[trackbird]

Article:

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/4562562/detail.html

Pics:

http://nbc4.tv/slideshow/news/4562709/detail.html

More info at corner carvers:

http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthrea...ead.php?t=23616

Emergency Crews Respond To Fatal Crash At California Speedway
Second Person Hospitalized After Crash

POSTED: 3:23 pm PDT June 2, 2005
UPDATED: 5:16 pm PDT June 2, 2005

(IMG:http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0602/4562735_200X150.jpg)

LOS ANGELES -- Two people were killed Thursday in a crash at California Speedway in Fontana.

A private car club was renting the speedway at the time of the crash.

A Porsche Carrera GT crashed into a retaining wall and came to rest on the track's infield. Authorities said two people were in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene.

The second person in the car was transported by Mercy Air to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. That person later died.

The track is home to the California 500, Nextel Cup 500, the Toyota Indy 400 and other motorsport events. The 2-mile D-shaped oval surrounds an infield portion used for road courses and a 13-turn interior test circuit.

Private parties can rent the track to turn laps.

Be safe out there guys.

[trackbird]

This just goes to show how technology is propelling street cars to insane speeds that they are not safe to be driven at. A lowly Z06 is a good example.

It used to be you modified your car and as it got faster you had to add a lot of safety gear. Now they need it in stock configuration.

I'll definately add a decent 6 pt if I get into open tracking.

I'm not sure that is a fair assessment. I mean, it is correct to a point, but I'm not sure I fully agree with the thought process.

You can get in "big" trouble in a Geo Metro at it's 78 mph top speed (roughly). The car lacks the suspension and brakes to truly be capable at that speed. I'm not saying it will explode as soon as you clear 75 mph, just that it will go plenty fast to be fatal.

A Z06 is an extremely capable car. It is far safer at 130 mph than a Metro is at 80 (at least in my opinion). The point is, you can overdrive anything and the results can be similar. If I were open tracking a Metro, I'd want a roll bar/cage just the same as a Z06. I think you need to consider safety gear based on the event more than the vehicle.

My mostly stock 1989 Formula with a TBI drivetrain would run roughly 140 mph. Would it hold up to an accident at that speed? Not likely. It was rated at 170 hp....

If I was going to spend any time on a track in that car, it needed a cage/roll bar (in my opinion). That's not to take anything away from the fact that you can always write a check for a very fast car. The difference is that they are much cheaper these days. In the mid '80's a Ferrari Testarossa would run 181 mph and cost over $100K. Now, you can buy a Camaro (ok, you could) or a Corvette that will run very close to 170 (unrestricted) for far less (a base Z28 was in the mid to low 20k range). The cost of speed has come down, that's all.