Deadly Crash at WannaGoFast event ��

FirstWorldProblems

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Man this is sad. I just looked it up, NOLA only has a 3200' straight. A half mile is 2,640 feet. The shutdown area was incredibly short and doesn't have much of a runoff, looks like maybe 40' of sand at best

I really wish he'd have done a lower speed test pass. RIP :(

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Glen Ellyn
Isnt his chute supposed to come out too?

Not to be insensitive to the driver who lost his life, but yes. You can see the car's rear end drift into the grass. That caused the car to dig into the grass and start the roll. Had the parachute been pulled just before the finish line it may have helped keep the car pointed straight. In the drivers meeting the event staff did make it very clear that there were bumps in the shutdown area. And because of that, the faster cars would be making solo passes. This would be even more reason to pull the chute so it is deployed just after the finish line.

It is sad to see something like this. It is always bad when a crash happens. Even worse when someone loses their life.

Yes, it seems the bumps are being blamed for the crash. I don't know how soon they were after the finish line and if they were what caused the car to have the rear end drift to the right. If there was gusting side winds, part failure, or some other reason the car went off course. Maybe more proof or evidence will come out eventually.
 

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Glen Ellyn
That car have a cage?

I see on a few other websites that said he had a black G2 CTSV that went 218 a while ago too so I dont think he was new to this.

Even an experienced driver in any motorsport has limited options when things go wrong. Sometimes a correction may be able to be made. Other times you are at the mercy of physics. No matter what you can not overcome the laws of the universe. Things happen so quickly even if there is a course of action you have split seconds to make it happen. Just thinking of what could/should be done and making your body make the movements can take to long.

It is easy to sit after the fact and say "what if". But the sad truth is that it is too late after the fact. You can only hope some people may learn from the accident and maybe have it save their own life.
 

FirstWorldProblems

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Wannagofast advertised a 5,300 foot straight on their website. NOLA says 3,200 foot straight.

I don't see any configuration that would extend the straight by 2,000 feet based on the track images/map, but i'm sure it had to be much longer than 3,200.

Either way, he lost it before he really had the chance to brake. I'm also curious whether it was the bumps or if he just got sideways and that was it. Terribly sad.
 

Lord Tin Foilhat

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Not to be insensitive to the driver who lost his life, but yes. You can see the car's rear end drift into the grass. That caused the car to dig into the grass and start the roll. Had the parachute been pulled just before the finish line it may have helped keep the car pointed straight. In the drivers meeting the event staff did make it very clear that there were bumps in the shutdown area. And because of that, the faster cars would be making solo passes. This would be even more reason to pull the chute so it is deployed just after the finish line.

It is sad to see something like this. It is always bad when a crash happens. Even worse when someone loses their life.

Yes, it seems the bumps are being blamed for the crash. I don't know how soon they were after the finish line and if they were what caused the car to have the rear end drift to the right. If there was gusting side winds, part failure, or some other reason the car went off course. Maybe more proof or evidence will come out eventually.
Yeah I thought it would deploy right after he crossed.

I wonder if he had a cage too, im assuming he would.

That stopping area looks like shit. Were there any other 200+ runs that day?
 

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Glen Ellyn
Yeah I thought it would deploy right after he crossed.

Even in drag racing, I see guys who don't use their parachutes. They are so easy to pack, they save brakes, and can help stabilize the car. Why people decide not to use them is beyond me.

The only time you have to be worried about using the chute is when you have a substantial crosswind. As they can take the chute and pull it and the car's rear end. A buddy had that happen and do substantial damage as he hit the wall.


I know this has been discussed in drag racing threads as to how the tracks had to upgrade their older guardrails to concrete barriers. This was done to keep cars on the track and from causing barrel rolls. These 1/2 and mile events do not typically have any barriers at all. As a result, we have seen several bad crashes due to the cars getting off the pavement and into the soft grass & dirt. This causes the car to big into the ground and put the car into a barrel roll. As these cars go faster and faster I can see more and more issues with the lack of safety planning by the event organizers.
 

Dan00Hawk

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If the car got loose before he would've normally pulled the chute, he might have been working the wheel and countersteering instead of reaching for the chute handle. In those situations, you only have milliseconds to react before disaster is inevitable. Either instinct takes over, or hopefully you had thought about a plan for what to do for possible scenarios. Even then, doing the right thing in a fraction of a second is hit or miss. Getting sideways at high speeds and going off the pavement is a recipe for rollovers. Sad situation... :(
 

boostedguy05

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if anyone had done one of the events in IL, right after the finish line was always a little slick, we were told, DO NOT slam on the brakes or you will spin out. looks like in that one, they were told the exact opposite. very sad someone lost their life enjoying the car legally.
 
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