Crail drag strip accident

[ViperPict]

Anyone there and know what happened? I was supposed to be racing today but unforeseen mechanical issues prevented me...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-ea...

[MintyChris]

Strange. Serious head injuries suggest a roll so perhaps a blow out at speed.

[northnoble]

Was there yesterday (but left about an hour before the accident) and spent quite a while chatting to the lad...he has been at Crail quite a few times before (modded Clio) so wasn't new to the track etc. He was trying hard to keep up with the times being set throughout the day though!

Can only think he clipped a track layout tyre causing the clio to roll. Hope he gets better soon!

[mazdajason]

Is he running some serious power?
I mean the track is wide enough for you to correct if you do go a bit wonky at the start!

[northnoble]

mazdajason said:

Is he running some serious power?
I mean the track is wide enough for you to correct if you do go a bit wonky at the start!

Not really (200 ish at most I think). Know what you mean about the track being wide enough (apart from hairpin at far end)!!

[Mr Trophy]

What was he in? RS 200?

[mazdajason]

Yea the hairpin at the far end is a nightmare to get round in any car bigger than a smart, waaaaay too tight.
Where abouts on teh course did he crash, was it at the hairpin?

[AMD87]

MintyChris said:

Strange. Serious head injuries suggest a roll so perhaps a blow out at speed.

Or that his head hit the rollcage as crail don't make you wear a helmet.

[Don Veloci]

Was this the track or the strip?

Unless things have changed I cannot imagine the space to slow and the turn at the end of the strip being a problem.

[Daverb]

AMD87 said:

Or that his head hit the rollcage as crail don't make you wear a helmet.

I think that (at the very least) will change now.

[sam919]

Race in the loosest of terms. Crail lets face it was an accident waiting to happen.....its not safe, its not a proper track. If it was at knockhill, this wouldnt have happened for the sake of a few more quid for a properly run and monitored trackday or evening. If he didnt have a helmet on then you have to deal with the consequences, hope he gets better but i doubt he'll not wear a helmet again.

You get what you pay for.

[northnoble]

[quote=Don Veloci]Was this the track or the strip?

It was on the Time Attack course!

[ViperPict]

Not wearing a helmet on the track or strip is a no-no!

[mrmr96]

ViperPict said:

Not wearing a helmet on the track or strip is a no-no!

[AMD87]

also took off his seatbelt...
http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2011/08/22/race-cras...

[dudleybloke]

wtf was he doing?
no lid is bad enough but taking the belt off too?

its the sort of thing you would expect a stupid 17yr old to do, not a 46 year old.

[Billy_rfc]

It's understandably quiet on there Facebook page, but if its true this guy was on the course without his belt on! What an idiot! No helmet on the time attack is bad enough but no seat belt! Stupid.

[dudleybloke]

iv never heard of anyone wearing a seatbelt getting thrown through the windscreen.
was it a rwyb day?

[ViperPict]

I'm presuming that if H+S don't close them down then wearing a helmet will now be mandatory for all on the track or strip. As it should be!

[scz4]

I'm not sure of the circumstances, but it could have been a subconcious action.

Many years ago I was driving down a snow rutted road and my car started doing a 360 spin very close to a wall. When we stopped (without hitting anything) my passenger was horrified when she realised she'd removed her seatbelt during the spin.

Her thougths after were she wanted out of the situation and seatbelt was stopping her from doing so. Very strange.