Western Members - RIP scott kalitta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSn94ZoLlQ0

R.I.P.

The crew is fired. The track designer is also fired. Where the hell is the sand pit on that track.

RIP,

sand pit ? doubt that is a requirement

It is very sad. As these cars have gotten faster, the shut down areas of a lot of tracks have NOT gotten longer.

He died doing what he loved, but it still feels unnecessary. :(

looks like the kalitta's now own a track in the Northeast

Looks like he could've more than likely survived that... if it wasn't for that dam wall. RIP.

wow.....if the sand pit is not required it deff should be. that dam wall. RIP

holy shit, that sucks, rip

fuck yes for the sand pit jesus

Well he did die doing what he loved.. Not a tragedy in my opinion.

But it could have definitely been avoided.

Funny cars exploding towards the end of the track is nothing new.. But how did it disable his brakes and his parachute? Maybe it knocked him unconscious?

Quite possible. That first shockwave looks pretty damn vicious.

did this just happen recently or what?

did he die from the explosion or the wall?

did this just happen recently or what?

did he die from the explosion or the wall?

Happened yesterday during the 4th and final round of qualifying. That run actually got him into the field.

It is not unlikely that he could have been knocked out, but the chute was deployed. Looked to be twisted and burned however and did not slow the car down. He would have likely lived through the explosion and fire, the impact of the wall killed him for sure.

Too sad........

to be honest, i'm a little confused as to why racetracks have a flat perpindicular wall at the end of them in the first place... that's just asking for a death... :confused:

instead of a flat wall (on the left) why not make two gradual angled walls (on the right) to catch the car and slow it down if need be instead of hitting a flat wall head on...?

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/3389/trackcs3.jpg

Rest in Peace :(

I was at OTD motorsports yesterday and someone who worked there was talking about a parachute burning and how he was sorry to hear about it.was he a so cal local??

I was at OTD motorsports yesterday and someone who worked there was talking about a parachute burning and how he was sorry to hear about it.was he a so cal local??

The paper said he was from Florida, lived in Michigan, and started racing back east.

to be honest, i'm a little confused as to why racetracks have a flat perpindicular wall at the end of them in the first place... that's just asking for a death... :confused:

instead of a flat wall (on the left) why not make two gradual angled walls (on the right) to catch the car and slow it down if need be instead of hitting a flat wall head on...?

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/3389/trackcs3.jpg

I see your point.

i was watching it last night, my prayers are with his family.

a sand pit could be a solution, but wouldnt it have to go uphill a little to be effective? i mean they use them on some highways for out of control diesels. its always sad to see someones last moments, its so erie knowing that YOU know whats about to happen. he did die doing what he loved, so hopefully he's still draggin on upstairs. my heart goes out to his family.

Supposibly there is a freeway right behind that racetrack, which is why its so short..

RIP. You guys with the "what ifs" are over analyzing a freak accident. Shit hindsights 20/20 and many races have taken place there without incident.There was no negligence here just a tragic accident.

i was there on Saturday watching the race.. we couldn't believe what we saw :(.. we were seated right at the 1000ft mark, at the point where is motor let go.. it was so loud it shook the grandstands we were standing on.. after passing 1320 he just kept going and i know he wasn't going to stop.. there was a camera that was at the top end of the track that was over the sand pit that capture the hole thing..

i'm hearing that the camera guy could have lost his life too.. Scott hit the sand pit at over 200mph and skipped across it like a stone on water. the camera over the pit capture the complete thing and it showed it on the jumbo TV live.. it showed the car jumping tawards the camera and the video went out..

i ran down to the lower level of the stands and saw the black smoke from where the car went into the trees (which was on fire too).. i known then that we witnessed his death.. the car was stuck up in the trees and they had to get a backhoe to pull it down i heard..

R.I.P Scott...

I was at the track on Saturday also. If that wall at the end of the track was installed before this weekend, someone should look into the possibility it was installed to protect a camera boom

RIP. You guys with the "what ifs" are over analyzing a freak accident. Shit hindsights 20/20 and many races have taken place there without incident.There was no negligence here just a tragic accident.


No disrespect, but I don't agree with the "what if" statement. That is like saying "I never wear my seatbelt and I have survived."

Even ask the drivers and they will tell you that the shut down area should have been longer.
I do agree with you 100% about the negligence issue. Scott knew he was putting his life in danger when he strapped into the car, the track did nothing intentionally to endanger him. I just hope the end result is that the track (and others) become safer for the drivers as a result of this. This is truly a sport where boundries are pushed every day, so we at least learn from these experiences.

In NASCAR, the HAHNS device became the standard after Dale Earnhardt was killed, a good example of an improvement after a horrible accident.

In any event, it is sad we are even having this discussion..... :(

RIP. You guys with the "what ifs" are over analyzing a freak accident. Shit hindsights 20/20 and many races have taken place there without incident.There was no negligence here just a tragic accident.

Hindsight has lead to many improvements, from aviation to racing.

Hindsight has lead to many improvements, from aviation to racing.

Very true.........

soul tkr- thats a pretty good idea actually, and maybe if the walls were a little high so the chance of a car flipping over are slim... i like it. If scott was conscious i think he would have tried to do everything he could to slow the car down.. such as pin himself against the wall. rip scott

why dont they base their shut down area long enough if the car had no shoots to rely on.. and then use the shoots to simply slow the cars down at a quicker pace.