Gary R.

Holy ****......... not sure posting that is a wonderful idea, wish I didn't click it.

Vonschmidt

Such an unnecessary tradegy. There is no excuse at all for a tree to bin in line with one of our cars even with the least or most experienced driver this is a formula for diaster. My heart goes out to the family, who father, son, husband, just left that morning like so many others to give back to the sport that had undoubtedly brought joy to his life.

I am so sorry, and hope that the Motorsports community will come down heavy on the track to fix these issues.

baddogz28

It doesn't appear that could have gone worse for the instructor... That's horrific. I guess when it's my time, I hope I go on a racetrack.

ProCoach

There is no safety equipment in the world that is not built into the car after manufacture that would have prevented this, by the looks of that pic. A shame... Prayers not only to the family, but the driver, who has had their life changed, forever...

Mikelly

I'm actually glad that that picture was posted. It answers a lot of questions. That track is dangerous and needs an overhaul. I seriously doubt that the owners will address any meaningful changes.

And I heard from a VERY reputable source that the BEER CAN incident didn't happen the way it is being rumored to have happened and had NOTHING to do with the crash that happened during the lightning race.

996FLT6

A rollcage wouldn't have helped at all tboning a tree. They woulda had to use jaws of life to cut off the rollbars impaled into passenger. There is actually a tree inside a track? Mike

esscape26

Those Hyperdrives if they should be done at all, should not be done without a lead car to keep the cars at a slow speed. Plus a breathalyzer test if at Hyperfest! From what I read, the driver of this car was first in line. Jefferson is and was dangerous. It really is not fair to these instructors.

However, I have millions of laps on the main circuit and have watched at least 75 races. Keep in mind the racing incidents are happening among racers who are overdoing it, who are not paying attention, and who are driving cars that are probably not in as good a shape as they should be. Often, the serious incidents are the result of car to car contact, and during events where some contact is condoned or excused generally, so the racers push that contact. I have also seen issues with too much drinking and staying out late the night before a race. You think that driver is in top condition, with full focus, the next day? In any case, it is still the driver's responsibility to drive to the track's safety and conditions. Every track could pinged in one place or another as dangerous.

mglobe

Amen

J richard

That made me sick to my stomach. That's not right, there is no reason on earth that a car should be able to sustain that kind of damage on a track. None. That's criminal.

The earlier posts about track safety were spot on.

And then take a newbie in a 400hp car...sad all over the place

jlucas

I'm not sure how you heard it but I was driving in the lightning race and the guy behind me got hit by a can throw/dropped from the bridge so can were definitely being tossed on track/at cars. As for the lightning crash, I talked to the driver in the lead car (he barrel rolled 3.5 times) and the crash started way before the bridge so I'm sure cans had nothing to do with it. He's refraining from posting any video till the guy in the hospital is out and says it's ok. The second driver is the one who ended up in the trees and failed the cage.

mikew968

The motorsport community can fix this...stop attending anything at that track until it is made more safe.

LuigiVampa

That looks like a big impact for someone who was driving a hyperdrive. I've only seen hyperdrives at Lime Rock and they kept the speed pretty low - no more than highway speed on the straight and considerably slower in the turns.

There should be no way to hit a tree on a track. Gross negligence can trump a waiver sometimes. When the track owner's insurance company hears about this something might change.

ProCoach

I've only driven the Jefferson Circuit once. I've been driving Main since 1987 and have been racing the same day as half a a dozen fatalities there over that course of time. Not sure that that track is significantly more dangerous than other club tracks, but I love it. I'm averaging nearly 100 mph in my car with three corners under 55 mph and its a great treat to get the "rhythm" in the back right. I've seen a lot of accidents exit of T9 before the bridge, almost been in a few myself. My heart is heavy for the Hyperdrive incident participants and I'm concerned for the health of my friend Todd Reid. Let's be careful out there...

TurboCup87

That's awful. He didn't have a prayer

Mikelly

What was told to me by atleast one official was that there was "NEVER" confirmation that the can was thrown from the bridge, and that the track official said they didn't see it thrown by anyone.