What the Bloody Hell is Wrong?
by Gil Bouffard
7/28/2009

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Please Note: I Stand Corrected. In my original editorial comments, I said. "But, to my knowledge, none of the lower level racing series has that requirement (wheel tethers). To be sure, Formula Two does not, nor does Formula Renault! Here in America I can't remember seeing wheel tethers on Formula Atlantic racers, or any other open wheel racer for that matter!"

My comment was based on past observations. Formula 2 regulations does include the 2005-standard Formula 1 requirement for wheel tethers, and the current Swift Formula Atlantic and Indy Lights cars also have wheel tethers.

However, I stand by my belief that no open wheel race car at any level, including driving school cars, should be allowed on track without wheel tethers!

When I read the details of Henry Surtees' accident at Brands Hatch, England, my thoughts went back to the Jim Clark Gedächtnisrennen at the Hockenheimring in the spring of 1980. I was over by the Sachs Kurve inside the stadium section. The Sachs Kurve was a slow 'U' shaped turn. I was situated at the outside of the curve where I could photograph the cars as they accelerated away from the corner. There weren't many places on the Hockenheimring where you could get good shots. So, I sorta camped out at the Sachs Kurve, and believe me, I was not alone!.

The weekend's events included the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM), a Renault R5 race, Formula Fords and a Volkswagen Golf race. The highlight was the international Formula Two race named in honor of two time Grands Prix World Driver's Champion and Indy 500 Winner Jim Clark who had perished because of an accident in a Formula Two race at the Hockenheimring in 1968.

I was occupied taking photographs of the Formula Two racers when I heard that there had been a crash on the other side of the circuit. The track announcer said that it had been a terrible crash and I remember watching the Medical Helicopter take off. Later I was sitting with some friends who had been over on the other side of the circuit near the first turn where the accident had taken place. They told me that there had been a crash between Manfred Winkelhock and Andrea de Cesaris on the first corner and three other cars were involved. The Toleman of Derek Warwick had lost a rear wheel, it crashed into Markus Höttinger's cockpit, and they thought he was dead. It was purely a racing accident.

During much of my military career, I had been a flight crewman and knew something about, what we called, "Closing Speed." This is when you are traveling at 300 miles per hour and an airplane flying directly toward you is doing 300 miles per hour, the total speed is 600 miles per hour! It was fairly easy to understand; a heavy racing wheel torn from an automobile and hurtling toward a racing car traveling in excess of 120 miles per hour will collide at a speed greater than the racing car's 120 miles per hour. In the case of Höttinger's Formula Two car, the impact was so great as to bend the racing car's roll over bar!

Since that fatal Hockenheimring race and before the Formula Two race at Brands Hatch on 19 July 2009, there have been many open wheel racing crashes where wheels and parts have flown off the cars and a couple of times into spectator areas resulting in injuries and fatalities!

However, most people in auto racing can't remember anything past the end their nose!

Major racing series like Formula One (FIA?) and the IRL had/have mandated wheel tethers to insure that the wheels do not fly off and wreak havoc amongst the crowd. Formula 2 regulations include the 2005-standard Formula 1 provision for wheel tethers. The cars at Brands Hatch on 19 July had wheel tethers in place. However, for some reason they failed on both Jack Clarke's car and Henry's after the impact with the Sheene Curve bank.

I have viewed the accident video on YouTube involving Henry Surtees and while it looks like he tried to make an avoiding move, it was too late!

Now is the time for all open wheel racing sanctioning bodies to require the installation of wheel tethers on all open wheel racing cars! I don't care if it is a Sunday SCCA race or NHRA, IHRA, M-O-U-S-E (Whatever!) or a Formula Three, Formula Two, Formula Master, GP2, Formula BMW, Formula Ford, USAC Midget, Sprint Car, World of Outlaws or local track like Madera or Stockton 99! Any place any race track where open wheel races are held, the cars must not be allowed onto the track without sturdy viable wheel tethers!

It is as much for the safety of the spectators as it is for the racers!

We don't need any more young men like Henry Surtees to die in an accident not of their making!

Courtesy of http://www.fastlinesinternational.com/





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