[ajprice]

Huge crash at the Las Vegas Indy 300, 15 cars involved. Dan Wheldon was airlifted to hospital from the track but later died from the injuries.

This year he had been testing the new regulation Indycars for 2012, which is a new design intended to be safer than the current cars. A lot thought the LV track was too small for the amount of cars on the Indycar grid. Motor racing is never going to be safe, especially ovals, and this was a freak accident and amazing that the news isn't worse than it is, with the number of cars involved and the state they were in. But I hope they can at least do something with the cars or the amount of cars in a race to do something.

Dan Wheldon crash video: IndyCar champion dead after 15-car pile-up in Las Vegas | Mail Online

R.I.P. Dan

[Waragainstsleep]

I heard the drivers had previously complained that particular track was too fast.

[subego]

Is there any info on what got him? There are so many safety systems in those things I have to imagine he was hit by flying debris.

[Big Mac]

Sucks. But am I the only one who thinks it's a dumb sport that wastes a lot of non-renewable resources?

[brassplayersrock²]

Originally Posted by subego 

Is there any info on what got him? There are so many safety systems in those things I have to imagine he was hit by flying debris.

Yep, in the article linked in the first post.

"He was catapulted helplessly into the air before landing on a barrier and suffering fatal injuries."

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Sucks. But am I the only one who thinks it's a dumb sport that wastes a lot of non-renewable resources?

Indycar uses ethanol. Has for decades.
The fires you see in the wreck are from what little oil the cars carry, igniting.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² 

Yep, in the article linked in the first post.

"He was catapulted helplessly into the air before landing on a barrier and suffering fatal injuries."

That should read that his car was catapulted into the air. Weldon himself remained secured inside the car throughout the crash. The current assumption was that contact with the catch fence ripped-across the upper-half of Weldon's car, shearing-off the rollbar and air-intake. This would have made the driver's head completely exposed and vulnerable.

Safety workers immediately draped a tarp over Weldon's machine, once they got his out. Viewing the tarp-covered silhouette, it's pretty obvious that nothing above the side-pods was left intact.

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Indycar uses ethanol. Has for decades.
The fires you see in the wreck are from what little oil the cars carry, igniting.

How do they stop the ethanol from burning? Its usually quite good at that.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep 

How do they stop the ethanol from burning? Its usually quite good at that.

Basically, you try to design and build a robust fuel system. The fuel cells in the cars are extremely robust and built specifically to withstand piercing and rupture. The cells are also self-sealing. But, of course, there are fuel lines into the engine and that is where the main source of an ethanol fire might occur. While the fuel does have an additive that allows it to be seen when burning (invisible fire was a problem back when Indycar first switched to alcohol fuels) it does not produce the level of smoke that an oil fire does. It also dissipates fairly quickly.

[Buckaroo]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

That should read that his car was catapulted into the air. Weldon himself remained secured inside the car throughout the crash. The current assumption was that contact with the catch fence ripped-across the upper-half of Weldon's car, shearing-off the rollbar and air-intake. This would have made the driver's head completely exposed and vulnerable.

Safety workers immediately draped a tarp over Weldon's machine, once they got his out. Viewing the tarp-covered silhouette, it's pretty obvious that nothing above the side-pods was left intact.

Are there any pictures of his car after the accident? From the video, I couldn't tell which was his until I saw the clip with it already covered.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo 

Are there any pictures of his car after the accident? From the video, I couldn't tell which was his until I saw the clip with it already covered.

This pic is of Weldon's car with the tarp over it. Notice the height of the integrated air-intake/roll hoop structure on the car next to it. Note the distinct lack of any such superstructure under the tarp.

This is the only pic I can find of his car semi-clearly showing the damage to that area. Unfortunately, it's a shot during the accident. I've not found a post-wreck/pre-tarp image. The shot shows his car upside-down, still airborn against the fence, but after having the superstructure ripped off. It's a damned violent picture.

Found one pre-tarp.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

That should read that his car was catapulted into the air. Weldon himself remained secured inside the car throughout the crash. The current assumption was that contact with the catch fence ripped-across the upper-half of Weldon's car, shearing-off the rollbar and air-intake. This would have made the driver's head completely exposed and vulnerable.

Safety workers immediately draped a tarp over Weldon's machine, once they got his out. Viewing the tarp-covered silhouette, it's pretty obvious that nothing above the side-pods was left intact.

That makes more sense. It originally sounded like he squirted out of his roll cage like a watermelon seed.

[mduell]

This crash reinforces the need for safety improvements in IndyCar. Learn from the Formula series.

[polendo]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

Indycar uses ethanol. Has for decades.
The fires you see in the wreck are from what little oil the cars carry, igniting.

Nope.. they used methanol until Paul Dana (which had a similar accident) came with the ethanol idea by around 2006. From then on they used ethanol.

But you are correct.. the sparks are from friction of metal parts and or oil residues.
regards