Associated Press
Las Vegas Motor Speedwayís ělimitlessî racing surface was singled out Thursday as a significant factor in a ěperfect stormî of conditions that led to the death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon.
Wheldon was killed Oct. 16 during the seriesí season finale when his car sailed 325 feet through the air into a catchfence, and his head hit a post in the fence. The blow created a ěnon-survivable injury.î
In the wake of the 15-car wreck, many criticized CEO Randy Bernard and IndyCar for creating a deadly mix of circumstances ó offering a jobless Wheldon the chance to earn a $5 million bonus if he could drive from the back of a 34-car field to Victory Lane on a high-banked oval, where a field of mixed experience levels had enough room to race three-wide at over 220 mph.
But IndyCar president Brian Barnhart dismissed those factors and focused instead on Vegasí multi-grooved wide racing surface that heightened the dangers of pack racing on a high-banked oval.
The IndyCar, with open wheels and an open cockpit, is not suited for the pack racing that develops on ovals. Unlike NASCAR, where cars bump and bang on every lap, any contact in an IndyCar results in either a crash or a slew of broken parts.
ěRacing grooves not only restrict driversí naturally aggressive racing behavior, but make the location of another competitorís car on the racetrack more predictable,î the report said.
But when the race began at Vegas, the packed 34-car field was all over the track ó movement series officials did not expect despite driversí warnings.
ěThe ability of the drivers to race from the bottom of the racetrack all the way up to the wall and run limitless is not a condition weíve experienced before,î Barnhart said. ěI donít think we were expecting it to be any different from what weíd experienced in the last decade at places like Chicagoland, Kentucky, Fontana and Texas. …
ěWe were never expecting to be able to run from the top to the bottom (at Las Vegas).î
Most ovals have one or two racing grooves.
Drivers, however, predicted as early as preseason testing that Las Vegas would be hairy and repeated those warnings during the buildup to the race.
ěWe knew that was the case before we even started the race, because itís been the case at (ovals) where you can run multi-grooves,î driver Will Power, who broke his back in the accident, told The Associated Press.
ěThe biggest problem we face is itís almost like driving on the highway at full speed and you canít get away from anyone,î he said. ěItís the same thing NASCAR has with Daytona and Talladega, and when they have the big one, the consequences arenít nearly as bad as in IndyCar.
ěWe canít race in a pack. You just canít in open-wheelers. Thereís no room for error.î
Bernard said the report was shared with Wheldonís widow, Susie, on Wednesday evening, and she spoke with both Barnhart and Bernard afterward.
ěShe talked to Brian Barnhart primarily about the investigation because I felt it was important for Brian to educate her,î Bernard said. ěMy conversation with her was about some other questions and family matters that she wanted to discuss.î
Just a day shy of the two-month anniversary of Wheldonís death, IndyCar is struggling to move forward.
The 2012 schedule has yet to be released, although Bernard hoped to have it out by Friday. At issue was whether the IndyCar is suited for any high-banked ovals. Bernard already has bought his way out of Year 2 of the Las Vegas contract. The third and final year of the lease agreement is up for review.
GOLF
LONDON ó Top-ranked Luke Donald has added the European Tourís golfer of the year award to his PGA Tour player of the year honor for 2011.
The 34-year-old Englishman won three titles on the European Tour and finished in the top 10 in 20 of his 26 tournaments worldwide, helping him become the first player to officially win money lists on both sides of the Atlantic.
Donald says ěI will certainly look back on this year with a lot of fond memories.î
He received the most votes from a judging panel featuring golf journalists and commentators to beat 2011 major winners Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Charl Schwartzel.