2023 Road Racing....2 deaths in 3 races.....what was the cause and how do we prevent it from happening again?

Hoppy

Hoppy

Member
Of course it is dangerous...we know that going in...but what happened? It deserves a discussion between us racers. Racers need to know so we can prevent a repeat. There are approximately 450-500 drivers that run WKA, AKRA and CES Road Racing events. Acting like this didn't happen disrespects those who lost their lives over the past 3 months participating in the sport we love.
 
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Hoppy said:
Of course it is dangerous...we know that going in...but what happened? It deserves a discussion between us racers. Racers need to know so we can prevent a repeat. There are approximately 450-500 drivers that run WKA, AKRA and CES Road Racing events. Acting like this didn't happen disrespects those who lost their lives over the past 3 months participating in the sport we love.
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I do not race road course but do race dirt oval. There have been many flaws in our safety equipment that need to be addressed by all sanctioning bodies. If you look at the progression of indy car you can see that since many wrecks happened ending in death they have now switched to more of a covered cockpit design for the driver. Let's look at our equipment although we are not going 200+ down a straightaway we wear limited amount of protection. There are many racers that just cannot afford the better safety equipment. I go to the track all the time and see guys driving in basketball shoes, a thin pair of jeans, and a neck donut that is not sfi certified. Then let's look at driving styles as well. There are way too many drivers being over aggressive in the first few turns to several laps. An over aggressive driver tends to be the most wreckless on the track. There may be a cause to build or change body styles to where all racers must be belted in in a cockpit design, all racers required to wear a Hans style device, and all other safety items approved by all sanctioning bodies of kart racing. Would this be a tough pill to swallow? Yes. But as racers we will always adapt to whatever rules are put out whether we like it or not.
 
Speaking from a WKA perspective
and looking at the required race suit specifications it's clear that abrasion resistance is selected over fire resistance. I have no information on the recent second fatality but I do know that the first fatality was not due to abrasions. I would like to introduce into the safety discussion a fire resistant component to the gear the drivers of the faster classes are required to wear beginning with the suit, gloves and helmet sock. Additionally an annual driver safety course mandatory for moving up thru the different license classes can also be useful in making drivers aware of how their actions on the track can leads to dire consequences for them and their fellow competitors.
 
On the first tragic incident.
Lets be frank here - The fuel containment systems are more akin to lawn service and stationary equipment then high speed competition.
I think we should start there.

That being said most fire rated synthetic materials are also fairly abrasion resistant. I would support a higher standard.

On the second tragedy I do not have not enough information to comment.
 
I've always thought enduro (laydown) side tanks are a dumb idea from an impact standpoint. Modern fuel cells are available.
I'm pretty sure this would fit the bill for most, and could be tucked somewhere safe -- https://quartermax.com/4-gallon-econo-rail-fuel-cell/

For the first incident, I'm not even sure it was a laydown...not much has been reported. I feel the orgs owe it to the racers to have a thorough analysis and discussion of any neccesary rule changes (including the sometimes wise choice to do nothing because of the law of unintended consequences..._

But I've never heard what lead to the original incident happening, what actually happened, or what the response time and type was... The risk of death from 80% burn coverage is high due to secondary infection. I'm glad that his family got some extra time with him, but sad the incident occurred at all... Nomex is fire"proof", but not abrasion resistent. Cordura is abrasion resistant but melts... Nobody makes a dual suit, but OMP used to. I've thought about marketing one. At the least, one could wear nomex underwear under a cordura suit... Hot, but not 1400° hot.

Regarding the 2nd incident, I am forced to report 2nd hand as I wasn't there to witness it, but seemed to be a combination of several factors:
1- Improper attachment of the most important piece of safety gear (helmet)
2 - a cross-wise kart after the crest of a blind turn leading to a t-bone type crash
3 - mixed classes with high speed differentials leading to the incident (though a stalled cross-wise kart is the worst type of speed differential...)

My friends surmised that It may have been a survivable impact had the racer been younger and had the requisite safety gear still on their person.
Life flight was called, but he was declared dead at the scene. RIP racer....he was a good man and dedicated volunteer to the sport. But it's a sober reminder that nothing can be taken for granted.

Let's face it...when you get about 60 mph on a kart, the wrecks are less survivable. The human body wasn't made to take sudden stops into fixed objects. Most of us know and accept the risks, and for my part, I try to minimize danger exposure on my own equipment where possible, above and beyond the orgs requirements sometimes.

At least roadracing requires some sort of licensing. Your local dirt unlimited class or sprint racing? Not so much...
 
I think out of respect we shouldn't be speculating about these accidents, especially if you were not at any of them. And yes, Ted, even the best car racing suits that are fire proof are not abrasion resistant, and best kart racing suits are abrasion resistant but offer no protection against fire. Obviously in kart racing the protection you usually need is for abrasion and in a close cockpit you need fire protection. 2 completely different things. Not the same racing a road rally car as a kart. If you had tried both you would understand.
 
Good points Ted and Santiago. I think Ted was careful to state his incomplete information. The fuel cell is interesting, very secure cap, rounded corners. I wonder if it has a rollover check valve. On the subject of abrasion / fire protection Nomex does indeed have abrasion resistive qualities, a blend of fabric with Kevlar is especially so, best of both. Perhaps not the abrasion resistance of leather but significantly more than say treated cotton the alternative economy fire protection.

I think consulting with experts in both fields would be a good idea.

See page 5:
https://www.dupont.com/content/dam/...cuments/en/Nomex(R) Fiber Technical Guide.pdf
 
Boys,

What you all must know about David Lee's tragic accident in February at Roebling Road is that his Kart, like most all Yamaha Enduro class karts, had NO SEAT! Its been years but the Sanctioning Bodies overlooked this trend, and massive liability, of laying on the floor tray of the kart so the drivers could get "Lower in the Kart" for aerodynamics' sake. A rule was derived from this.... "trend." You must have a second piece of floor pan under the driver made of Aluminum no less than "X" thousandths' in thickness. I could run out to the shop and get the book and quote it for you but the thickness isn't the issue.

ANY fuel leak, (ruptured tank, leaking tank weld, tank fitting, fitting failure, fuel line leak, fuel line rupture, fuel filter leak, fuel filter failure, tank cap leak, etc.) can cause the same problem David was victim to.... The fuel is collected on the floor tray and the driver (being the heaviest item ON the floor tray) will cause the liquid fuel to collect under them. Like a big, very gradual, funnel. You are literally marinating in it. David's suit was soaked in race gas, it was completely burned away when help arrived in just minutes.

I'm sorry boys but a "fire retardant suit" will not help a guy in this situation. A saturated fire suit will burn too.

EVERY race car ever made has a drivers seat that can be found by a blind man..... except the American 100cc Enduro Kart. In this case, THIS is the answer. Put a fiberglass seat BACK IN these karts and the chance of this happening ever again will drop substantially, if not permanently.


Addressing the Dan Stowell incident with the limited info there is, directly from the track, helps no one. If he doesn't get "sent" from behind there is a different outcome, if he never left the ground there is a different outcome, also...... there are race group structure and format trends that come into play that a Driver has no control of other than to not participate.

The World as we know it is upside freakin' down, just cuz yer racin' & going in the same direction on a race track with others doesn't mean it too is not effected by the assbackwardsness of people in that same World!!!!

Race Safe Y'all, its just a trophy.
 
I do have a fiber seat on my lay down. Makes me slower, kart handles worse and in that sense is more dangerous since gravity center is higher, and is aerodynamically terrible, but I don't feel safe seating on an aluminum floor tray, even if it's double. I love practice days and I am lucky enough to have had tracks available to be the only kart at the track at once, and in these cases I am always fast and feel comfortable to push harder, but I don't feel very comfortable anymore when I have a bunch of drivers around me, especially when they are younger and fast but not very responsible like many people who come from asphalt sprint tracks. I am in Spain right now and I feel extremely safe and comfortable on weekends when I run my KZ shifter at my friends track with no other kart around. Practice also gives you the extra time to pay more attention to any safety issue or check before hitting the track. One thing I don't feel comfortable with when running the enduro laydown is that we can't run the neck brace. I tried my 1st time at Daytona and it was impossible to drive with it on.
 
RPM1,
The 'floor pan' seating is a valid and intriguing point. I can see the value in separation/basic shielding from a host of possible fuel release scenarios.

The lack of separation between seat / floor pan never occurred to me until your comment. Something of that scenario is what I feared when an witness described to me. How and when are details we may never know but a physical barrier is arguably a good idea.

This started with holes and even large cutouts of the fiberglass seat and evolved into basically "retention panels". This would never be allowed in sit up sprints to my understanding of the rules. I have had fuel spills.. Methanol for Animal, some on me, majority on the floor pan. The beauty of that fuel is a splash of water instantly renders it not flammable. One of the reasons I prefer it, there are sure to be counter points but this not the scope of this discourse. Enough of my digress...

I don't race laydown and would never propose the imposition of a rule change for that class for that reason - not my dog.

That being said I would encourage rational reasoning and thought for the participants in that kart style. If not to reword or change the rule, at lease reflect on it and make a personal choice.

What I have learned from both incidents - Nothing is impossible.
 
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