Posted on 06/17/2007 8:14:53 PM PDT by kcvl
Selmer, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities in Selmer, Tennessee, now say six, not seven, people died after a drag-racing car went out of control and careened into a crowd of spectators.
A Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman says the fatalities include two 15-year-old girls and a 17 year-old girl. The accident injured 18 others, including a five-year-old boy.
Authorities have identified the driver as pro drag racer Troy Warren Critchley, an Australian who is now based in Wylie, Texas. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
(Excerpt) Read more at tampabays10.com ...
I dont understand why he lit it up so much for so long with people on the sidelines.
Did the throttle get stuck?
What a nightmare.
And drug testing, no doubt.
Run for your life, if an Australian says, “Hey! Watch this!” It’s more than a redneck joke.
It doesn’t appear that they were even on a track, but downtown. I was wondering about that too and the small bit of footage I saw appears to be a regular street.
They were doing a burnout on a regular street. Can you imagine anyone thinking that was a good idea?
In the news site’s video report, you can see the accident in front of what looks to be a Sonic Drive In.
I can imagine an idiot that knows nothing about the sport and a idiot that knows nothing about a pro-stock think it was a good ideal just before he started killing people.
Was he driving the dragster on a public road? Looks like it was in town.
More info, pictures, here: Update: Witnesses question why dragster allowed to speed down Tenn. parade
These types of exhibitions take place more than people realize.
It is a tragedy.
"Burnout" is a proceedure used before the actual race. It consists of rolling through a watered-down area (to reduce traction) then hitting throttle to mid-range; this gets tires spinning very fast while car is moving very slow. The process heats the tires up and lays warm rubber down across the starting line. In Pro Mod, the burnout continues across start line to a point 100'-300' down track, where driver stops, then backs up, being careful to remain in the rubber he just laid down, to starting line. The actual race will begin shortly after that. Speeds during a Pro Mod burnout will seldom exceed about 50-60 mph.
Pro Mod. This is a class of drag racer that has become very popular in last 10 years, as it features cars that look like cars that raced in drag racing's early years. Primarily, there are two types of Pro Mod's - nitrous & extreme. The car that crashed was an extreme, meaning supercharged engine, burning ethanol fuel. These engines are capable of 8,000 hosrepower when burning nitromethane, but the alcohol version used in Pro Mod is 3,000-4,000 HP. The car that crashed has gone 248 MPH in 1/4 mile, and about 196 in 1/8th mile. Bodies are usually pre '71, with early Corvettes, Camaros, 55-57 Chevies, 50's Studebakers, 40's Willys being among the most popular.
THE CRASH CAR. Troy Critchley is part of a two car team sponsored by AMS Staff Leasing. The car is a '71 'Cuda, supercharged on alcohol, and is named "Jackhammer". AMS also sponsors the largest Pro Mod league, called the AMS Pro Mod Challenge, which is featured at 8 NHRA National events per year. The two AMS cars are currently among the top five in the class, with the other AMS car, "Dr. Moon's Rage" being no. 1. Extreme Pro Mods are among the most unpredictable drag racing vehicles, having fairly short wheelbases and copious horsepower. They are a handfull.
THE CRASH. The video shows a rather long burnout past the photog's position, with car swerving into left lane at full throttle, then off left side of highway.
I really think the video is deceiving, it is poor quality from a poor vantage point. Having seen thousands of burnouts, it appears as though he comes off throttle, the car swerves left, he tries to correct, then rear-end slides left & he loses all control and goes off road on left side. These are ill-handling cars on a smooth & level racing surface that has been specially prepared with racing compounds. The accident happened on a crowned highway, sloping, with questionable, at best, traction.
Burnouts, with their noise & smoke, are very entertaining, making them popular at a venue such as this.
BUT, with such a powerfull, unpredictable car, the burnout should be done in a cleared area, and should not be allowed to continue out of the watered down area. This would limit speeds to around 10-15 MPH.
The AMS team is professional, this was not a professional act, so there will be many repercussions felt by many.
I would be surprised to see the AMS Pro Mod Series survive. Perhaps another company will come along to sponsor it, but I sure can't imagine AMS continuing to be involved.
Insurance premiums for all drag racers may be affected. As usual, many will pay for the sins of a few.
To close, as a long-time drag racer and fan, occassional tragedies are to be expected in high-speed motorsports, but one expects them to occur in spite of precautions, not as a result of no precautions.
My family knows some of those killed. And several who lost legs, due to this stupid stunt. The injured and dead are mostly young people, in their 20s. Seven dead, so far. For what?
That pretty well sums up my thoughts on the matter.
Another bad thing besides the horrific accident is that this was a “Cars for Kids” charity event. They do good work.
http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/investigation-into-drag-racing-deaths-continues/102249.htm
Wow, have you seen the video?
The articles kept mentioning burnout and I assumed he attempted a regular burnout and lost the rear of the vehicle because of the hard city street. He basically just floored it down the city street. This was no burnout, just idiocy.
The organizers knew better, and the driver definitely knew better.
Speed, smoke, and noise.
The event has been occuring for 18 years, burnouts are evidently (according to police chief) an established custom.
Accidents can, and do, happen; but they are just that - accidents.
That said, having a Pro Mod do a full burnout next to an unprotected crowd is poor judgement at best, negligent manslaughter at worst.
Idiots, they never thought about safety. Sometimes even grown-ups are stupid.
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