uscarrera

With no runoff it truly looks like a street circuit situation where can cars go after contact but staying on the track?
Rich

Coochas

Believe me I'm all about safety, but the blue bushes are a part of the Glen that keep you honest.

While I think the lights are a decent idea, that incident unraveled in a matter of a few seconds.

I know there are some phenomenal drivers in this series as well as series like FC and Supertropheo, BUT it seems like there are a lot of these pile ups in all of those series.

Streak

Is the red flag procedure different for them than a PCA club race? Red flags are out but cars are driving thru the wreckage. Slowly but still there were people running around and equipment trying to move into place and cars are still driving around.

Veloce Raptor

Red flag in IMSA are FIA rules: like a black flag all, proceed to the pits immediately

Streak

Well that makes sense then. Thank you.

987part

From gt racing wall, etienne wrote:

Nouvelle d'Etienne: Friends, many of you are asking for updates. I was involved in a pretty hard crash and pileup yesterday at Watkins Glen during the first lap of the first race on top of the esses.
I am ok now but have 5 broken ribs, fractured sternum and hip.
Lost consciousness for 30-45 minutes.
9 cars got a lot of damage, 5 drivers went to trauma where I was perfectly taking cared off. X-rays, CT scans...
My car is total write off. Nothing is usable anymore except the steering wheel and radio I was told.

Should be let out of the hospital today.p

My girlfriend is here to take good care of me.

uscarrera

Thanks for update hope he gets well soon.
Rich

ajcjr

Watching the next race it still amazes me how much touching and chances (stuffing your car into a turn) these guys take.

uscarrera

Makes for great viewing
Rich

Viperbob1

Hope everyone else ok and on the mend. And this is the group we start racing with next month.... Will be exciting...

Veloce Raptor

Holy crap

green

Glad he's feeling better but how can he be out of the hospital today with a fractured hip??

brake dust

I don't know Coochas. The close in armco is an antiquated safety design. Lots of run off is better - as long as the stewards enforce track limits. It's a bit ironic that the best drivers in the world (F1) race on some of the safest circuits and club racers, in many cases do not.

Coochas

Of course I agree that lots of run off is the proper thing. BUT, it's just not gonna happen in some of these historic tracks. Drivers need to take into account the safety of their environment when it comes to pushing things.

People would push much harder through the laces, the toe, the heel, the off camber and the final turn at WGI if the blue bushes were not there. It's part of the decision making.

Now, should cars like Indy and F1 run at a place like the Glen? Probably not, just like F1 shouldn't run Monaco/Baku and Indy shouldn't run some of those ridiculous street circuits.

jdistefa

One would imagine he has a non-surgical `hip` fracture like superior or inferior pubic rami. It would be unusual to discharge someone home after 1-2 days with sternal and multiple rib fractures. Guess he is essentially well and got lucky.