Posted on 10/24/2021 5:31:30 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Freelance journalist Louis Amestoy, who was at the event, told The Associated Press that about 3,500 motorsports fans attended the event, which bills itself as “an action packed, family-friendly day of all-out No Prep Drag Racing.” Winning prizes at the event were as high as $8,000, according to the Kerrville visitor’s bureau. Two boys, ages 6 and 8, died at a popular afternoon event called “Airport Race Wars 2” that attracted thousands to the Kerrville-Kerr County airport, the Kerrville Police Department said in a statement Saturday night.
The racecourse was an eighth of a mile long and lined with water-filled barriers, Amestoy told AP. However, the barriers did not extend past the finish line where he said the vehicle crashed, leaving spectators exposed while cars slowed down.
Spectators were able to get as close as 15 feet from the race track, Amestoy said, and were reminded by organizers to stay off of the grass and asphalt. No bleachers were available, and many sat and watched from lawn chairs.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Prayers up for the kids. People need to realize the laws of physics can’t be broken. Kinetic energy is a bitch.
Gruesome. RIP poor little guys. They were probably having so much fun, too.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. So many dummies in our country.
The problem with drag racing is the stiletto heels make it hard to shift gears...
“Hold muh beer.”
“The 34-year-old driver was taken to San Antonio Medical Center and is listed in stable condition.”
I hope he’s cuffed to the bed rail.
“But, but...it was just an accident!”
There’s no such thing as an accident. People cry “Accident!” when they’re caught doing something illegal, illogical or just downright ignorant.
Ask Alec Baldwin...
In the military, back in 1966, we were taught “There are NO accidents. They are caused!”
“I hope he’s cuffed to the bed rail.”
I can see you aren’t really an auto racing fan.
While this is a terrible thing to have happen, I can almost promise you the driver didn’t go to the line thinking on how he could kill someone. No one is going to feel worse about it that he will.
Drag racing is not just how much power you can create. If that was the case, you’d see some mills that would be bigger than most of the cars today. Look at tractor pulls.
Getting the power is important, but keeping that power to the wheels so the tires will grip and not lose traction, thus hold on to the car down the strip, is more important than just the power by itself. And many times a bad spot on the track, almost anywhere, can cause a car to lose traction and get away. This is why the cars makeup and fuel are so strictly overseen.
By the pictures I saw, I think they had that parking area too close to the track at that part of it. I used to pit for a group that ran at Raisin City just south of Fresno. Their pit area stopped close to the strip about 50 yards up the run. So if a car lost it beyond that and flew off the strip it would hit grape vines at the worst.
I think before sanctioning a track the NHRA should consider bringing the pit areas and parking areas behind the strips rather than beside them and also should cut back on the bleachers and grassy areas to sit after about 25 yards down the sides of the strip.
But auto racing is not the only sport that has fan injuries or death. It is a recognized part of the sport, most sports, that people die or are permanently injured almost anywhere in the immediate area.
A good example is baseball. For years a foul ball or a lost bat could fly into the stands and has hurt people. And how many people on the sidelines in football have been injured? And you’d be surprised how many photographers have been injured at the end of a basketball court.
It is unfortunate, but it happens. People used to be concerned a lot more about flying because of all the accidents that happened and hit the media. But the most dangerous part of flying is getting to and from the airport in the car. Professional drivers or no.
wy69
This wasn’t a regular racing track/venue. It was on the tarmac/landing strip of our not that big local airport.
Should have prohibited spectators where the barriers stop, but not sure if those barriers would work very well anyway?
You really need the concrete jerseys that interconnect.
These cars can make a hard turn if they break an axle or blow a tire.
I initially thought this was an illegal race. I’ve been absolutely against illegal races since a local street race killed an uninvolved teacher and her kid, many years back. After rereading the article, I see it wasn’t. My bad.
Spectators are not always informed what happens in some auto races or just stupid.
I spent about 15 years and made 5000 drag strip passes in an NHRA Competition Eliminator class.
NHRA wouldn’t get within a half mile of one of these shows. Neither would I like to attempt to put down some serious hp on a track that’s not properly prepared. This type of ‘no prep’ crap is nonsense.
“It was on the tarmac/landing strip of our not that big local airport.”
Back “in the day,” that’s how we all started. I can remember prior to Chrondek trees when the bustiest babe in the town was sent out to flag. It is just unfortunate that the torque to strip ratio got so out of hand that they started dialing rather than just run what ya bring.
Too much technology.
wy69
“I see it wasn’t. My bad.”
I completely agree with you that the back road digs are totally unsafe as the people in them are not that good to handle the horsepower that is being put in cars today like the Vipers, Corvettes, Camaros, Supras, Lamborghini Gallardos, Ford GT’s, and too many other high hp machines. Add to that the workmanship to bolt these together is more than questionable and you’ll have pieces falling off some low flying aircraft rather than a racing machine designed for the rough roads and the safety equipment like fire retardant clothing, racing harness and seat belts, head and neck restraint systems even down to eyewear and ear protection is almost non-existent. It’s a disaster about to happen every time two cars start down the strip with children in the cockpit.
wy69
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