Lizzerd
04-25-03, 02:45 AM
I've read and heard the same quotes from this link (http://espn.go.com/rpm/irl/2003/0423/1543659.html) here and elsewhere in the past couple days, but something still disturbes me, and I'm not sure what it is.
Mario said:
"There was no yellow light and it happened so fast there wasn't any time for anyone to warn me," he said. "I came out of Turn 1 at full throttle and all of the sudden there was debris everywhere.
"The debris was still moving across the track, so it wasn't like the accident had been sitting there for a second or two. I needed another second to react to it. If there would have been another second, they could have warned me."
Yet, if you have seen the video, he "flew" by a safety truck that was already on the track on its way to Brack's car, albeit on the inside apron. Brack's car had already come to a stop. I have been to that area of the speedway hundreds of times, and from where that truck was on the track on the video, it had to have left its post at least five seconds before Mario hit the debris. Granted, the truck probably left its post nearly immediately after Brack's contact, but five sesonds is a long time in racing terms.
Something just doesn't seem right here...
a) If what Mario said is right, that the yellow light hadn't been turned on, why was the truck on the track while it was still green?
b) If the yellow had been requested by the track observers in the vicinity, thus sending the truck onto the track, why wasn't it on when Mario arrived at the scene?
c) Did Mario miss seeing a yellow light that was indeed on?
d) Was Mario making excuses? Is his memory failing him? Did his pride get in the way of screwing up?
I don't know what the answer is, but somehow this incident reeks of lap 199 of the 2002 version of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing". I tend to believe Mario, that the yellow light had not been illuminated, but I admittedly say that with a bias.
It seems to me that absolutely nothing has been done to coordinate track lights with the observer stations, the dash lights in the cars, the tower, or the starter's flag. How the heck could the fiasco and resultant robbery of a legitimate win by PT last year not prompt some action by Boy George and his minions to prevent a similar incident? Especially one that coud have been injurious or worse?
If you wanna talk about circus clowns...
Mario said:
"There was no yellow light and it happened so fast there wasn't any time for anyone to warn me," he said. "I came out of Turn 1 at full throttle and all of the sudden there was debris everywhere.
"The debris was still moving across the track, so it wasn't like the accident had been sitting there for a second or two. I needed another second to react to it. If there would have been another second, they could have warned me."
Yet, if you have seen the video, he "flew" by a safety truck that was already on the track on its way to Brack's car, albeit on the inside apron. Brack's car had already come to a stop. I have been to that area of the speedway hundreds of times, and from where that truck was on the track on the video, it had to have left its post at least five seconds before Mario hit the debris. Granted, the truck probably left its post nearly immediately after Brack's contact, but five sesonds is a long time in racing terms.
Something just doesn't seem right here...
a) If what Mario said is right, that the yellow light hadn't been turned on, why was the truck on the track while it was still green?
b) If the yellow had been requested by the track observers in the vicinity, thus sending the truck onto the track, why wasn't it on when Mario arrived at the scene?
c) Did Mario miss seeing a yellow light that was indeed on?
d) Was Mario making excuses? Is his memory failing him? Did his pride get in the way of screwing up?
I don't know what the answer is, but somehow this incident reeks of lap 199 of the 2002 version of "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing". I tend to believe Mario, that the yellow light had not been illuminated, but I admittedly say that with a bias.
It seems to me that absolutely nothing has been done to coordinate track lights with the observer stations, the dash lights in the cars, the tower, or the starter's flag. How the heck could the fiasco and resultant robbery of a legitimate win by PT last year not prompt some action by Boy George and his minions to prevent a similar incident? Especially one that coud have been injurious or worse?
If you wanna talk about circus clowns...