A tragic end to the season
It’s coming to the end of another long, but hugely enjoyable season, with just a couple more meetings to go before the winter break. Once again the summer seems to have passed in a blur of 5.30 starts, motorway coffees and late arrivals home on Sunday night. Along the way I have been lucky enough to see some super racing, meet some great people, and work with some of the best commentators in the UK.
However for myself and much of the motorsports community the season is finishing under a black cloud following the tragic events of the past fortnight. The accidents that claimed the lives of Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli will haunt the sport over the winter. Whilst always a tragedy, there is something especially tough about fatal accidents occurring at the end of the season as it simply not possible to race the pain away.
Likewise, I believe that both accidents will be damaging to Indycar and Moto GP, albeit for different reasons.
Following events in Las Vegas a number of commentators noted that there had been the fear of a similar accident for quite some time. Certainly I have been uncomfortable watching the superspeedway oval races for some time (I know Las Vegas isn’t a superspeedway but it’s a lot quicker than, say, Milwauke) with huge packs of cars running very closely together piloted by drivers of vastly different experience. As any experienced racer will tell you, the problem with a pure slipstreamer on an essentially flat out circuit, is that it flatters the slower drivers and enables them to run far closer to the leaders than would normally be the case. As it was the accident was as bad as motorsport has ever seen, with cars being launched skywards at terrifying speeds. That Dan was the only victim is nothing short of astonishing.
Next year Indycar will have a new car, one with partially enclosed rear wheels, this will supposedly prevent the spate of airborne incidents we have seen in recent seasons. However, Indycar will be without one of its iconic drivers. Maybe Dan Wheldon wasn’t well known to UK race fans, but as a double winner of the Indy 500 he is one of the sport’s legends. His was the perfect American story, overcoming adversity (lack of budget) and using his talent to reach the top of his sport. I sadly never had the chance to meet him, but by all accounts he was great company and over the past couple of years had found true happiness.
I found the incident particularly troubling as during the commentary at the Formula Ford Festival we had mentioned Dan on a couple of occasions. I fully intended to watch the race when I got in from Brands, but feeling under the weather and not wanting to watch loads of adverts, Serie A got the nod instead, with Indycar highlights to follow in the morning.
My reaction to Dan’s accident was one of profound sadness, whereas Sunday’s accident for Marco Simoncelli was a kick in the guts.
Like millions I had been watching the 2011 Moto GP season more closely than for a couple of years because I was rooting for Marco Simoncelli. His fluid all action style was flattering to the otherwise dull 800’s, whilst his robust overtaking took me back to the final days of the 500s when Max and Valentino bashed fairings at Suzuka. Once more Moto GP was where the racing was. The ride through penalty at Le Mans seemed unjust and thereafter I couldn’t wait for him to start racking up the podiums and wins.
As with Valentino Rossi a decade earlier Marco had all the makings of being the future of the sport. Aside from being spectacular on track, he was delightful off it. In an era where the top riders have a demeanour that suggests the team are holding a pistol to their pet puppy back in the pits, Marco genuinely seemed to love what he was doing, and the fans adored him for it.
The accident itself was simply a tragedy, exacerbated by the irony that Marco was hit by surrounding riders in a race that had the lowest number of starters for some time. This was the sort of incident you expect to see in a 40 bike superstock race, not a 16 bike Moto GP race.
For Moto GP this incident is doubly damaging. Firstly the sport has lost a (potential) superstar who was going to spearhead the next generation in the fans affections. Riders with Marco’s exuberance and personality don’t come along every day. Secondly the series now has some serious image issues with regards to the treatment of injured riders.
The last three fatal in race incidents have seen the riders being unceremoniously hauled off the circuit, in two cases with the stretcher being dropped. I don’t know the medical ins and outs of the correct protocol, but as someone who is used to slow and deliberate driver stabilisations in all serious incidents to see the riders being scooped off the track and then dropped is shocking. Maybe there was nothing that could be done, but for the teams and spectators the medical team working in-situ with the ambulance coming onto the circuit is more palatable and reassuring.
Comparing the handling of Marco’s incident on Sunday with the immediate and comprehensive medical support that was on the scene in seconds at Las Vegas a week earlier does not show Moto GP in a very good light.
Both Moto GP and Indycar are moving into a brave new world in 2012, with new regulations, new machinery, but without two of its brightest stars. Fans want to see close racing, with charismatic competitors taking the big risks. The appeal of motorsport has always, partly, been based on the clear and present danger of the speeds, and huge strides have been made to improve safety in recent seasons, but throughout 2011 there have been too many big accidents in Moto GP and Indycar, and finally the luck ran out. Hopefully 2012 will bring a happier end to the season.
