[DeTomaso] NPC: On-board video of Cobra crash at 130mph

Garth Rodericks garth_rodericks at yahoo.com
Fri Jan 20 19:57:08 EST 2012


Agreed, he had all the right equipment. Although with a kit car, I often gotta wonder if the "rollbar" is really proper thick wall tubing capable of withstanding roll forces.  I've gone to some kit car shows and seen some really shoddy home workmanship on some Cobra replicas. Good thing it wasn't a "gravity mounted" roll bar like one PCNC member's Triumph!  :)


It is interesting that it looks like the roll hoop never touched the ground. The windshield and frame is smashed, but the roll hoop doesn't even look scratched. +1 for a bit of luck and a properly engineered replica!  Spinning is one thing, but rolling is an entirely different matter!


A friend of mine took his Superformance Cobra to Run-n-Gun about 11 years ago (won fastest street Cobra, or some such award) and spun it on the track at 150+ (banked oval IIRC). His car was outfitted with proper safety equipment too, but he was also "thankful to be alive."  A lot can happen at those speeds!


Anyway, interesting video, and interesting to add his thoughts as commentary.

Keep the shiny side up!
Garth



________________________________
 From: "MikeLDrew at aol.com" <MikeLDrew at aol.com>
To: garth_rodericks at yahoo.com; detomaso at realbig.com 
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 4:29 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] NPC: On-board video of Cobra crash at 130mph
 


In a message dated 1/20/12 16 25 23, garth_rodericks at yahoo.com writes:



Lucky to be alive...
>

A little bit melodramatic, perhaps?   Given that the car was equipped with the necessary safety equipment (roll bar, racing harnesses) and the driver was fully equipped with safety gear as well, the positive outcome should have been completely expected.

If he had been drunk, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and not wearing his seat belt, and the car flipped over and he fell out as it rolled and then got up and walked away, THAT would satisfy the 'lucky to be alive' criteria, IMHO....

Mike (a big fan of roll bars and harnesses...)


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