sechsgang

^^^^ definitely...I dont know about you guys, but I have my car set up for way more oversteer than the factory provided and I wouldnt want to drive my car any other way...I fully know what my car is setup to do...if I screw up, thats MY fault...



That said, Ill agree with the problem of the pits and the walls, that could have been rectified for sure before the event started and would have made a big difference in this incident.

Coyote99

The story is an important one, but the body bag and cast-off helmet in the photo is a little over the top.

RickBetterley

Wow - talk about only 1 chance. Theses people are nuts.

schwank

I just have to add one thing to my earlier post... if Mrs. Rudl EVER gets in a car accident, she better hope damn well she is driving the car with the most technological driver's aids ever produced... because if not she is a massive flaming hypocrite and should be sued.

Not to mention I hope Porsche specified in the settlement that she is never allowed to be within 100 feet of a p-car again.

Man this just burns me. I'm 30 and I have frivolously sued twice already... so sick of this crap. We need tort reform BAD.

Professor Helmüt Tester

Porsche got out of it for likely a lot less than the cost of their defense would have been...about $360,000 if the report is accurate. Every time we need 'outside Counsel' for something around here, we're in the 6-figure range...and nobody is dead or physically injured. Porsche simply made a business decision.

Mr. Occam has to shave every now and then.

MJSpeed

I couldn't agree more. And I'll go even further and say that if this is truly to benefit others she needs to find some Not-for-Profit org to donate the earnings and the attorney should've done pro-bono. To add insult to injury, 49% of the $4.5M ($2.205M) comes from Ben Keaton's estate. There are no winners in this situation and that's an unchangeable fact since the incident occured.

They signed waivers and did so while being of able mind and body under no pressure/coertion from anyone. That should be the end of it.

However I do agree that the track bears some if not all the responsibility for making the structural changes to the wall and not having all the safety updated, example, why weren't there any tyres in front of that wall as it was almost perpindicular to the direction in which the vehicles on the track travel. Why was he (Ben) allowed on the track if he failed tech? And if the report is true, why was he allowed to continue to run after "4-5" spins?

While I don't usually subscribe to the "the sky is failing-type-arguments/reactions", I do tend to believe that if nothing else there will be more regulations to deal with at events.

As for PAG/PCNA bringing all cars to the good ol' US of A with PSM, well hadn't Porsche already filed with the NHSTA/EPA that they would do so by 1st September 2008?

RIP Ben and Mr. Rudl

genikz

Is anybody else confused about the "pit out" they're talking about? The two DE's I've done with NASA at Cal. Speedway, we exited the pits at NASCAR turn 1 and stayed below the white line in the oval until damn near the end of NASCAR turn 2. The CGT crashed after the bridge, just before turn 9, well into the infield.

M758

They were only using the infieldd not the oval part. The incident occurerd on the back straight behind the paddock at the enttrance the right, left sequence that on a full course takes you out to the oval. When using only the infiled they use that straight for pit exit/pit entry.

gbaker

Yup. Loser pays.

himself

Ferrari owner pays $90,000.
PAG pays $360,000.
The car's driver must pay almost $2.5M
The venue: $1.85M.

Ouch.

-td

Patrick

There is a world of difference between "going to return home" injured or dead and the possibility of that happening. Anyone who doesn't understand that it is possible ought not to be driving on the road, let alone the track.

Skip Wolfe

This article comes at the right time. We have been having a discussion regarding stuff such as this in our region. It started around concern for instructors and students who drive racecars at DE's. A driver of a street car may be covered by their liability auto insurance, but more and more insurance policies are not covering DE's and a driver of a racecar definitely does not have this option to fall back on. So what happens if the driver of non-DE insured car has an incident at a DE and is sued but another driver (if it is a car to car incident), or by a passenger in the non-insured car(either student or instructor)? Even if the non insured driver is found to be not at fault, the cost to defend themselves would be pretty prohibitive for a lot of us.

Also as an event organizer, I am not sure that I want to volunteer my time, if it means opening my family up to the risk of being sued. I would hope that PCA would step in and defend the event chairs.

RDL

"I would hope that PCA would step in and defend the event chairs."
The event insurance provided by PCA is specifically for this purpose. This is why they require the insurance forms be submitted for any event with a wheel turning.

K964

Great point. I know of a few regions that still have drivers working pit out and flag stations..... Spend the extra $ and hire professionals.

Tony356993

I think this is the biggest problem we will face. Who wants to risk being sued because they "volunteered" for a de?