[nathans1012]

Thought I'd share this video. Test of a Non-Wing Sprint Car being dropped from 12ft.
Notice the head. Is this a fixable problem? Maybe raise the cage an inch or two.
Link - https://www.facebook.com/AEDMotorspo...71444156250327

LINK TO VIDEO NOW WORKS.

[Backitin]

That is most definitely a worse case type crash. The odds of a sprintcar falling from the sky completely vertical with no forward movement at all are slim to none.
Although there are winged and nonwinged lovers both on this site at least no one is clueless enough to post a response like I saw elsewhere, "put a wing on it problem solved". dumbass.

[Turd Ferguson]

I'm not sure what would cause more injuries in this type of crash... hitting your head on the ground like in the video, or having a really tall cage but letting the neck/backbone/spinal column take the inertial forces of your head and helmet.

[Wizard 05]

But IF they do start falling from the sky,,I think we will have bigger problems than putting a wing on it will fix it..Only advantage of IF they do fall from the sky,,at least I won't have to BUY a new one,, I can just wait out the storm and take my choice..It is DuQuoin Time.

[stoney]

The sky is falling, The sky is falling!

[chop]

The question I would want to ask is what type of "crash dummy"was used in the test. Also it looks like the fuel cell comes lose in the drop.

[flatout]

Several things come to mind when looking at this. First, I am glad to see people exploring the physical dynamics of how a sprint car chassis responds in an accident. It is a step in the right way to scientifically make our cars safer. That said, I am not sure what thing can be done to realistically make the test reflect more of an sprint car flip. Yeah they fall out of the air but more often than not are impacting nose/tail first. But if you saw Blaney's or Madsen' flips at Eldora this year you can see the bent halo of the cage where the cage landed on the car. In both cases the wing came off right away in those flips. Madsen got lucky, Blaney not so much. A driver's head hitting the racing surface doesn't surprise me. I remember Sammy years ago ha done that in the winter midget series in AZ. The tail tank doesn't surprise me either. Have seen more than one come off in a hard accident. Years ago there was a picture of one flying over the stands at Findlay. Makes me wonder if the shouldn't be tethered also.

[cleatziff]

I understand the the experiment here may not be similar to a car during a flip. Would this experiment simulate an impact similar to that of another car driving into the top of the cage?

[Backitin]

Thing is we race cars not baby strollers.
A bit of inherent danger is expected and without it racing isn't racing anymore.
All the tech, steel and prayers cant help in every situation.
As a racer I feel that concerns for MY safety are already over blown and over regulated not only in racing but in life in general.

[TQ29m]

Originally Posted by cleatziff I understand the the experiment here may not be similar to a car during a flip. Would this experiment simulate an impact similar to that of another car driving into the top of the cage?

No, and that seems to be the question that is overlooked, some so called experts insist it would make it too difficult to get the driver out, if halo bars were allowed over the drivers helmet, or that they would make the cage more prone to collapse, I think they should be installed, every little bit helps, and someone's front bumper entering the cage just might be deflected enough to save that blow anyway. What makes the difference, if the crash is that bad, the cage will be cut off anyway, we used to race with the seat held in with dzus buttons, now they are bolted in, at least with the dzus buttons, seat, driver and all could be lifted out as a unit, driver in his safety seat seems a lot more sensible to me, that test for all intents and purposes, is a slow motion video of some of the things a chassis goes thru, but on a steel plate, just a drop test, in my opinion, proves very little, I think there needs to be more interest in the halo bars, that's where the problem lies! Bob