since 360's,when rolled, seem to blow quickly; i'd say there's a fuel line somewhere that might be getting kinked/brokend upon impact, and cosidering how compact the engine bay is, it could make for a bomb chamber pretty quickly -- could also be that the fule tank rupture upon impact.
I think that the flames issues you're seeing are the results of much higher speed crashes. It is a car that can get to high speed very quickly. When things go bad, they go bad in a hurry. I hope he recovers from his injuries quickly. I've done plenty of stupid things in cars over the years, but the risks aren't worth it. Go to the track, it will make you a better driver on the street. Not to drive faster on the street, but to figure out how the car will handle in an emergency.
"is there something about modenas that make them more prone to burst into flames?" Yeah, lots of 360 accidents seem to culminate in a fire, which makes me nervous being a 360 owner. I think the answer is obvious -- it's the close proximity of two fuel tanks to a hot engine and extremely hot exhaust manifolds. The 360 has valves which are supposed to shut the fuel flow off in the event of a rollover so I'm assuming the tanks rupture as someone suggested earlier. Having two tanks just increases the odds of this happening. I'm surprised that NHTSA hasn't come down hard on Ferrari for such an unsafe design. I think Ferrari should follow Porsche's example and physically separate the fuel tank(s) from the engine bay.
I seriously believe this gentleman learned his lesson. It takes guts to realize you made a horrible mistake, and then take the consequences of your actions, to protect another life. I am positive he will never make another mistake like this, and he lives to tell the tale. If it's of any consolation, I had a High School teacher with 60% of burns on his body, caused by a fire in the Chemistry lab. He was burned worse because he ran back in and saved my sister's life (she was trapped near the Phosphorus!). The reason I'm mentioning this is that he healed fast and healed up very well, and you could hardly see the scars today. The cadaver skin treatments is state of the art, and speeds healing. Can we forward any Get Well cards for this gentleman? He should know we wish him a speedy recovery. Cars are replaceable, he is not. - Julie
Jet-X, you made excellent points on #47. WFO - if you've ever been rear-ended by someone doing 100+ mph, as I have, then you'd also understand and appreciate not just the points made by Jet-X, but by others. While it is certainly true that the injured driver needs support and sympathy during his recovery, it is difficult to empathize with foolhardy behavior that put him in this situation, while jeopardizing others on heavily trafficked public roads. Those are two sides of the same coin. Bottom line: The coin needs to be flipped at the track, just as Enzo intended it. That's where ya makes yer bets, Sonny.
I defense of the driver, the toll road he was on in never full of traffic and most of the time it is very empty. He picked the right place to go fast. I am not saying that speeding is okay, I am just laying out the facts.
He obviously didn't pick the right place to go fast if it lead to this... there is no right place... get your head out of your ass.
Learn how to read; and I quote... "I am not saying that speeding is okay, I am just laying out the facts" If you dont want to know the facts then move on to another thread.
A road with oncoming traffic that he could have plowed into? A road boardered by light poles that upon hitting caused his car to burst into flames and required cadaver skin grafts? Tracks don't have oncoming traffic. Tracks have runoff deviod of light poles. That said in light of this crash and Jen's and Amir's crash if I owned a Modena I'd install a fire system. Note how the light pole did what it was susposed to do;breakaway and still this car burst into flames. Jen's crash happened on a track and that car burned as well.
Can we forward any Get Well cards for this gentleman? He should know we wish him a speedy recovery. Cars are replaceable, he is not. - Julie[/QUOTE] Great idea Julie! He needs to know that his Ferrari friends are thinking of him and wishing him well. He's laid up in the hospital feeling like absolute crap and he needs all the support he can get right now! I am so terribly sorry for him and his family, regardless of the specifics he was in a horrific car crash and is going have a tough road to recovery and I'd like to be able to show him my support. He is a customer of mine and although I don't know him well I thought I could help and forward your messages to him. Start a new thread, or make a card for everyone to sign (someone who's more computer savvy than I) or send me an email. Thanks
I feel for the guy. Too bad, and I hope he recovers. I drive through that corner all the time and it's NOT a 140 mph corner. The guy had poor judgement and/or driving skills. I'll tell you one thing, if the guy had gone through that corner and taken out my wife, who drives through that corner every day, he'd be wishing for the pain of a skin graft after I was done with him. But he didn't, so I wish him the best recovery from his big mistake. edit: Just to set the record straight, both lanes go the same direction. Unless the other car was going the wrong way, there was no oncoming traffic.
This guy is in the hospital....lets just all pray for a quick recovery. I dont think he will be driving fast after this accident.
I'm with you. You've all done that yourselves at on point and thankfully nothing happened to you. And don't say it's because your skillful. It could have been a number of things that happened including a God thing.
I'm sure other F-chatters would DO the same if it was another f-chatter who hurt their family. It's sad to hear all you talking about what if's. All of you do what if's on the runs. I see it. Let's not talk about what if's anymore. Nothing happened except a Man taking a chance. Isn't that enough that he hurt himself and a FERRARI. Not to mention the affects it's taking on the family. He has enough to deal with and (granted it's by his own doing) he doesn't need to be judged by anyone but himself or concerned about the likes of any of you but his family. I would be even more hurt if I was directly affected and reading these posts. I wish him well and like you ALL we learn from our mistakes. I look forward to a FUN and SAFE Trip tomorrow.
i know im a little late on this, but i truly hope that he makes a speedy and complete recovery. we all make poor judgements sometimes gentlemen, lets not be too critical, it could easily be one of us... ernie
Jeff, Is there any update on Chris' condition????? I worked with him for years but have misplaced his contact info. I hope he's doing well and keeping his spirits up. I didn't even realise the accident was less than a mile from my house, wish I could have been there to help him out. If you don't want to post info on the board feel free to email or PM me. [email protected] [email protected] If you talk to him please let him know Buzz and all the guys from the old InCycle crew are pulling for him. Chris if you read this, get well buddy. Let me say something, he is an awesome driver and does track all his cars. From the E46 M3, porsche, and the 360, he is a great asset to the sport and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. I really believe there is more to this story then he just over cooked the corner and lost it, considering he probably drove that road hundreads of times and obivously knew it well enough to feel comfortable going 140. Remember this can happen to anyone, so please watch your tongue when placing blame and criticizing others.
Just as a joke, but since the accident involved a Ferrari in a tunnel, then perhaps Juan Pablo Montoya was invovled....... I hope the driver recovers, but nobody has any business driving that fast on a public road, regardless of the time of day (or night).
Hi all, I wish Chris well.... please give us an update on his condition. Thoughts - 1. I'll admit, in my earlier years I have hit this speed. (straight away) 2. It looks like it was an area with no oncoming traffic 3. It also looks like you have blind spots coming around a bend 4. If he was doing 140+ and the other car was doing 65(?) -they are closing in at atleast 75. If your doing 75 and you round a bend and see a car standing still........... it's over. Visualize it....... not pretty. I'm sure this guy thought he was a good driver and probably was / is. He just made an error. I think, if your going that speed, you would probably be trying to smooth out the curve and not so concerned about lane dividers (didn't expect a car at that spot). He could have just gotten himself in a "no way out" situation. I always anticipate and consider what could be around a corner or what another car might do. But, we all make mistakes.
My guess is that coming through the tunnel and making a left hand sweeping(drifting?) turn he was startled by something as he began to come out of the tunnel(car?). The visibility would not be that far in the tunnel because of the turn, so he would have come up on something quickly. Having probably done this many times maybe he pushed it harder this one time. With very little time to react he lost control and the rest of the tragedy ensued. Certainly the police report would reveal more of what happened. Very unfortunate and a lesson for us all. I hope he is recovering quickly.
From what I have heard he is recovering better than expected and should make a full recover minus the some scars. The new skin graph methods they used look much better and in some cases barely leave a scare. Either way I think everyone oh f-chat is pulling for a speedy recovery.
Hey will you tone it down with your "nobody has any business..." We have a man down from the Ferrari community and all we need from you is your sincere wishes for his recovery not a lecture. You don't come across as a sympathetic people person.
I don't care who this guy was and what he was thinking. A fast car is not a license to do dangerous stuff. Public roads are just that, public. Stupid and reckless speeding (over 100MPH) is simply asking for trouble. You never know what you will encounter and cars moving at the speed limit are almost certain to appear, and at those kinds of speeds it's very hard to avoid them. I bet that this guy has had no high speed driver training either. I believe you shouldn't be allowed to drive high performance cars without adequate instruction on accident avoidance that high performance driving schools provide. If you want to speed, join a car club and do it on a track. It's a lot more fun and everyone else knows what they're doing. I hope he recovers, but he should be jailed when he gets out of hospital.
My friend you just burned yourself. Stupid and reckless speeding has nothing to do with speed. So setting that arbitrary 100mph mark just proves you trust a speedo rather than your judgement. There are roads where top speed is safe, and others where the speed limit is dangerous. I trust my head more than the guys behind their desk. What do you trust more? Since I know nothing around the accident details, I will pass no judgement, but I sure wish his recovery keeps on going fine!!
Oh please. Like you've never driven above the speed limit. *WHATEVER* ____________________________________________________________ yohpretic !
