TBK-Light.com

Yes, the suspension (warning: description of injuries)

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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.

Here's a question for someone with more knowledge than me.

Would carbon fiber suspension similar to whats used in F1 have helped to avoid the injuries he suffered?

I say that with the perhaps incorrect thought that carbon pieces would have crushed more on impact rather than been pushed back into the cockpit as much as the steel pieces apparently were.

Hard question to answer in theory the carbon would shatter, but there's nothing to say a shard of the stuff wouldn't have the same result. That stuffs a right bugger when it's broken, it'll slice your hand open easily just picking a bit up.

I wonder if there is a reason why they don't use carbon wishbones already?

Cost?

Ralf Schumacher got a nasty cut from carbon suspension piercing his cockpit and that was crashing at St Devote.

This without mentioning Penske had a chronic skid plate issue that caused loss of aero drag and in the turns, they had a very serious thing, the car oversteered in the 4 Indianapolis turns.

In 1994, Penske's Mercedes engine masked that problem but in 1995 they couldn't compensate it, that's why they had that nightmare in 1995.

It seams there is something to be concerned about afterall... but its not the aero kits. Its more about suspension pieces entering the tub and cutting drivers in half.
Maybe the Dallara isnt as safe is I thaught before I read about what caused Hinches injury.

Hell, if the racer article is true we were close to loosing him.

yeah, but keep in mind things like this are very infrequent and quite flukey when you get down to it.

Just got to the hotel in Edinburgh, Indiana. Tomorrow I go with my buddy to pick up his media credentials.

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If you screw up while skydiving, you have the rest of your life to figure out how to fix it.

If one of you might be bored and interested in reading some serious bullshit:
www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nu ... ers.2.html

Thanks. I probably got a brain cancer for reading that.

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

Good God, the comments are worse.

A year before Zonta suffered a similar but more extensive injury in Brazil when suspension pierced the monocoque.

Looks big. Is there a video available?

I'd completely forgot about Zonta's accident. I don't remember ever seeing a video of it but they filmed practice, so there should be footage.

Unless the cameraman missed it...

Edit: And as I say that... Cheers

The last accident I can remember similar to this in the big American oval races was Eliseo Salazar getting a piece of suspension in the thigh at practice for Walt Disney World in 1996. It doesn't happen often, I imagine it's a "flukey" thing, and my guess is that the severity of the hit was the #1 factor why it happened here. I'd only be concerned if this becomes a "regular thing" and shows a clear, fixable design flaw.

(To put things in perspective, find the injury / hospitalization list of the old IRL cars in the 1990s. The DW12 is certainly safer than that old tub so far. Of course, in today's era, where the media has devolved into a bunch of "click bait" emotionally-overloaded BS factories, you might not get that impression if you just read some of the stories out there. )

So who all is going to be at Indy this weekend?

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-Joe.
Atlanta United FC | Cincinnati Reds | Atlanta Falcons | Tennessee Titans

I'm going with my family next year!

Someday.

I will be there, from Friday. But there is a pilot strike impending over here, so might be late for Friday.