Safety Issue With Brazil Layout

[Ernest Miller]

While watching the qualifying show, does anyone else find it unbelieveable that there is an expressway with tons of traffic right by the race course? How can this be? Surely that wouldn't be allowed to happen in a race in the United States. Those catch fences can't stop everything and I would be concerned as well with some local yokel pulling his car to the side of the road and throwing something over the fence. Why is this not an issue with league officials? Ernest

[mcman7890]

Nothing has happened the last 2 races.

[Scuff]

All the cars passing on that highway will be counted in the attendance figures for the race.Lets hope NBC keeps an eye on that highway. It could count as mid pack passing. Hopefully the rest stops are open under caution.

[Mikemat5150]

There is a pretty wide median in between the tollway and the track. Those drivers have got to be doing something really stupid too if they're getting over a catch fence on a mile long straight.

[Sea Fury]

I was actually wondering if an accident on the track might chuck something through or over the fence and cause a traffic accident.

[Since83]

It's no more dangerous than what any driver on that expressway might cause, race day or any other day of the year.

[Jed]

Anyone notice there were some shots of people on the highway I think near the first turn with cars driving by. Dangerous for them.

[ARROWZ46]

Ernesto... only you could toss out this passive-aggressive nonsense. I shouldn't even respond but...

The old "Molson Indy" layout at Toronto's Exhibition Place ran next to a section of the busy QEW.

Portland had access road bridges that could have invited "yokels" to throw things.

Many of the past & present street courses raced through urban areas with sky scrapers outside the track layout. Long Beach has many low & high rise building where drunken party goers using the race as a back drop could "cause trouble" & in 38 years NOTHING has happened to effect/endanger on track action

I could keep going to prove that your post only paints you as an extremely panicky alarmist

[Darth Airbox]

People often throw beer cans at cars going 220+ in Indianapolis so I wouldn't worry too much

[Mikemat5150]

I'm pretty sure there are thousands of people right outside the catch fence at Indy too... Maybe we should bring that up right after qualifying in May.

[Doc Austin]

Oh, the humanity.

People have been throwing stuff onto race tracks for decades now. Someone hit Bobby Issac's Dodge at Martinsville in 69 and took out the windshield. There's lots of examples of this kind of stuff. You just gotta know a little history.

This one was one of the most dangerous though..............

[railroad]

Ernesto... only you could toss out this passive-aggressive nonsense. I shouldn't even respond but...

The old "Molson Indy" layout at Toronto's Exhibition Place ran next to a section of the busy QEW.

Portland had access road bridges that could have invited "yokels" to throw things.

Many of the past & present street courses raced through urban areas with sky scrapers outside the track layout. Long Beach has many low & high rise building where drunken party goers using the race as a back drop could "cause trouble" & in 38 years NOTHING has happened to effect/endanger on track action

I could keep going to prove that your post only paints you as an extremely panicky alarmist

At least you cited some examples before the unprovoked name calling began.

[theracefanblog]

While watching the qualifying show, does anyone else find it unbelieveable that there is an expressway with tons of traffic right by the race course? How can this be? Surely that wouldn't be allowed to happen in a race in the United States. Those catch fences can't stop everything and I would be concerned as well with some local yokel pulling his car to the side of the road and throwing something over the fence. Why is this not an issue with league officials? Ernest

Yeah, in the US we just put a bunch of people on the other side of the fence.

[Snow61]

While watching the qualifying show, does anyone else find it unbelieveable that there is an expressway with tons of traffic right by the race course? How can this be? Surely that wouldn't be allowed to happen in a race in the United States. Those catch fences can't stop everything and I would be concerned as well with some local yokel pulling his car to the side of the road and throwing something over the fence. Why is this not an issue with league officials? Ernest

Maybe their locals aren't yokels in Brazil.

[Petro]

People often throw beer cans at cars going 220+ in Indianapolis so I wouldn't worry too much

But that's only on 465,

[Ernest Miller]

Ernesto... only you could toss out this passive-aggressive nonsense. I shouldn't even respond but...

The old "Molson Indy" layout at Toronto's Exhibition Place ran next to a section of the busy QEW.

Portland had access road bridges that could have invited "yokels" to throw things.

Many of the past & present street courses raced through urban areas with sky scrapers outside the track layout. Long Beach has many low & high rise building where drunken party goers using the race as a back drop could "cause trouble" & in 38 years NOTHING has happened to effect/endanger on track action

I could keep going to prove that your post only paints you as an extremely panicky alarmist

I will put you down as "We should keep doing this dangerous thing because nothing has happened yet." I on the other hand am not going to say its all right just because nothing has happened. Yet. It seems to me that piece of road should be shut down when they are qualifying and racing. Its common sense. Ernest

[Ernest Miller]

There is a pretty wide median in between the tollway and the track. Those drivers have got to be doing something really stupid too if they're getting over a catch fence on a mile long straight.

I just remember the 1994 CART race in Phoenix where an incident sent tires flying places you wouldn't think they would ever go. I want to say the incident involved Mario or Michael but I'm not for certain. I will look for it on youtube. Ernest

[Swaze]

Racing is Dangerous

Being at a Race Track can sometimes on rare occasions also be dangerous.

Danger is a part of racing........always has been and always will be.

[Ernest Miller]

Racing is Dangerous

Being at a Race Track can sometimes on rare occasions also be dangerous.

Danger is a part of racing........always has been and always will be.

Thank you Swaze for your comments. My point is this. Lets not make it more dangerous than it needs to be. It would be a simple thing to stop traffice for a few hours. Ernest

[Ernest Miller]

Here is the footage from Phoenix, 1994. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LtoHvtXJNc Ernest

[Swaze]

Thank you Swaze for your comments. My point is this. Lets not make it more dangerous than it needs to be. It would be a simple thing to stop traffice for a few hours. Ernest

You are somewhat right in that having traffic going over that overpass creates somewhat of a risk but let's keep it real here.......the risk is very very minimal and something truly freakish would have to happen. I'm sure IndyCar and the race organizers are well aware of it and came to the conclusion that the tiny amount of risk this working overpass creates is not worth shutting down the overpass for as it not only creates further traffic problems but also has a negative effect on the atmosphere of the race.

I've gotta admit it looks pretty cool when you are watching the race to see the cars racing under and active overpass like that and I'm sure that is exactly the reason they are keeping it open......because it looks cool on TV.

[sean26]

Ernest brings up a good point, remember when Dario's wing got clipped off in long beach 2 weeks ago, it went about 200 feet in the air, that could easily happen on that long straight a way and have the wind carry it into traffic

[vancecooley]

Just wondering... is this the first race there? No? Ok... moving on...

[German oval fan]

It can happen at any track. If I remember correctly, there was a strange accident at the Indy 500 when a kid that was playing in the back yard was hit by a tire or something.

[Miguel]

They have this race track in Bahrain with nothing around it for miles. Perhaps all motor racing events should be held there in the future.

[uncommonsense52]

Nothing has happened the last 2 races.

While I don't see anything exceptionally wrong with the Sao Paulo layout, this kind of thinking leads to some of the worst tragedies in anything.

[Unzerdog]

While I don't see anything exceptionally wrong with the Sao Paulo layout, this kind of thinking leads to some of the worst tragedies in anything.

It only takes one un- lucky number. it could be a 3, 26,or 38.

[David_Skywalker]

I would be more worried about a traffic accident affecting the race than a race accident affecting traffic...

[mdkiel]

At least you cited some examples before the unprovoked name calling began.

It's a kinder, gentler TF you see.

But that's only on 465,

[Grinder-Tank]

All the cars passing on that highway will be counted in the attendance figures for the race.Lets hope NBC keeps an eye on that highway. It could count as mid pack passing. Hopefully the rest stops are open under caution.

There's a pillow and blanket on that freeway with your name on it. Go to it and lie down.