TBK-Light.com

your guess is as good as mine.

Maybe you could take the existing fence and line it with plexiglass but that would bring it's own set of complications.

Actually I had to think about the death of Dan all day.
The violence of the accident makes me still feel very uncomfortable. And it just so sick that we were onboard with Wheldon just seconds before the disaster happened.

Dan Wheldon was such a cool guy. I remember that he did an awesome job in the commentary booth for Versus this year and I was really hoping that would get a full drive in 2012.
Sadly we won't see him again and that is just heartbraking.

So what happens if more then one driver dies at Indy? Just stop racing there? The fact of the matter is there is no practical way of keeping these cars down and out of the catch-fence.

exactly, all the experts being wheeled into the studios to air their views, guys who probably didn't even watch the race, really piss me off, especially when they say stay on the flat tracks it doesn't happen there, best go talk to Conway about that.

They should expand the outer area of the track and make a runoff parallel and with the same angle of the racetrack. Would make for track 2-3 times their area, but cars would come to a halt. And grandstands about a mile off the track.

Right...

If you can keep the sun reflection to a minimum a plexiglass wall might actually work to some degree....but what if for some reason two sheets seperate and one car hits the next sheet from the side? Would it slice tru the car like that concrete wall did at Bristol in practice several years back (NASCAR)?

How about just simply raise the walls and safer barriers? That was done in the 70's with good results. Spectators would still be able to see the racing as they are already quite high in the stands. Also you could get rid of high banked ovals that are close to flat out, Indy and Michigan being the only fast ovals on the calendar. And a higher rear impact area compared to front would help. The cars would go under rather than over in case of an accident. Just smaller front wheel diameter compared to rear wheels could help a lot.

I hate the argument that "all the open wheelers would eventually flip when crashing in to others rear" - I don't believe in that. There's crazier things in the world that has been solved, why wouldn't this be solved? I bet that the new 2012 car won't be flipping or flying like Dallara did.

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"Indy doesn't give you a second chance. You have to earn it."

I wonder at the possiblity of maybe a less rigid "netting". Something strong enough to keep the cars from flying out of the race track, but not so much that it tears the car to shreds. Something that might literally "catch" the cars.

The biggest problem there I'm sure is the protection of the fans, but these types of accidents seem to occur more in the turns than anywhere else. So maybe a combination of traditional catch fencing where fans sit (front/backstretch) and netting in the turns. Just kind of throwing ideas up in the air here.

Although the idea of raising the walls is also probably much more feasible.

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"The track's wet, that's what I think about it. Fucking shit gets wet when it rains."
-Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The mail has actual got a pretty informative article on the events from yesterday, along with some pretty distressing photos.

Warning Fatal Accident
[spoiler]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2049949/Dan-Wheldon-crash-video-IndyCar-champion-dead-15-car-pile-Las-Vegas.html[/spoiler]

All that can be hoped is that he was knocked out after the first hit of his helmet to the fence.

It's days like these when you lose sight why you love motorsports.

Rest in peace Dan.

Couldn't stop thinking about it today

"Grief is the price we pay for love" - The reaction of drivers, teams, mechanics, media, fans shows what a great person and racer Dan was.

We should also thank our lucky stars that we didn't also lose Will Power and Pippa Mann. I know it's little consolation, but there's some good news there (please don't take that the wrong way guys).

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

One small way which might help push back the flood of uninformed media is to get Wheldon onto the shortlist for the SPOTY award.

He would be a legitimate candidate anyway after winning the Indy 500 and it would force the BBC to present a proper retrospective on his career after this enormous focus on the last 10 seconds of it.

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Dan Wheldon ¦ 1978-2011
Marco Simoncelli ¦ 1987-2011
Jules Bianchi ¦ 1989-2015
Justin Wilson ¦ 1978-2015

Yeah, I know he's mad and I don't care. I do not care. I did not care then. I do not care now. I'm here to race him.

Yeah, DM's article was awful. The back page of their paper was atrocious as well, something like 'Ace Brit in fireball of death'.

Just watched Dan's father on TV. Struggled to hold back the tears. Here's the statement
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95488

@

RtN: Facebook is the ideal media medium to use. If enough people get a group, the media get wind of it.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

Terrible, terrible tragedy. I wept yesterday after I heard the news. I'm glad I decided not to watch the race.

So tragic. R.I.P. Dan.

I can't believe it. It still hasn't sunk in yet.

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R.I.P. Justin

Jody Scheckter said this to the BBC: (my translation from an article in Portuguese, actual quote may be different)

I very much agree with that NVirkkula said. I was watching that race yesterday, by lap 5...I just had a sick feeling. On lap 11 I had typed that I have a very very bad feeling about this race in the reply box of another forum...As I was turning around to post it..I see cars flying. This shouldn't have happened. I have heard every side of this debate, and I know what most people think, but I cant help but put some of the blame on the promoters. Some...Not all. It did not take a rocket scientist to know what could damn well happen after practice, I have heard that as many as half of the drivers went to Barnhardt and told him to either slow the cars down, or cancel the race. Indycar has been lucky...Lucky, for the last few years (Minus Paul Dana). So many wrecks, where mere inches were the difference in life and death..and not much was done. Well..the inches finally ran out, and quite frankly...As was said earlier. Its a miracle that there weren't more serious injuries in that wreck.

The 5 lap tribute, I dunno. It may be one of the most strangely beautiful things I have seen in motorsports. It was so symbolic. Tribute to one of the great Indycar drivers of our time, the last time you'll hear that Honda engine note, the last time we'll see that car in competition, possibly the last laps that some of those drivers will make in an Indycar. Just seeing all of the crews/familes on track. The bagpipes playing in the background. Maybe I am seeing it for more than it is but, through one of the most tragic events many of us have seen in racing, it was a strangely beautiful thing.

ITV are just about to do their report on it, I haven't got much faith in them either.

EDIT:

Bloody hell, they said about the 'challenge' of him starting at the back, as part of $5 million dollar challenge. Jeez.
Mansell has also said it was an accident waiting to happen.

Just still doesn't seem real to me, as Ive had no one to talk to about it during the day.
It's hard to accept.

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My Flickr photography attempts.
My Youtube channel, with highly viewed (for some reason) NR2003 videos, car shows, motorsport.

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Dan Wheldon | 1978 - 2011

RTL4s report about the crash shows them highlighting Powers car, good job.

im still in shock that this really happened. i cant believe that of all people it was him. my fiancee doesnt like racing what so ever but i knew she had yesterday off. so for about a week prior to the race i hyped it up to her told her how awesome the race was gonna be, the speeds and so on. so she gets to my house at the drop of the green flag and with in 12 laps of introducing her to the sport she sees this. i can only imagine this was so many others first time watching indycar as well. this was the worst possible thing that could have happened for the sport. i've read all other posts and opinions and i respect them all but just to throw it out there i believe dan should not have been in a car yesterday. it was a PR stunt gone horribly wrong