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Reader Comments for
Subscribe to this threadSPOILER ALERT: Crashes aplenty at the Spanish Grand Prix
(Page 1 of 1)
Ian @ Apr 28th 2008 8:41AM
I have noticed that in all the 2008 races the run off areas are either a flat concrete design, or an extremely smooth kitty litter. Thus spinning cars are NOT retarded b4 making contact with the barriers. I think that the FIA safety people have lost the plot and seem oblivious to this problem.
Pat @ Apr 28th 2008 10:14AM
Quite to the contrary ... the FIA has done a lot for the safety of its drivers.
There have been incredible crashes over the past few years and no fatalities or serious injuries.
Pat @ Apr 28th 2008 10:14AM
Quite to the contrary ... the FIA has done a lot for the safety of its drivers.
There have been incredible crashes over the past few years and no fatalities or serious injuries.
Ian @ Apr 28th 2008 12:29PM
Pat,
I didn't say that the FIA hasn't done anything for safety in F1.
What I said was that the FIA seems oblivious to the specific issue that their run off areas, supposedly designed to slow down errant cars b4 the barriers, are simply NOT doing the job they are supposed to do.
Franz @ Apr 28th 2008 1:21PM
There's always gonna be an issue... a lot of circuits weren't designed with a lot of space to make for wider runoff areas and gravel traps, so they have to make due with the space they have and depend on Safe barriers and bigger tire walls. A lot of these circuits were built when the safety requirements weren't as stringent as they are today.
And there are always odd instances and variations: gravel traps, though a brilliant and proven method of slowing cars down, don't always work: I've seen cars hit the traps at a slightly odd angle and just get airborne. Runoff areas are of little use when a car suffers a suspension failure or severe tire blowout: steering doesn't respond... it's never cut and dry when it comes to making circuits safer. That's why the engineers make the cars as safe as possible.
Luis @ Apr 28th 2008 2:08PM
The "kitty litter" slows the car down upon entry...and the flat surfaces are so the cars don't go flying into the air.