http://moto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...sustained-vir/

What a tragedy, thoughts go out to his family .

Although this obviously involved motorcycles, it's still a motorsport. I'm constantly hearing about younger and younger kids getting behind the wheel, like it's a great thing, but I realy question the wisdom of having kids fly around a real race track at over 120mph in anything whether it be a F3 car or a 250cc motorcycle. I've never felt kids at that age and even slightly over have the judgment, maturity or are fully aware of the risks involved in piloting anything at high rates of speed (I speak from recent first hand experience being 18). I think people (parents) have been sort of numbed to the consequences due to the huge saftey improvments in recent years, but the risk is there no matter how safe it becomes. I suppose freak injuries happen in any sport at any level, but I still feel racing and the dangers it entails deserve an extra amount of respect. Call me old fashioned, stupid, paranoid, but I realy feel the cut off age for the real race tracks should be at least 16 if not 18. This is racing not gymnastics....

 

12 year old kid died karting this year:
http://rmaxchallenge.com/page.cfm?content=4&display=329

In Loving Memory of Kenneth McKinster

Ken "KJ" McKinster Fatally Injured at NW Regional Gold Cup Event


Ken "KJ" McKinster

Rotax Champion Driver, Ken "KJ" McKinster, went off the track at high speed in last Friday morning's practice and was unable to avoid cable fencing near the track. He was practicing for the NW Regional Gold Cup race being held in Tri-Cities, Washington.

At only 12 years old, KJ was one of the top drivers on the Northwest circuit. Only three weeks earlier KJ won first place in the Rotax Junior division at the same track. He will be memorialized Friday in a celebration of his life at a youth camp near Mt. Hood in Oregon.

KJ's grandfather, William Shanor, was at the track, and his mother and father, Jacqueline and Ken, arrived shortly there after. Richland emergency medical technicians responded to the 10 a.m. accident and transported KJ to the Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, but they were not able to revive him due to the extent of the injuries. The injuries were caused by the unforgiving nature and location of the cable fencing.

The Tri-City Kart Club operates the asphalt race track on property owned by the city of Richland at Horn Rapids ORV Park. This was the first serious accident at the track since it opened 20 years ago.

Northwest kart racing officials cancelled the weekend's event to show respect to the family. "This is a family sport. The kids are the ones we protect the most. You just don't see this happen," said Bill Hettick of Seattle, the Northwest regional coordinator for the Gold Cup races, as reported in the Tri-City Herald.

KJ was very passionate about racing, and had aspirations of becoming a Formula 1 race car driver. With the support of his parents, and his determination, he was taking the steps necessary to achieve that goal. The McKinster's, well known for winning in the Northwest, competed in the Rotax National Championships in Colorado last year, and were also competing in the Gatorz Challenge of the Americas in California this year.

KJ was well known, and very well liked not only for his extraordinary talent as a driver but also for his thoughtfulness to others and his positive demeanor. KJ was a real go-getter. He was a straight A student and participated in school wrestling and football. His younger sister, Sierra, adored having KJ baby-sit and read to her.

KJ's grandfather, William Shanor, said the McKinster's family has decided to use this tragedy to bring positive changes about safety for kart racing.

On Saturday, the day after KJ is memorialized, members of the Tri-City Kart Club will have a work day at the track to begin installing more safety barriers and making other improvements, said Corey Poynor, club president.

Shanor said he and the boy's father, Ken McKinster, support the planned track improvements and will work to improve other kart tracks in the U.S. "We want to make it happen for tracks everywhere," Shanor said

 

After my little incident on Saturday, The wife asked me to spend the day with her on sunday... We went out to Natural Bridge, Va. and drove thru a safari park where wild animals are roaming thru a 180 acre park you drive thru... I wondered if the few animals that were actually forced into cages would have prefered being "predator or prey" if they could actually "live" their lives...

To me, and this is just my personal opinion, I'd much prefer to have lived a life, no matter how short, than to have been sheltered, protected, and not allowed to experience such things...

Godspeed Toriano!

Mike

 

R.I.P.

 

sux. RIP.

 

sad. but as was said, better to have tried and died than to not.

but what's with you and the "OMG WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE RACING" threads lately... between this and the WGI / T11 thread I swear you've gone soft on us.

I couldn't disagree more, it seems like in today's society I can hardly wipe my own **** without someone telling me the dangers of this that and the other... much less cross the street, operate a motor vehicle, we're living in SUCH a nanny-state in the USA it's pathetic

 

It's funny you mention that. I am the last one to say we need more safety, I'm usually the one getting blasted for suggesting giant asphalt runoffs are stupid and reward crappy driving, or that F1 is far to safe now. However there is a big difference between saying guys making 30 million a year are afforded far to many luxuries (in the name "safety") that reward poor driving and suggesting a 14 year old kid shouldn't have even been allowed on the track. I'm not saying he wasn't capable, just someone that age doesn't fully understand the risks involved, and how easily they can get killed. It would nice if he made it to 18 where he could make those decisions as an "adult" for himself with at least a few years more maturity and understanding. If someone's over 18 and wants to go jump out of airplanes without a parachute, fine I hope they have fun. If they want to go drive 600hp alluminum bathtubs of fuel around Elkhart Lake (aka 60's/70'sCan Am cars), fine, but they better be a quick runner cause odds are I'll be first in line. I'm simply suggesting all these 13-16 year olds in full on race cars (or bikes) is getting sort of ridiculous, and the competition to get younger and younger racers in full on cars is STUPID. Racing is NOT like other sports, miss a catch in football not much happens, even if you end up on the wrong end of a tackle you might break your arm or leg. Screw up at 120+ mph at the downhill at LRP, the kink at Road America, the esses at VIR or Road Atlanta, with 30 cars bearing down on you, the consequences are alot more serious. Is suggesting that a 16 or 18 year old minimum for the track realy that far out there?

 

So my parents shouldn't have let me get stung by bees, fall off my bike, scrape my knees, play baseball and get hit, learn to shoot a gun or bow and arrow in the Boy Scouts?

You really think you'd "learn" to deal with pain / trauma / danger / LIFE if you were sheltered the whole time until VIOLAH you're 18? I bet you also believe raising the drinking age prevents underage drinking and promotes responsible adult drinking behavior, or that teaching abstinence actually keeps kids from having sex (hahahahaha riiiiiiight)... You don't mysteriously / immediately gain wisdom and intelligence nor insight, maturity, self worth, dedication etc (all ACQUIRED traits / skills) the moment you cross a certain number of days out of the womb... Do I think we should put 14 year olds out there with 50 year old vets? No. Do I think we should keep them off the track period? HELL NO

Seriously, I'll cut you a LITTLE slack since you ARE "only" 18 and I was "there" not that long ago but methinks you need a dose of "think before you post" more often than not. I won't say any more and clutter up this thread about a tragic occurrence (I think I've made myself plenty clear about how I feel and how I feel about your stance).

RIP /thread

 

As Dennis Leary put it...

"Life ain't fair, Wear a ****in' helmet."

My kids were mountain biking and skate boarding at young ages. They had the proper safety gear on. That's the best you can do and still allow your kids to, well... Be kids. Take appropriate action to minimize risk of injury or death.

The notion of putting them in some bubble and protecting them will make them ripe for picking when they finally do find themselves alone and vulnerable.

This young man lived a very full 14 years. It's a tragedy that it was cut short. But I'd wager a bet that he wouldn't have traded that experience, not at that age.

Mike

 

Condolences to the families.


http://www.unc.edu/depts/nccsi/Surve...llInjuries.htm

Racing, like any sport, is typically pushed by the parent at first. But even by 8, a kid is not going to do something they don't want to do. I personally won't be encouraging my kid to race, but that doesn't mean I would forbid it.

 

About the story - very sad. RIP young man.

Statistically speaking, based upon the rules set before our children now, we should all be dead as well. As a kid I jumped my BMX bike in the backyard without a helmet. Christ, with the number of crashes I had I should be in a coma.

C.

 

+1

 

A very tragic event and I'm sorry the young man past.

Personally, I don't believe that if a 14 year old "doesn't fully understand the risks involved, and how easily they can get killed", that the "understanding" suddenly comes about at 16 yo, or even 18 yo. I do believe that most of those who are 18 years old are certain that they have it all figured out, no matter the subject (just as I did at that age), and that anyone younger is simply an inexperienced, naive little kid.

 

sorry, but kids don't get the risks. They might say they do, but nobody thinks it will happen to them. Bad stuff happens to other people.

 

My parents felt the racing was actually a FAR safer alternative to many of the other risky behaviors that many college students partake in (IF the proper safety requirements are met.) I cant tell you how many of my friends have gotten severely hurt snowboarding, horseback riding or uhh...partaking in more illicit activities. I understand the risks involved in what I do pretty well at this point as I have seen a couple worst-case-scenarios first hand...enough to see how serious the sport can be. Whether I constantly labor on the point or not is debatable, but we only have one shot at life, so I figure WTH, make it a great one.


-Drew