Automobile Racing Has Taken It's Toll

Many fatalities during races or qualifying, practice and testing have decreased in modern years. After Dan Wheldon's death last year, I compiled a list of racers killed in major racing organizations throughout the world since 2000. It is a stark reminder of the mortality racers face every time out on the track. Scott Goodyear said he never realized how close to death racers were on virtually every lap of every race. It wasn't until he was sidelined that he realized it. It wasn't long after that he retired.

There has been trajedy in automobile racing almost from the first. Long before any organized races took place, men who were able to make their cars go as fast as possible have misjudged their own ability, or reacted slowly or incorrectly to the new paradigm of "at speed" physical forces. Many, many racers have been killed in their own neighborhoods never making it onto this list. But here it is. Each one a professional, each one deserving of acknowledgment:

2001
Alexander Blaise, ARCA race Lowes Motor Speedway
Michele Alboreto, Sportscar racing, Audi R8
Dennis Brooks, Nascar Auto City, Michigan International Raceway
Dale Earnhardt, Daytona 500

2002
Bob Akin, Historic sportscar race
Jeff Clinton, Grand Am practice
Fritz Glatz, Euroboss Race
John Lingenfelter, Pamona NHRA
Eric Martin, ARCA Practice
Nolan White, Bonneville Land Speed Record Attempt

2003
Stewart McColl, Production Car, Philip Island, Australia
Mark Lovell, SCCA Rally
Tony Renna, IRL Testing, Indianapolis

2004
Darrell Russel, Madison NHRA
Tom Baldwin, NASCAR Whelen
Marcelo Nunez, NASCAR Monterrey, Mexico

2005
Michael Park, World Rally Wales

2006
Jorg Bastuck, World Rally Catalunya
Peter Brock, Targa West Rally
Paul Dana, Indy Car Homestead
Steve King, Sprint Car Knoxville
Mark Porter, V8 Supercars, Australia

2007
Eric Medlin, Gainsville NHRA
Ryan Bark, IMCA Sportmod
John Blewett III, NASCAR Whelen
Billy Kimmel, Sprint Car
Wanda Philips, Lonesome Pine
Stan Perry, Super Late Model

2008
Ove Andersson, Classic Rally
Ashley Cooper, Support race, V8 Supercars, Australia
Shane Hammone, Midget Race
Scott Kalitta, Englishtown NHRA

2009
Carlos Pardo, NASCAR Mexico
Henry Surtees, Formula 2 Brands Hatch

2010
Mark Niver, Kent, Wa., NHRA
Neal Parker, Englishtown NHRA

2011
Guido Falaschi, Race at Fangio
Dan Wheldon, Indy Car Race Las Vegas

While the Indianapolis 500 has been held virtually every year (except during the war years), there have only been 24 drivers killed. Since NASCAR was organized on the beach at Daytona in the 40's, only 42 drivers have been killed during NASCAR sanctioned events, the first of which was "Slick" John Davis, in 1948 at a race at Greensboro, NC raceway.

Through the Champ Car years, only 4 drivers were killed. These years were between 1982 and when Champ Car dissolved and the Indy Racing League absorbed the teams in 2004:
Jim Hickman, August 1, 1982, Milwaukee
Jeff Krosnoff, July 14, 1996, Toronto
Gonzalo Rodriguez, September 11, 1999, Laguna Seca
Greg Moore, October 31, 1999, Fontana

Last year, the same weekend Wheldon was killed, a MotoX rider died from injuries he sustained during practice for an exhibition at a NASCAR race. Jim McNiel, November 6, 2011, Texas Motor Speedway.

During the previous week in a race in Malaysia, on October 23, 2011, veteran Italian MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli was tragically killed during the Malaysian Grand Prix. It was a costly two weeks for racers across the world.

Automobile and motorcycle racing has always been a dangerous proposition. The man or woman who straps themselves into a racecar or bike has a simple equation of dynamics to survive. While Newton's theory states that, among other things, an object in motion tends to stay in motion, racers get up on the wheel and try to change that formula.

The public has been attracted to these races since they were first organized. A large section watches for the accidents expectantly. Some fear it, and fear for the safety of the pilots. Rarely are pilots' untimely deaths as widely felt as in the case of Ayerton Senna, who drove an F1 car for Sir Frank Williams. The country of Brazil announced a national day of mourning, and hundreds of thousands paid tribute at the State funeral for their beloved son, Ayerton Senna de Silva. Senna is still probably the agreed upon greatest of all modern day racers. His career was cut short, and his exploits were tempered by the unquestioned brilliance of Alain Prost, French champion and Senna's arch-rival.

Among NASCAR fans, the day Dale Earnhardt died is a day inwhich all remember where they were when they heard. Being the dominating champion he was, Dale Earnhardt's death laid a serious blow to the theory that legendary drivers did not die. Speaking from personal experience, disbelief was followed by morose depression. He was an icon, and even though he earned his nickname "The Dominator" honestly, his rivals missed him as much as the up-and-coming drivers he befriended. During a career inwhich he accomplished almost everything there was to accomplish, including 7 Championships, he had never won the Daytona 500 until the year before. His victory lap that year was something that had never been seen before and never seen since: every member of every team came out on pit road to high five Dale as he passed by towards victory lane. The next year, Dale was holding off the pack as his son, Dale Jr and teammate Michael Waltrip went on to win the 500. Dale spun and impacted the wall during the final turn of the final lap, and as Michael's brother, broadcaster Darrell Waltrip stole a glance, Dale the Intimidator passed away from a freak accident inwhich his open faced helmet, a weak line of stiching and a deceptively furious impact combined to steal him from the sport.

Rip Dale Earnhardt, Febuary 18, 2001, Daytona 500

RIP ALL

-Katykarter