Tragedy at Thunderhill 10/1/04
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Tragedy at Thunderhill 10/1/04
Taken from an email from another friend:
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2 drivers died today at Thill (unfortunately, I was one of only a handful of people to see it--2 other PDC'ers saw it as well) when Robert Smeltzer driving a GTA and another gentleman in a new generation RX7 collided just before reaching the braking zone in T14--the RX7 driver crashed, but was fine. I am not posting this as news, but because 2 good people died doing what we love and because there are things to be learned from this.
Robert was pushed onto the dirt on the left side of the track and shot across T14 to T8 at unabated speed (no slowing down on dirt and gravel). At what I would guess was close to 100mph, the GTA passed directly in front of a gentleman in another, but older generation RX7--the RX7 driver was also at full speed preparing to turn into T8. Robert shot directly in front on the RX7, and the Mazda driver died instantly. Robert's passenger side cage was pushed all the way into the middle of the cockpit.
The RX7 driver had nothing to do with the outcome of the accident--he found a huge and heavy V8 GTA car directly in front of him in T8. Robert was unable to stop a car careening across dirt and gravel at full speed, without scrubbing much if any of it off between T14 and T8.
According to the SM drivers, both broke their necks and smashed their helmets against their steering wheels. Both helmets were smashed in at their chins. Neither was wearing HANS devices.
The Thill EMT response was one of the worst I have ever seen, and proper medical attention was provided by 2 extraordinary SM drivers--Craig Evans and Tony Silva. The track safety response was extremely slow, and the corner workers had to be asked by the drivers to radio for help and an additional ambulance.
As this was a test day prior to an SCCA event, the track support and safety team was not the normal SCCA affair. With the SCCA crew in place, I have no doubt the response time would have been markedly improved.
I doubt that any EMT or safety crew could have done much if anything to save Robert--our SM drivers said that he had a faint pulse when the arrived. What worries me is that if any of were to have an accident on a test day at Thill, and our survival depended on a rapid response--well, the crew in general supporting the track today just scares me, and I'll leave it at that.
PDC friends--whether you are racing or driving a street car at DE events--PLEASE spend $1000 on a HANS. I can't say they would have kept either driver alive today--that would be speculation about a crash that was the worst I have ever seen at an SCCA event. Ever.
With a HANS, you can at least say that you have done everything possible to protect yourself and go home to your family at the end of a day or weekend of fun.
I used to work next door to Robert Smeltzer at Sears Point--he was a damn good guy, and incredible fabricator and mechanic at Huffaker ,at Tom Gloy's Trans-Am team, and one heck on a GT1/GTA driver. We also went through driver's school together.
F*ck. I love this sport--I have dedicated my life to it, but no matter how many times I have been witness to it, death at the racetrack is hard to accept.
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For those who track, whether regularly or not, consider getting a HANS device for your own safety. Many drivers have died this year on racetracks all over California, and I hope that it does not happen to anyone in the I-Club community.
-bbsmurf
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2 drivers died today at Thill (unfortunately, I was one of only a handful of people to see it--2 other PDC'ers saw it as well) when Robert Smeltzer driving a GTA and another gentleman in a new generation RX7 collided just before reaching the braking zone in T14--the RX7 driver crashed, but was fine. I am not posting this as news, but because 2 good people died doing what we love and because there are things to be learned from this.
Robert was pushed onto the dirt on the left side of the track and shot across T14 to T8 at unabated speed (no slowing down on dirt and gravel). At what I would guess was close to 100mph, the GTA passed directly in front of a gentleman in another, but older generation RX7--the RX7 driver was also at full speed preparing to turn into T8. Robert shot directly in front on the RX7, and the Mazda driver died instantly. Robert's passenger side cage was pushed all the way into the middle of the cockpit.
The RX7 driver had nothing to do with the outcome of the accident--he found a huge and heavy V8 GTA car directly in front of him in T8. Robert was unable to stop a car careening across dirt and gravel at full speed, without scrubbing much if any of it off between T14 and T8.
According to the SM drivers, both broke their necks and smashed their helmets against their steering wheels. Both helmets were smashed in at their chins. Neither was wearing HANS devices.
The Thill EMT response was one of the worst I have ever seen, and proper medical attention was provided by 2 extraordinary SM drivers--Craig Evans and Tony Silva. The track safety response was extremely slow, and the corner workers had to be asked by the drivers to radio for help and an additional ambulance.
As this was a test day prior to an SCCA event, the track support and safety team was not the normal SCCA affair. With the SCCA crew in place, I have no doubt the response time would have been markedly improved.
I doubt that any EMT or safety crew could have done much if anything to save Robert--our SM drivers said that he had a faint pulse when the arrived. What worries me is that if any of were to have an accident on a test day at Thill, and our survival depended on a rapid response--well, the crew in general supporting the track today just scares me, and I'll leave it at that.
PDC friends--whether you are racing or driving a street car at DE events--PLEASE spend $1000 on a HANS. I can't say they would have kept either driver alive today--that would be speculation about a crash that was the worst I have ever seen at an SCCA event. Ever.
With a HANS, you can at least say that you have done everything possible to protect yourself and go home to your family at the end of a day or weekend of fun.
I used to work next door to Robert Smeltzer at Sears Point--he was a damn good guy, and incredible fabricator and mechanic at Huffaker ,at Tom Gloy's Trans-Am team, and one heck on a GT1/GTA driver. We also went through driver's school together.
F*ck. I love this sport--I have dedicated my life to it, but no matter how many times I have been witness to it, death at the racetrack is hard to accept.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
For those who track, whether regularly or not, consider getting a HANS device for your own safety. Many drivers have died this year on racetracks all over California, and I hope that it does not happen to anyone in the I-Club community.
-bbsmurf
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Man, what an awful thing to have happen!
but it goes to show that even on the track with roll cages, bad stuff can happen,
so sad that 2 lost their lives though, man what a blow- to the whole SF region of the club.
I'd add those that do performance rally should really seriously consider HANS too, life is too precious to lose when the loss can be prevented.
but it goes to show that even on the track with roll cages, bad stuff can happen,
so sad that 2 lost their lives though, man what a blow- to the whole SF region of the club.
I'd add those that do performance rally should really seriously consider HANS too, life is too precious to lose when the loss can be prevented.
Last edited by psoper; Oct 2, 2004 at 03:13 AM.
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I feel for the families left behind, it is going to be hard for them going on with life.
I hope those guys died happy doing what they love.
on a side note, for the none rally drivers like myself, what is HANS?
I hope those guys died happy doing what they love.
on a side note, for the none rally drivers like myself, what is HANS?
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Thanks all for posting the excellent advice about the HANS device. The cost may sound prohibitive to those who track only occasionally but you have to think about it in terms of how much your life is worth to you (and to the people who care about you). Driving cars is a hobby for me and not something I want to do bad enough to lose my life over.
I hope the Thunderhill track officials will talk a little about this tragic event in the drivers' meeting on Monday. If a collision can be avoided in the first place, that's a good way to prevent another mishap.
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
I hope the Thunderhill track officials will talk a little about this tragic event in the drivers' meeting on Monday. If a collision can be avoided in the first place, that's a good way to prevent another mishap.
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
Head and Neck Support. If you watch an F1 race, you see it on the back of the drivers helmet. It is a strong piece of metal (I think metal), that attaches to the helmet and covers your neck, shoulders and upper back. It is said to increase stability of your neck in a crash, and is said to greatly reduce the severity of the injuries in a crash.
http://www.f1boat.com/technic/hans_s...elopment1.html
FIA is trying to get drivers to use it in WRC, but many drivers are complaining of lack of visibility and movement that seems essential to rallying. Still, a modified version of HANS might show up next year, or 2006 in the WRC as well.
http://www.f1boat.com/technic/hans_s...elopment1.html
FIA is trying to get drivers to use it in WRC, but many drivers are complaining of lack of visibility and movement that seems essential to rallying. Still, a modified version of HANS might show up next year, or 2006 in the WRC as well.
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i'm very sorry to hear that. my heart and prayers go out to their family and friends.
as the writer of the letter intended, hopefully everyone who read that will take this tragedy as a lesson learned and always consider safety first. hopefully the EMT at thunderhill will take this as a serious wake up call and quicken their response time for future events..
my heart and prayers go out to their family and friends.as the writer of the letter intended, hopefully everyone who read that will take this tragedy as a lesson learned and always consider safety first. hopefully the EMT at thunderhill will take this as a serious wake up call and quicken their response time for future events..
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that's awful news - the worst, really. We all love pushing our cars and ourselves to the limit, but there can be a terrible price to pay for that. Would a HANS device have helped? Who knows, but it wouldn't have hurt anything.
just terrible stuff. :-(
just terrible stuff. :-(
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From: HK / BAIC (still in denial)
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apparently robert's car was stuck in open throttle which made it hard for him to stop the car in the gravel/dirt before running across turn 8...
at any rate, get a hans if you can, be careful on track....
and remember that for club events, you are not racing, so there is no need to push the car 10/10ths
at any rate, get a hans if you can, be careful on track....
and remember that for club events, you are not racing, so there is no need to push the car 10/10ths
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sorry to hear what happened. goes to show you that anything can happen on the track.
as for the Hans device, i believe that it ataches to your helmet and shoulders. in the event of a crash it prevents your head and upper body from traveling too far foward and injuring your neck.
as for the Hans device, i believe that it ataches to your helmet and shoulders. in the event of a crash it prevents your head and upper body from traveling too far foward and injuring your neck.
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babysmurf...I was there on Friday as well...I pitted next to Tony Silva (fellow Spec Miata racer) and heard the details directly from him. I was also on track during this tragic event..but I was back at turn #4 when it happened on turn #8. Very very sad. Could have been any of us...kinda scary if you think about it for awhile... Be safe out there.