Carerra GT Driver & pass killed at Ca. Speedway

[nostatic]

I think about what can happen every time I wake up on a track morning. Its one reason I'm really glad that the organizations I run with care a lot about safety. There is a reason that you have a driver's meeting in the morning, and there is a reason that you should LISTEN. There is a reason that there are corner workers and rules for entering and leaving the track.

And the reason isn't about you. Its about the ones you leave behind.

Next time you're at a driver's meeting, pay a little more attention, and if you see something that doesn't look right, tell someone. Accidents happen, but most of them don't need to.

[Jack Olsen]

It's also a good reason to be much more careful at tracks with walls. We're lucky in Southern California to have so many with plenty of open run-off.

Still, this kind of thing is always a possibility. It's really sobering to see it happen to (according to what I've read) such a nice guy. Very sad.

[kary993]

Here is a short story with many pictures......

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/4562562/detail.html#

[5axis]

Time for me to call it a evening and before I sleep I will say a prayer or two for the families. And give a bit of thanks for those times in my own life when stupid luck or divine intervention were the only things keeping me on this side of the dirt pile.

david 89 turbo cab

[ZAMIRZ]

Well, I'm devastated to say the least. Ben was as super cool guy and took me for a ride in the C-GT when he got it, he had a passion for fast cars, I remember him talking to me about the virtues of the C-GT over his Ferrari 360CS. A true enthusiast like many of us. May God be with his wife and two beautiful baby daughters. Rest in Peace Ben.

Everybody, let this be a sobering reminder of what can and does happen when we indulge in these types of endeavors, even in a controlled setting.

[David]

This is very sad news, I've never meet or even heard about Ben before, but it sounds like he was great guy doing what he loved. It also looks like he picked the right car to drive this fast, since the damage is not that severe. The cost of a roll cage, 6 point harness, and HANS device just became very affordable in my book. Godspeed.

I don't understand where they were entering the track. At the events I've been to we enter at the end of the straight and have the inside lane to get to speed and merge. Were they doing something different here of did the car entering climb the banking too soon?

[Jeff Alton]

At Mission we enter down a coned off lane at the end of the straight into the turn 1 braking zone. At Seatte we enter between 8 and 9 where you can see very well if there is room or not to pull out onto the track.

The marshal must also be having a terrible time with this inceident as well and I am sure is sufferring some Critical Incedent Stress to say the least, thoughts go out to him and his family as well.

Jeff

[Steve@Rennsport]

Ben was a long time customer & friend as I helped him make his first 996 Cab a bit more fun to drive. He was a gentleman and a class act in every way and a real pleasure to talk to.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his entire family at such a loss and for me, he'll be sorely missed both as a friend and true "motorhead".

[peridotian]

SCARY ****! My condolences to the families involved. I had my first track event (DE) this year and agree with a previous poster that when I do this again, I will have a car with roll cage, fire system, harness, etc and even then know that SERIOUS danger and possible death will still be there. Was the passenger an instructor?

[nostatic]

If I understand the scenario from various threads, the entry point they were using is midway on the front straight heading into the banked turn. Generally people come out of the infield onto the front straight and move up high (the straight is banked...they run NASCAR on the outer oval). The entering cars come from the pits and are low. The only thing I can figure is that either the entering car moved up high, the CGT was running low, or saw the entering car come on track and was caught off guard. At 150+ it wouldn't take much of a wiggle of the wheel to send it spinning.

Very sad.

Originally posted by nostatic
If I understand the scenario from various threads, the entry point they were using is midway on the front straight heading into the banked turn. Generally people come out of the infield onto the front straight and move up high (the straight is banked...they run NASCAR on the outer oval). The entering cars come from the pits and are low. The only thing I can figure is that either the entering car moved up high, the CGT was running low, or saw the entering car come on track and was caught off guard. At 150+ it wouldn't take much of a wiggle of the wheel to send it spinning.

Very sad.

You really can't enter midway on the straight as far as I know. The end of the hot pits is the end of the straight. It doesn't change anything, but I guess I feel if I understand how it happened I can handle it better.

[mmastro]

Absolutely terrible.

Having investigated my fair share of fatal traffic collisions, I know that the initial responders were quickly tasked with saving the lives of their brothers. It isn't until the rush wears off and the dust settles that the damage and loss it truly calculated and experienced.

My thoughts and deep prayers are with the families and friends of the two men that perished way too prematurely today.

5axis wrote "...And give a bit of thanks for those times in my own life when stupid luck or divine intervention were the only things keeping me on this side of the dirt pile."

Amen to that, brother.

For me, this all opens my eyes and give new meaning to the blurb at the bottom of the waiver I sign before getting on the track....

[rich22]

There's a DE organization that takes it's novices on a lead-follow at 90 mph. They had a rash (three or four) of novices crashing during lead-follow. I tried to explain that some people have never driven 90 mph ANYWHERE much less through race track corners, trying to learn the line, nervous about holding up people behind them, and trying to stay on the track all at once. 90 is too fast for novices. They just shrugged, they're used to driving 140 in their track cars so they think 90 is slow. They don't realize that some people are driving stock grocery getters on all-season tires.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by drew365
You really can't enter midway on the straight as far as I know. The end of the hot pits is the end of the straight. It doesn't change anything, but I guess I feel if I understand how it happened I can handle it better.

you're right...I was thinking about the entrace to the hot pit from the paddock. Entry to the track would be at the end of the straight.

[Kevin Stewart]

This is truely sad, my condolences to the families, Kevin

[OldGuy]

Ben was a great guy, these things are tragic. THey happen though. In this sport it injuries are less frequent than my other sport of motocross. Tracking is safer than jumping motorcycles, but since the speeds are higher sometimes the injuries when they DO happen are worse. It is just so horrific when its one of our buds. I have lost friends both ways. MX guys would never want you to quit riding because they got hurt or killed. Dont lose your passion but take this lesson to heart.
Ben would have wanted that.
God Speed Ben.

[MX5Bob]

Originally posted by drew365
I don't understand where they were entering the track. At the events I've been to we enter at the end of the straight and have the inside lane to get to speed and merge. Were they doing something different here of did the car entering climb the banking too soon?

They were only using the infield road course. Entry to that is in the middle of the front straight, just after a right-left chicane.

Track map

When I was instructing at the AMG challenge in April, we had cones setup to keep entering cars from shooting out onto the racing line. The front straight has grass runoff areas with concrete barriers on each side, no tire walls. The straight ends in a right-left combination that is very tight, but it was possible for the faster Daimler sedans to hit 125 going into the braking zone when they had the full front straight for acceleration.

I have to wonder if a HANS would have saved either man.

Godspeed, and prayers for the familes.

[edited to clarify front straight speed]

[Thrlls]

Originally posted by OldGuy
Ben was a great guy, these things are tragic. Dont lose your passion but take this lesson to heart.
Ben would have wanted that.
God Speed Ben.

Let's hope we all learned something from this.
Aloha Ben

[Hayabusa]

I am so very sorry for the loss of these two people.

Let's all remember we are not on camera being sponsored by a high dollar contributor.

My true condolences to the family and their friends in this difficult time.