F3 Macau crash

[themast]

Originally Posted by 77T

I wouldn’t necessarily call it a driver mistake, it was the green flag lap and cars were bunched - she was just caught out unsighted by the driver ahead of her who hit the brakes.

The reaction time in such close quarters on the first lap usually leads to contact. But in this case it caused a 180° spin and multiple issues that resulted in an airborne condition.

There was little chance anything broke so early in the race - and with the damage done to the chassis/suspension even less chance to know after the fact.

But a lack of hubris could be a factor some might call driver error. Incautiously approaching the turn at speed could have been a contributing factor.

I deal with this many times a year with very young drivers. It is hard to overstate their feelings of invulnerability which results from adolescent risk assessment capacity coupled with over-reliance on the strength of modern race car safety measures. Oftentimes they place their car in a position that more experienced drivers know can lead to disastrous results.

Not pointing fingers, just sharing some angles of thought while the story unfolds.




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I agree, contacts in those situation happen all the time and at any level. I think the uniqueness of this accident is that the car went 180 and airborne right up the initial contact thus becoming a "bullet" (if you wish) without any chance of deceleration since it was not in contact with the ground. At least this is my current understanding based on other people's account. This is why I was asking for the additional footage.

Originally Posted by 77T

FIA has all the cars’ videos - F3 cars all have forward and rear facing cameras. So cars behind the incident (upstream as you say) as well as the one who she hit will have video. But the videos may still not indicate the exact cause.


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Ok. Hopefully these will shed some light.

[rmlovett1]

Unbelievable! Miracle there’s no casualties

[HK Islandboy]

Originally Posted by V25V

Macau always brings out the worst accidents. What's more amazing is that bikes run there....


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Agreed
I have attended the Macau GP numerous times, but just cannot bring myself to watch the bikes

[GB-man]

Insane. Miracle nobody is dead

[SDRider]

Originally Posted by 1st amg

The velocity of her being airborne is something I have never seen like this.

This is why wheel to wheel contact in open wheel racing is so dangerous. It just launches one of the cars up into the air.

[tritium8]

https://www.motorsport.com/f3/news/s...lysis/4300061/

[tritium8]

Originally Posted by joeychitwood

While driving down the highway at 80 mph, I sometimes wonder what it would be like going from 80 to 0 mph in a space of ten feet. Now imagine going from 170 to 0 against a building. I'm surprised she survived the G-forces of the declaration.

It sounds like she was extremely lucky to hit the fence which took longer to slow her (fewer Gs) vs. the tire barrier or another car. The also hit backwards which most likely saved her neck, literally.

[imperio]

Was not expecting that.
!!!!!!!

[77T]

Originally Posted by tritium8

It sounds like she was extremely lucky to hit the fence which took longer to slow her (fewer Gs) vs. the tire barrier or another car. The also hit backwards which most likely saved her neck, literally.

I know it would seem that way, but if you look at the video, her cockpit actually accelerated as the rear of the chassis caught the fence. It takes some slow-mo scrubbing to see it on YouTube.

Newton’s 2nd law went to work after the rearward chassis work struck the top of the fence and transferred the initial straight line momentum into rotational force whereby the G’s increase. Just like a skater who launches into a spin.

The luck was in her cockpit’s location being between strands of Armco that made up the photogs bunker when the car hit it.


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[themast]

Originally Posted by tritium8

https://www.motorsport.com/f3/news/s...lysis/4300061/

I read quickly but according to this analysis the brakes were disabled after the first collision.

Whether or not the brakes were disabled, I am wondering how much lift acted on the car since it was running backward. Perhaps even with working brakes the car has little down force when going backward at high speed.

[Burlington]

Wow - how that was survivable is truly remarkable

[77T]

Originally Posted by themast

I read quickly but according to this analysis the brakes were disabled after the first collision.



Whether or not the brakes were disabled, I am wondering how much lift acted on the car since it was running backward. Perhaps even with working brakes the car has little down force when going backward at high speed.

Race car aero, when traveling backwards, has almost identical Cd as your SUV - that of a rock.



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[77T]

FWIW, she is out of a 7-hr. Surgery that was deemed successful by surgeons - now a long road to recovery.


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[R!$]

wowzers