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Old 07-12-2010, 02:02 AM   #1
ZfrkS62
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Just south of Confused
Posts: 7,647
Default Mark Niver killed at Northwest Nationals

Few details, but story here

I was at the NHRA Northwest Nationals today when an Alcohol Dragster driven by 60 year old Mark Niver failed to stop after his 216mph run in the semi finals.

At the end of the track, Mark triggered his parachutes which are designed to severely slow the car so that the driver can stop it using the brakes. However, as soon as the 'chutes deployed, they tore off the car, leaving Mark to rely on the brakes which are only fitted to the front wheels. He was unable to get the car under control and speared head on into the catch net at the far end of the track. It took awhile to get him extracted from the car, and he was immediately transported to a nearby hospital where he would succumb to his injuries. His final run set high speed of the day and would have advanced him into the finals. His competitor for the final race declined to take the tree out of respect for the 30 year veteran of the sport.

A horrific crash is enough to remind everyone of the dangers of racing, but for someone to lose their life is completely unnecessary. Given the set up of Pacific Raceways, I can see how a net at the very end of the track is the easiest thing to come up with and implement to get a runaway car stopped since the last 1/4 mile, or so, of pavement is the second half of the road course's front straight, followed by a short sand/gravel trap just before the net, but consider the worst case scenario: a Top Fuel dragster breaks the finish line timing beam at over 300mph (Tony Schumacher hit 322.19mph today) and for whatever reason, the 'chutes fail to deploy at all. There is no possible way that net can stop the car slow enough to save the driver. Something closer to the arresting cables used on aircraft carriers is the only thing that I can think of that is capable of stopping a car in short amount of time. Hopefully when the dragstrip is relocated in the next couple of years, this will be a non issue and they will have a proper system in place.

RIP Mark.
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