Not true. There was a fatality in an open wheel race there a few years ago, when a car had spun & stopped on the downside of the Ricochet hill (blind) and another car crested & speared the car at full tilt.

 

As much as I like MSRH, I have to agree with this. It would be *a lot* nicer track without it.

Cars have hit that wall going either direction and I can recall being there in the paddock when running CCW when you would hear screeching tires and everybody just cringed until the noise stopped w/o an impact (you could hear it but not see it).

-Mike

 

Lusail in Qatar. Not my video. Oil & gas money has its advantages.

 

No race tracks are safe. All present danger in one way or another.
Some one suggested NJMP park is safe - not true. I have seen most crashes at Thunderbolt and Lightning comparing to Watkins Glen.
The problem with NE tracks that they all have grass on run out areas - which meaningless. According to modern standards run out areas should be paved with abrasive asphalt or have a good sand traps.

 

Sorry, have not read the entire thread, so this may be an enzo...........Was told by several to start learning at Putnam - lots of room for run off! As one noobie said to his instructor, "Sir, we have unintentional rotation."

 

I recall Eric Kuhns hitting a drainage ditch at Putnam and turn the 944 into a lawn jart. (If you're not old enough to remember lawn jarts, bite me) Another incident a Corvette driver put a tree or fence post completely through his window, passenger side.

 

My bad, came through the rear of the car....

From another forum about this incident:
"You guys really should see the path this car took. It went off the track, through a fence, and then directly through the main gate. Not like he hit the main gate or anything. The car literally slid out onto the access road and split right through the main gate poles. It even rode the access road over a little bridge that crossed a little ravine. So, even despite how the car looks, it could've been a lot worse"

 

not limerock, fo'sho'

 

Lime Rock actually is an FIA certified track - something that many others are not.

 

You make a great point. I have lots of experience at Putnam, and while it’s safer than many tracks, there are still plenty of things that can go wrong. I was there the day the Corvette was impaled by the fence post. I’ve also seen plenty of cars going airborne off track at turn 4. I once saw a car go all the way into the woods going off at turn 5, and of course everyone knows about the lack of runoff in turns 9 and 10.

 

In Michigan, I'd vote for Gingerman, nothing to hit, a fine place to learn.

 

Not to kill everyone's buzz, but the question is pretty flawed IMO. We generally drive at the tracks we're closest to (right?). And our opinions are (hopefully) limited to the tracks we've actually driven. I live in California ... while it'd be great to know that everyone here thinks, say, VIR is the safest, the odds of my getting out there with my car are pretty limited.

Had to point that out. Now back to bench racing, everyone :-)

 

Interesting article that relates to this thread.

http://www.motorsport.com/#!/nascar-...nascar-448854/

Too bad more tracks don't utilize SAFER Barrier. At the end of the day most of us are in this for fun and have family, friends, and careers to go back to. Personally, I have no issue paying a higher entry fee for a safer track.

 

I've only been track driving since 2009 and I only do DEs at that, but I've managed to put my car in a spot at TWS that is very uncommon (left of the T8 flag station while traveling CCW). Was very lucky that day to walk away with a mildly broken car - could have been *much* worse.

Cars can go *anywhere*.

-Mike