new catch fences - Barnhart

[G.]

Chock full of delicious quotyness.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/SPORTS01/704010410


ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The orthopedic surgeon repairing the shredded feet of race car driver Pablo Perez in Indianapolis says safer fences are the sport's next innovation frontier. The journey is under way.

Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart confirmed Saturday that he has commissioned the University of Nebraska's Midwest Roadside Safety Facility in Lincoln to build a smooth barrier to replace the fences at race tracks that include the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Think of a hockey rink with a clear shield on top of the wall.

[Insomniac]

I think it's a good thing to improve barriers, like SAFER, but they should also improve the car. It seems like they shift the blame to the barriers and behave as if the car is fine.

[Gnam]

I recommend they build a 20' high concrete wall faced with the safer barrier around every track they run on. No one should have to watch that stuff.

[Chief]

Truth is the IRL made racing MORE DANGEROUS so they could make it safer.

This is the flawed logic that is the IRL. OW is in a world of hurt with them geniuses at the helm. NEVER have they admitted their cars are at fault for anything ever.

Broken backs = wall's too hard
Sheared feet = fence like a cheesegrater
Airborne cars = Our Cars Don't Fly
Car into fence and into crowd = ??? (why did they sit there OR just tarpan off sections where the track designer is held responsible for putting seats there)

[Andrew Longman]

If you recall Geoff Bodine's crash in a NCTS race at Daytona a few years back , catch fence safety is an issue for more than just OW racing. The fence shreaded his car/truck almost to nothingness. And whatever they do, it will also have to work stopping a 3400# stock car.

I'm in favor of anything that makes the race safer. While ripped up catchfencing doesn't happen all that often, but eventually the odd are going to catch up and something very bad will happen

Still, the timing is a bit off-putting. A week after an IPS driver shreads his feet and only days after someone brought up the idea on TF. :rolleyes:

[Insomniac]

Car into fence and into crowd = ??? (why did they sit there OR just tarpan off sections where the track designer is held responsible for putting seats there)

That will be the end of OWR in NA if a car goes into the crowd.

[Audi_A4]

why not just keep the cars on the ground

[RHR_Fan]

why not just keep the cars on the ground

Because that's the not-cool way out. :p

In all seriousness I do agree with you.

[Easy]

why not just keep the cars on the ground

Add a bumper rail all the way around the car and you'll decrease the likelihood of sending one in the air.

[robot9000]

why not just keep the cars on the ground

Depending on who the expert is today, that just isn't possible in an OW car. :rolleyes:

Did anyone see Carpenter do a 1/2 gainer in St. Pete Sunday? He was 15-20 MPH from having enough energy to go scratch up the top of the airbox.

[Easy]

Depending on who the expert is today, that just isn't possible in an OW car. :rolleyes:

Did anyone see Carpenter do a 1/2 gainer in St. Pete Sunday? He was 15-20 MPH from having enough energy to go scratch up the top of the airbox.

Did anyone see Coulthard play leapfrog with Alex Wurz in Melbourne?

[oddlycalm]

Think of a hockey rink with a clear shield on top of the wall. How about an acrylic dome...? :tony:

[Gnam]

Here's the prototype:

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/6827/hamtraclgqg1.jpg

[Andrew Longman]

How about an acrylic dome...? :tony:

I remember back about '74 after a few gastly years of wrecks, deaths and rain delays at Indy there was a Sport Illustrated (IIRC) article about a proposal to cover the track and do something to better protect fans from flying burning fuel. It was an over the top, futuristic plan and in the end they did implemente a number of changes (such as removing the seats right along the fence) to make it safer.

I was just a kid at the time but I'd love to see those plans today.