

[Duncan]

gravel traps slow a car on its wheels just fine. just not if the throttle is wide open the the car is running above it not digging in.

i'm sure there will be many reviews but a longer gravel trap seems like a good idea...more time to pull momentum out of the car

[warps]

I think the mini is more the problem. Sure they are a great little car but they are a brick and thats what happens to bricks when you throw them..

Yeh I don't know how different these are to the road going Cooper S's, but last week I had a Cooper S hire car (picked it up with 10km on the clock - they were late getting it to me as they were still pulling the plastic off the seats ). I drove it from Sydney airport to Mudgee via Bells Line of Road, and back the next day.

All I can say it they are one hell of a fun car to throw around!! Torque steer was the biggest issue, and under power on rough roads they tend to jump around a bit (steering is very light) but apart from that, I don't think I've had more fun in a road car for years. I loved it!

I even like the funky retro controls / switch gear, and the way they've tried to revive the old mini feel - with modern comforts and BMW reliability.

Back on topic - I read in the local rag that several "experts" are slamming QR for being such a dangerous track. For fark's sake people - it's motor racing. I couldn't imagine these "experts" take on Lakeside.