Superkart driver killed

[keiran]

Originally Posted by BBC News

A kart racing driver was killed when he was thrown from his vehicle as it hit a crash barrier at the Silverstone race track in Northamptonshire.

The man was thrown clear of the kart in the accident during the final round of the 2006 British Superkart Championships on Sunday afternoon.

He was then hit by a chasing kart at the entrance to the Luffield hairpin.

The man, who was in his 50s and described as a very experienced driver, has not yet been named.

'Shocked'

Ian Rushforth, the series co-ordinator of the British Superkarts Association, said the driver had been racing in the fastest class.

He said other drivers had been left shocked by the accident but the sport itself had an excellent safety record.

"Within the Superkart fraternity there are about 150 of us and we see the guys week in and week out. It is almost family," he said.

"Because we are a tight-knit family we always feel it."

Northamptonshire Police traffic officers are investigating the crash.

The two metre-long 250cc karts are capable of speeds up to 150mph.

Drivers sit low down in the cramped compartments, but are not strapped in by seatbelts.

Haven't heard of a karting death in the UK for a long time. Tragic circumstances to be hit by another driver

[z3r0c00l]

Very sad , and thankfully, very rare. Atleast 30 seconds prior the the incident, he was probably having the time of his life.

Although the risks are greatly reduced with current technology, it is at times like this where we are painfully reminded that the risk is present, and the worst will happen periodically.

[nikimere]

Originally Posted by keiran

Haven't heard of a karting death in the UK for a long time.

There was a 125 karter killed in Northern Ireland during the summer in Kirkistown.

Thats pretty sad... not nice to hear those sort of things.

[DejaVu]

with the faster carts why don't they have mini roll bars or something? Would probably look stupid like

[xaotik]

Sad as it is, he's gone - and the second worse off in the whole deal is the guy who hit him, despite there probably being nothing he could of possibly done to avoid it (I'm sure he could of tried if there was)...

[nikimere]

Originally Posted by DejaVu

with the faster carts why don't they have mini roll bars or something? Would probably look stupid like

would you fancy being straped into a kart heading upside down towards a tire wall or concrete wall at 100+MPH? Theres absolutly nothing to protect you when your in it.
I'd much prefere to be thrown out and take my chances.

[Leifde]

He was unlucky in a way, he hit the barriers and got thrown free. Usually you wouldn't end up on the racing line at somewhere like Silverstone but I guess he did. RIP.

EDIT: Just looked at a Silverstone track map and Luffield hairpin has a big run off on either side so he must have hit the barriers very hard to be thrown back onto the track

[keiran]

Originally Posted by DejaVu

with the faster carts why don't they have mini roll bars or something? Would probably look stupid like

Would be even worse. Bare in mind snr karts weigh anything between 160kg and probably not too much more than 250kgs for superkarts (all be it I have no idea what sort of weight they are ).

Most people who are thrown free are fine, it's the ones who get trapped in the kart who usually come out with broken bones.

@Xaotik
Yea must be hard for the guy who hit him, all be it he probably had no where else to go.

[sinbad]

I must say it always struck me as one of the more dangerous forms of racing. It's like the worst of bike-racing and single-seater racing combined, with none of the safest elements of either. One one hand there's nothing protecting you at proper race car speeds, and on the other you can't get off it easily if things go wrong.

I digress, of course they all know the risks far better than I do.

Always a shame when someone dies doing something they love, and as xaotik said, the person that hit him will live with that for the rest of his life, it doesn't matter whether he could have done anything about it or not.

[DejaVu]

i saw a vid on youtube of kart crashes, like a collection - some of them were pretty funny But the ones where the kart turns over and the people are still in them, that's gotta hurt the neck and spine looks painful

[shaGuar]

Havent heard of one, since Andrea Margutti

[11SuLLy11]

there was also a 250 superkart driver killed in irl this summer
RIP

[nikimere]

Originally Posted by 11SuLLy11

there was also a 250 superkart driver killed in irl this summer
RIP

are you on about the lad in Kirkistown? Was he not in a 125? and i said that above...

[11SuLLy11]

i thought it was 250s dunno you could be right his name was something jackson not sure

[Leifde]

He was 43 and in a 250. (The one who died at Kirkistown)

[11SuLLy11]

yep thats the guy !

[DasBoeseC]

Sad to hear about this


Somehow this reminds me of an older thread: http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=13106

[11SuLLy11]

yep r.i.p

[Blas89]

Rip that dude , i always get sad when i hear of some drivers death

[11SuLLy11]

ye !

[Sidewayzmaster]

I would think if he died quickly then it would be ok... Dying for something that you love to do or for somethin you believe in is one of the most honorable ways to die...just my thoughts r.i.p. let him see the great race tracks in heaven...

[MorroW]

Originally Posted by Sidewayzmaster

Dying for something that you love to do or for somethin you believe in is one of the most honorable ways to die...

Sad, very sad

But as Sidewayzmaster said...better racetrack than some stupid cancer or something.
This things reminds me once again Beef...

[speedfreak227]

Terrible to hear.

Can someone post a picture of the style of kart he was driving please? are superkarts the ones where you lay on your back like olympic one man louge (sp?). if so, they look fun, but i´d be terrified to race them competitively. i´ll stick to regular karting

speedfreak227

[Dennisjr13]

Sad to hear he died

Here is a picture of a superkart if anyone was wondering
http://www.zipkart.com/superkart/large_superkart.jpg

[keiran]

Just to add from the SuperKart Assocciations site the specs of one are:
0-60mph 3.5 seconds
150+mph top speed
80+bhp
120kgs (that is light! but I'm guessing thats without driver)
5 seconds a lap quicker than a Ferrari 360 at most UK tracks

[11SuLLy11]

ye they are wicked quick put it this way look at btcc they full production cars with rollcages harnesses etc then look at superkart tkonow rollcage no harness and goes a good bit quicker shows were safety is lacking
p.s sorry for changing subject

[nikimere]

Originally Posted by keiran

5 seconds a lap quicker than a Ferrari 360 at most UK tracks

They were quicker than an F1 car around Silverstone until the mid-late 90's.
I remember reading an article by Davis Coulthard, he tested one in Silverstone and said he'd NEVER do it again, it was the scariest thing he'd ever driven! lol!

[11SuLLy11]

i think at mondello the only thing faster than a kart around mondello is an f1 car

[Michael Denham]

That's crazy. I knew they were fast, but I had no idea they could challenge older F1 machinery.

[Jamexing]

Did I read the first post right? NO SEATBELT!

It's always a trajedy when a racer dies. But no seatbelt? The scary fact is that without a racing harness, that is simply a disaster waiting to happen.

There's NEVER enough safety technology in motorsport. Remember the death of Aryton Senna? It was a GIANT wake up call, forcing F-1 to concede to reason and logic. A dead driver can't win anything.

Remember Dale Earnhart and his stubborn refusal to use the HANS device, calling it the noose based on his own twisted notion of "common sense"? He died of the very type of crash that would have been VERY survivable with it.

I give my sincere condolences to the dead veteran racer and all close to him, but I also hope that this incident would force improved safety. Good safety records have a nasty habit of breeding complacency.

Whoever posted this news, please provide more exact details as to the nature of the crash.