Major crash at the Texas Mile

[Mullet]

from another forum.

The guy who got this photo has it on video.

 

[Mullet]

also, Richard the driver was strongly advised to go to the hospital overnight for observation. He went.

 

[Outkastscc]

Vid of the tun buy not the crash.

[video=youtube;klnizM7auto]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klnizM7auto&sns=em[/video]

 

[Hennessey Performance]

Hey, John, will you please explain to us dummies (okay, THIS dummy!) what difference it makes whether a car is doing 200+ in a drag race vs. 200+ in the standing mile and therefore why a drag chute isn't kosher for the 'mile? The aero on any given car is the same no matter which "race" situation it's in...and it's still stopping from 200+ in either case.

I'm not questioning the wisdom of what you said. I just don't grasp the reasoning BEHIND it - and I wanna.

Thanks. :thumbsup

I'm not an expert like Stroud but I would say that it has a lot to do with shutdown distances. Some dragstrips only have 1600 - 2500 ft of shutdown distance. You MUST slow down or in some places there is a wall at the end. Speedway chutes for places like Bonneville, etc. have a much longer shutdown. Goliad is somewhere in between at 3000 ft. We ran a speedway chute on our Viper Comp Coupe that was designed by Stroud. It had a tether that was probably 3 times as long as a drag setup and the chute size was probably 30% smaller. It was designed specific to our application. The smaller chute and longer tether do not hit as hard (decel g's) as a drag setup. Also, when using a chute the driver should be full on the power when pulling the chute. That way the power and force of the car control the chute and the direction. If you lift off the power then deploy the chute it could pull you where you dont want to go. I only brought this up as it seems to be happening more and more. Guys take a street car, start going fast, add some safety equipment but in reality their cars were never designed as race cars. If nothing bad ever happens or you dont crash then no big deal. However, if you race long enough then sooner or later something is going to happen. And the better your safety equipment, design and application, the better you have a chance for survival. I dont have all of the answers but I have seen a lot over the last 20 yrs. I would suggest that anyone who is serious about running big speeds at the mile then they should build their cars to SCTA-BNI (Bonneville) safety specs.

 

[Corona-Extra]

One last thing, if you are going to build a car fast enough to need a parachute, please have your builder contact Bill Stroud so he can design you the right chute. Some guys are putting drag chutes on the back of their mile cars and I've seen them cause some cars to wreck when deployed. Not saying this is the case with what happened today at Goliad. I am not there and dont know anything about the car that crashed. But I have been to many other events and seen what a drag chute can do to a car that is not drag racing. If you are running mile events you need a land speed chute design which generally has a longer tether, smaller chute design and big ass spring that throws it a log ways behind the car when deployed. Bill Stroud is the man to talk to about your specific design.

Are you speaking of Stroud Safety? After seeing the events unfold first hand Saturday in Goliad, I want to make sure I have the correct guy.

Thanks,
Justin

 

[Empty Pockets]

The smaller chute and longer tether do not hit as hard (decel g's) as a drag setup. Also, when using a chute the driver should be full on the power when pulling the chute. That way the power and force of the car control the chute and the direction. If you lift off the power then deploy the chute it could pull you where you dont want to go.

The whole rationale makes perfect sense to me now.

Thanks, John

 

[598]

I have to disagree about the full power when deploying the chute. In my drag car, I make sure my brakes are stable and the load is transfered off the rear before I pull the chutes. At 197, I pull negative 1.99 G acording to my racepak 300. That is with 2 chutes, as manated by the NHRA. I run a matching pair of chutes from stroud. Also, the method of deployment, (spring vs. air launch) should be considered. This assumes that your chute location and mounting in regards to the chassis loading is correct in the first place. If the chute caused the wreck, I would be suspect of proper mounting design.

Steve

 

[Hennessey Performance]

Are you speaking of Stroud Safety? After seeing the events unfold first hand Saturday in Goliad, I want to make sure I have the correct guy.

Thanks,
Justin

Sorry it's Bob Stroud.

http://www.stroudsafety.com/History.html

 

[Hennessey Performance]

I have to disagree about the full power when deploying the chute. In my drag car, I make sure my brakes are stable and the load is transfered off the rear before I pull the chutes. At 197, I pull negative 1.99 G acording to my racepak 300. That is with 2 chutes, as manated by the NHRA. I run a matching pair of chutes from stroud. Also, the method of deployment, (spring vs. air launch) should be considered. This assumes that your chute location and mounting in regards to the chassis loading is correct in the first place. If the chute caused the wreck, I would be suspect of proper mounting design.

Steve

598, personally I prefer not to use the chute until after i have already begun braking. I am just going by what other racers and schools like Roy Hill have taught me about chute deployment. I supposed the real lesson learned is that you dont have to race if you dont like the conditions. Nasty winds, especially cross winds make things riskier.

 

[Fast Freddy]

i see an opportunity to make the sport safer here. in order to get your pro license at NHRA trax for et's of 9.99 and quicker you have to make a series of ever increasing in distance passes; from 300 feet to 1/8 mile to 1/4 mile.

the next level of licensing for mile events should be parachutes. you should prove that your chute worx properly at 1/2 mile and 3/4 mile before you pull the trigger on 1 mile......

 

[Outkastscc]

That pic Mullet posted was taken by my buddy from our pits.

Here are the rest.

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[Mullet]

any way to put those together in a moving .gif?

 

[skyrex]

Hate to see and hear of something like this but great pics. If you don't mind my asking what type of camera/lens was used and how close was your pit spot to the accident?

It is amazing that driver walked away. His first call after family should have been to whomever installed the cage on that car. He owes them big thanks.....and a few drinks.

 

[ChipBeck]

Was that the last run he made in that Orange Gallardo?

 

[427Aggie]

No I think this was his first or second run Chip.

 

[SteveA]

I'm thinking that's the last run anyone is gonna make in that Gallardo. Damn I'm glad he wasn't hurt bad, from those pics I would have guessed different.

 

[ChipBeck]

No I think this was his first or second run Chip.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right. It was his second run where this happened. Mullet told him that he was a tad off line and that cost him some speed. His next run was a lot cleaner.

Chip

 

[Apollo]

Judges score 10 10 10 10 10 10 and a 9.9 from the Russian judge that said the second cartwheel was a little sloppy.
Knowing the driver walked away is amazing. I heard he made them stop for the time slip when he was heading back to the pits and he wanted to go right back out in another car.:eek Fortunately his pit crew must have talked some sense into him and he went to the hospital for observation. I bet he was sore the next day.

 

[ChipBeck]

14 City
22 Highway

BUT.....your number of roll overs may vary.

 

[Apollo]

any way to put those together in a moving .gif?

Go to the top of the page, put your arrow at the bottom of the scroll bar, (just above the bottom arrow) and press the left mouse key.... Works pretty good. You can even do it in reverse...