Hammond crashes Vampire !!!
Discussion
See link here :
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0
And aslo thread on general gassing.
Hope he is ok and that the car is repairable, Colin was doing some good things with it this summer.
Fingers crossed for both.
F
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0
And aslo thread on general gassing.
Hope he is ok and that the car is repairable, Colin was doing some good things with it this summer.
Fingers crossed for both.
F
Furyous said:
See link here :
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0
And aslo thread on general gassing.
Hope he is ok and that the car is repairable, Colin was doing some good things with it this summer.
Fingers crossed for both.
F
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0
And aslo thread on general gassing.
Hope he is ok and that the car is repairable, Colin was doing some good things with it this summer.
Fingers crossed for both.
F
Sod the car, cars can be replaced. People can't, hope Hammond pulls through this.Said it in the other thread, and I'll say it again here...enjoyable as Top Gear is, what the hell were they doing putting Hammond in a jet dragster?! There surely comes a point where being masters of "cocking about", staging accidents and pretending to blow up caravans crosses into a no go area of genuinely dangerous stuff? What next, James May BASE jumping?
Sincerely hope Hamster is ok, but think Top Gear needs a rather serious reality check.
Sincerely hope Hamster is ok, but think Top Gear needs a rather serious reality check.
Very sorry to here what happend and I hope that Richard get´s well soon and make´s a full recovery.
I have never seen the tv-show "top gear" being as I live in germany. I know the car Vampire and I know Colin, from when he made some demo runs over here in germany in the 80´s at Giebelstadt and at Hockenheim.
I hope Colin is well, I am sure he also is very shaken by this.
Andrea
I have never seen the tv-show "top gear" being as I live in germany. I know the car Vampire and I know Colin, from when he made some demo runs over here in germany in the 80´s at Giebelstadt and at Hockenheim.
I hope Colin is well, I am sure he also is very shaken by this.
Andrea
hornet said:
Said it in the other thread, and I'll say it again here...enjoyable as Top Gear is, what the hell were they doing putting Hammond in a jet dragster?! There surely comes a point where being masters of "cocking about", staging accidents and pretending to blow up caravans crosses into a no go area of genuinely dangerous stuff? What next, James May BASE jumping?
Sincerely hope Hamster is ok, but think Top Gear needs a rather serious reality check.
Sincerely hope Hamster is ok, but think Top Gear needs a rather serious reality check.
I agree just because they drive a number of fast production cars does not mean they can jump into a race car...hope he is ok but needless to say there is a difference between 150mph in a super car and 280mph in a purpose built jet dragster.
It appears he is in a stable condition according to MSN.co.uk...
http://cars.uk.msn.com/news/car_news_
http://cars.uk.msn.com/news/car_news_
You know, on reading the latest news to come out (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/no which contains like "Hammond was driving a jet-powered dragster similar to the Vampire - used by Colin Fallows to set the British land speed record." I am beginning to wonder if initial reports were correct and that it was Spit Second he was driving.
Obviously we should observe his the wishes of his family who have asked that no more information be released at the moment, so we shall have to wait to find anything more out.
Obviously we should observe his the wishes of his family who have asked that no more information be released at the moment, so we shall have to wait to find anything more out.
Yeah, having seen more it was definately Vampire.
Have people been following the other PH thread on this over in the main forum? Someone set up a JustGiving page for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance aiming to raise £340 (the cost of one mission) and so far the public have donated £10k (enough for 2 and a half days running costs (well, almost 3 really))
www.justgiving.com/PHRichardHammond
Have people been following the other PH thread on this over in the main forum? Someone set up a JustGiving page for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance aiming to raise £340 (the cost of one mission) and so far the public have donated £10k (enough for 2 and a half days running costs (well, almost 3 really))
www.justgiving.com/PHRichardHammond
get well soon hamster.
but i've been watching news on this and one report (sky news)said that he has only made 6 pass's ever in the car to build up to that speed.now i've only been a driver of a drag car a short time (around 5 years)and it took me a couple seasons to realy get feel for racing a drag car and build up high speed (et's and mph)im now running 9sec 1/4's (any drag racers will know what im mean here).i think even if he'd had 6 months training for it this was just an accident waiting to happen and im surprised no shocked the owners of the car let him take control of the wheel at all let alone try to brake speed records.
i just hope theres a happy ending here somewhere for the man know as hamster
but i've been watching news on this and one report (sky news)said that he has only made 6 pass's ever in the car to build up to that speed.now i've only been a driver of a drag car a short time (around 5 years)and it took me a couple seasons to realy get feel for racing a drag car and build up high speed (et's and mph)im now running 9sec 1/4's (any drag racers will know what im mean here).i think even if he'd had 6 months training for it this was just an accident waiting to happen and im surprised no shocked the owners of the car let him take control of the wheel at all let alone try to brake speed records.
i just hope theres a happy ending here somewhere for the man know as hamster
I can't believe that RH just rolled up at the airfield that morning, jumped into Vampire and made a few runs without previous experience of some kind as the press are trying to put about. If this is true then 'very silly' is one thrase that come to mind. I,m sure that this is far from the truth though, as I,m sure that Colin Fallows would not allow this to happen.
Having said that though, surely a jet dragster must be one of the safest to drive at any sort of speed as there are no 'driven wheels' only thrust, therefore loss of traction or tyre shake etc are not an issue, there are no gears to mess up and braking is very limited (mainly a shute). I,m not trying to belittle anyone who drives these awesome machines, but compared with a fueler it must be a safer and easier ride. I can only imagine a blow out causing this accident, but we must what and see.
The main thing is that we all wish RH well and hope that he makes a full and speedy recovery.
Having said that though, surely a jet dragster must be one of the safest to drive at any sort of speed as there are no 'driven wheels' only thrust, therefore loss of traction or tyre shake etc are not an issue, there are no gears to mess up and braking is very limited (mainly a shute). I,m not trying to belittle anyone who drives these awesome machines, but compared with a fueler it must be a safer and easier ride. I can only imagine a blow out causing this accident, but we must what and see.
The main thing is that we all wish RH well and hope that he makes a full and speedy recovery.
Ian V said:
I can't believe that RH just rolled up at the airfield that morning, jumped into Vampire and made a few runs without previous experience of some kind as the press are trying to put about. If this is true then 'very silly' is one thrase that come to mind. I,m sure that this is far from the truth though, as I,m sure that Colin Fallows would not allow this to happen.
Having said that though, surely a jet dragster must be one of the safest to drive at any sort of speed as there are no 'driven wheels' only thrust, therefore loss of traction or tyre shake etc are not an issue, there are no gears to mess up and braking is very limited (mainly a shute). I,m not trying to belittle anyone who drives these awesome machines, but compared with a fueler it must be a safer and easier ride. I can only imagine a blow out causing this accident, but we must what and see.
The main thing is that we all wish RH well and hope that he makes a full and speedy recovery.
Having said that though, surely a jet dragster must be one of the safest to drive at any sort of speed as there are no 'driven wheels' only thrust, therefore loss of traction or tyre shake etc are not an issue, there are no gears to mess up and braking is very limited (mainly a shute). I,m not trying to belittle anyone who drives these awesome machines, but compared with a fueler it must be a safer and easier ride. I can only imagine a blow out causing this accident, but we must what and see.
The main thing is that we all wish RH well and hope that he makes a full and speedy recovery.
Jet powered cars are inherantly dangerous, thats why you don't see them racing here anymore, and they are limited to 260mph.
The problem is, that unlike a whell driven car, if something goes wrong, the wheels leave the ground, and in theory they start to slow.
With a jet it can do just what it was designed for, and it does not care wether its wheels are on the ground or not.
That said, my foughts are with Mr Hammond and His family, its not good to see anyone hurt.
"Jet powered cars are inherantly dangerous, thats why you don't see them racing here anymore, and they are limited to 260mph. "
Jet cars are no more inherantly dangerous than Fuel Funny cars,Top Fuelers or even AA/FA (Which, it could be argued are 'more dangerous'.
The reason that they don't race *each other* is because the FIA/MSA do not like the idea of two jets running side by side not because they are more dangerous when running against each other.
At the Fireworks meeting about 6 years ago they ran two against each other, because it was a non FIA event.
And this is common practice in the US as well, Not at NHRA events, because they have the same rules as the FIA.
The restriction to less than 300 (Not 260) is due to the insurance cover...
That's why Martin Hill got his wrists 'slapped' for running 338 at the pod.
Remember also that's why Sammy Miller used to run over here in Vanishing Point, because the NHRA Insurance limited him to 280mph, whereas our insurance didn't.
Jet cars are no more inherantly dangerous than Fuel Funny cars,Top Fuelers or even AA/FA (Which, it could be argued are 'more dangerous'.
The reason that they don't race *each other* is because the FIA/MSA do not like the idea of two jets running side by side not because they are more dangerous when running against each other.
At the Fireworks meeting about 6 years ago they ran two against each other, because it was a non FIA event.
And this is common practice in the US as well, Not at NHRA events, because they have the same rules as the FIA.
The restriction to less than 300 (Not 260) is due to the insurance cover...
That's why Martin Hill got his wrists 'slapped' for running 338 at the pod.
Remember also that's why Sammy Miller used to run over here in Vanishing Point, because the NHRA Insurance limited him to 280mph, whereas our insurance didn't.
Another point to bear in mind is that it's reported that he had completed the 'record' runs and the one he crashed on was a 'tracking' shot...
Lets get real guys, it was a racing accident and racing accidents happen.
I don't believe that he just turned up and jumped into the car, any more than I believe that Colin would have let him drive if he didn't think he could handle the car.
Remember Dennis Priddle and the Tomorrows World streamliner?
Maggie Philbin was taught to drive that and in the end Priddle wouldn't let her do it because he felt that she was scared.
And anyone who saw what that car did off the line said he was right...
Lets get real guys, it was a racing accident and racing accidents happen.
I don't believe that he just turned up and jumped into the car, any more than I believe that Colin would have let him drive if he didn't think he could handle the car.
Remember Dennis Priddle and the Tomorrows World streamliner?
Maggie Philbin was taught to drive that and in the end Priddle wouldn't let her do it because he felt that she was scared.
And anyone who saw what that car did off the line said he was right...
Edited by 1960Zody on Friday 22 September 16:37
Edited by 1960Zody on Friday 22 September 16:40
AFD said:
Jet powered cars are inherantly dangerous,
Race cars are inherently dangerous though, as are Smart Cars. Electricity is also inherently dangerous. So is water. And crossing the road. For all the above, the risk is assessed, mitigated as far as possible, and then the activity goes on.
hornet said:
Weren't side by side jet runs at sanctioned events in the UK discontinued as a result of the Hellbender crash?
Yes.
1960Zody said:
At the Fireworks meeting about 6 years ago they ran two against each other, because it was a non FIA event.
I'm not sure about that...I'm pretty sure its at any event, National B or not national B. Im sure they were staggered, not actually side by side or [quote=John Price]"door handle to door handle"[quote] Since 1986 i have never seen a match race between jets.. Please prove me wrong someone...
Edited by Miss Corrado on Saturday 23 September 15:05
If I remember rightly the two jet cars - Fireforce's- where on the track at the same time and launched together but were not allowed to 'race' -one did a full track pass & the other a half pass, powering off at mid point down the track - I got a burn on my furry hat (it WAS November in the middle of a airfield alright)from a spark when they were flaming up! (I was in 'the cage' next to the track)
Question - given that jets can't race at sanctioned events in the UK now, are they required to conform to a certain safety spec? For example, does Fireforce have to meet a given spec to run as an exhibition vehicle?
Not for a moment doubting the safety of Vampire - Hammond is still alive and with no broken bones, which sounds like a decent safety performance for such a high speed crash - just genuinely curious. Presumably official LSR attempts have to meet certain requirements, but if this wasn't flagged as one, what would the requirements be beyond on site medical backup?
Another thought - could/should drag racing adopt something like the HANS device?
Not for a moment doubting the safety of Vampire - Hammond is still alive and with no broken bones, which sounds like a decent safety performance for such a high speed crash - just genuinely curious. Presumably official LSR attempts have to meet certain requirements, but if this wasn't flagged as one, what would the requirements be beyond on site medical backup?
Another thought - could/should drag racing adopt something like the HANS device?
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