Indy Car Design Flaw?
First of all, I have to say that my sympathy and prayers go out to the family and friends of Tony Renna, who died tragically last Wednesday while testing tires at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Although he's gone, I'm certain that he won't be forgotten, and although there may be some solace in believing that he died doing what he loved best, it still doesn't help to fill the void left by the loss of the 26 year old rising star.
The recent crashes of Mario Andretti, Kenny Brack, and Tony Renna within the past year tend to lead one to believe that there's a major design flaw in the Indy race cars. When Andretti wrecked last May during a practice session for the Indy 500, his car slid sideways before going airborne into the fence. The same thing happened last week when Tony Renna lost his life testing tires is his first outing in Chip Ganassi Racing's No. 10 Target sponsored Toyota. Renna's car is reported to have slid sideways before going airborne into the fencing.
Having the cars smash into the fencing is bad business, not only for the drivers, but for the fans in the grandstands. When Kenny Brack's car hit the fence, it tore it up so bad that the race had to be shortened because it would have taken over two hours to repair it, and it wasn't feasible because there were only five laps remaining. Parts of Brack's car went through the fencing in an area void of spectators.
When Tony Renna's car hit the fence; it tore up the fencing even worse. At speeds nearing 218 miles per hour, Renna's car disintegrated much the same as Brack's car did. The gearbox went through the fence into the stands, along with some suspension parts, destroying the first tier of the grandstand in that area. If there had been fans sitting there, a multitude of them would have been killed instantly. The cockpit/safety cage with Renna still in it became ensnared in the fence and hung there, dangling until the safety crew lowered it down. Renna was killed by massive trauma to the head and chest as the cockpit raked through the fence.
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