Lamborghini tragedy at Disney World

At Disney racecar attraction, Lamborghini crashes, kills 1 - Yahoo News

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Lamborghini that was part of an exotic car racing attraction at Walt Disney World crashed into a guardrail, killing a passenger and injuring the driver on Sunday, police said.

The attraction lets racecar fans be drivers or passengers in luxurious cars such as Lamborghinis, Porsches or Ferraris.

It wasn't immediately clear if the driver was a track employee or a customer. The driver was hospitalized with minor injuries. The passenger was a 36-year-old man from nearby Davenport.

Their names were not immediately released.

The Lamborghini crashed when the driver lost control on the course at the Exotic Driving Experience, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, which was investigating.

A Disney spokeswoman declined comment.

At the track, customers pay anywhere from $200 to about $400 to drive five or six laps around a track with a professional driving instructor in the passenger seat offering advice, according to the Exotic Driving Experience's website.

The track is operated by Petty Holdings, which has other Exotic Driving Experience attractions at speedways in Atlanta, Daytona Beach, New Jersey, Kansas, New Hampshire and Texas.

In a statement, Petty Holdings said: "On behalf of everyone in the organization, it is with a very heavy heart that we extend our deepest sympathies to those involved in today's tragic accident in Orlando."

The Exotic Driving Experience, along with its sibling track, the Richard Petty Driving Experience, was slated to close this summer at Disney World for unrelated reasons.

 

Disney 'driving experience' crash: Passenger killed - CNN.com

 

Was it the instructor who died?

Update: Track manager died.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-richard-petty-fatality-20150412-story.html

 

From The Guardian:
He was believed to be the operations manager at the Richard Petty Driving Experience track.
Lamborghini crashes and kills passenger at high-speed Disney World attraction | US news | The Guardian

 

Terrible. RIP.

 

Tragic. I feel for the family of the passenger who was killed, and the driver, who will live with this forever.

But, was it avoidable? Probably. Put a young guy (24) who probably had zero experience, in a really powerful mid/rear engine car and take him out on the track and let him drive it fast? No thanks, bad plan. Disney and this track charge BIG bucks for this "experience" and probably let folks out on the track who have no business being there.

I have not done this, but I doubt there's much classroom time before you hit the track. And, of you only get a half dozen laps, it's likely that he was under-skilled/overpowered.

I drove my 360 on a track a few years ago with a very good instructor, after some class time, and a ride around of about 30 minutes in the passenger seat on the same track with the instructor. I didn't fell comfortable pushing hard, was cautious, and I still managed to spin my car in a low speed turn.

Picture looks like he slid sideways into the end of a guardrail with the passenger side of the car. So maybe the track design has issues as well?

I just see these things as asking for trouble.

D

 

Tragic crash at the Disney Exotic Driving Experience over the weekend. While many of us were out on the roads around Celebration enjoying the CECF rally, one car enthusiast was having a very bad day behind the wheel. Looks like the driver lost control and went into the barrier, killing the instructor in the passenger seat. Serves as yet another reminder that as safe as we believe we are in our cars, bad things do happen.

It also serves as a reminder of how much thanks we owe to all of our driving instructors and coaches that are willing to strap into the passenger seat with a stranger behind the wheel. It certainly makes me appreciate why some of the pro coaches don't get into the car any more, and coach through the data.

The Exotic Driving Experience had already announced, and we're advertizing at Celebration over the weekend, that they are closing for good July 1.

36-year-old driving instructor killed in crash at Disney?s... | www.wftv.com

 

There is also a difference in doing it in your car that you worked hard to pay for and if wreck it it is going to cost you even more vs a couple dollar rental car.

 

Passenger killed in Disney Lamborghini crash - CNN.com

So it looks like 2 friends took out a Lambo to track and sure enough, it crashes. I thought there was an instructor riding shotgun in these to keep a leash on the drivers? Man, what a bad combo- 'buddies' in a high horse power car on a track with no way to keep the driver reeled in. Unfortunate for the families of those involved.

 

Appears to me that they were traveling the wrong direction (clockwise) on the tri-oval section and hit the end of the barrier at an access road gap. Guard rails are designed to control cars going in known directions from layout to even as far as the rail overlap. Going the wrong direction is a no-no, unless the facility is designed for it.

 

Fatality reported at Walt Disney World Speedway | The Disney Blog

An update to that...passenger was an employee and the car is configured to allow the passenger to reduce power.

Sad for all involved.

 

-thanks for the update. I found that he had been instructing with the Richard Petty Experience since '01.

 

That's very sad news. I never had the chance to drive that program, but I had thought about it many times. RIP.
Driver seems to have sustained minor injuries, but it cost the passenger / instructor his life.

 

One article I read said they were using the Oval Course backwards.

That is, going in the wrong direction for how the guard rails and other safety features were designed to work.

Which would explain how the car hit the blunt end of a guard rail.

Tragic.
.

 

sad

stay out of the right seat, folks...

 

That sucks. There is a driver / instructor on F-Chat that has been vocal about not being in the right seat...can't say I blame him.

RIP.

 

That tarp doesn't really cover what clearly happened... the passenger was likely impaled by the guard rail... awful.

How on earth can they be allowed to drive in that direction on the track???

 

Horrible.

Has anyone here driven this track? Potential design flaw?

My understanding is that most of these exotic car experience track events are done with all electronic controls on their maximum setting.

These cars almost always have a GoPro recording the drive, so I'm sure that the circumstances will be pretty clear. Just such a waste in a "controlled" environment.

 

It doesn't look like the blunt end of that guardrail had any collapsable barriers. Seems like that would have helped a lot in this situation.

 

Well when they report impacted a guardrail I don't need photos to have it in my head the death was likely from impairment. No need to cover the car unless his body was still in it.

Best part is it was quick.

 

More photos and video.

5 pictures and video in the gallery

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I just looked the facility up on Google Earth and the track looks about how I expected. Low speed, nothing too tricky.

Without knowing anything I'd guess he mashed on the gas too early and lost it or hit some kind of fluid (rain, oil, etc.).

From looking at the crash pics online here's where the incident occured:
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Sure looks like they were going CW on a CCW track.

 

yep, and that is what allowed them to slide into an unprotected guardrail end.

sad

 

I wonder if their insurance policy even allows them to run in that direction. Seems strange.