....I don't want to know what the next one is.

Zanardi, victim of a horrible crash after 9/11, wins a touring car
race, a racing series title, and now another accident happens much like
his, but not as severe. Nobody plans these things, they just work out
that way.

The latest on Briscoe is he has two broken collarbones. Luckily,
nowhere near as bad as Zanardi's injuries.

http://sports.yahoo.com/cart/news;_y...v=st&type=lgns

Briscoe crash triggers memories of post-9/11 accident

September 11, 2005
By Bruce Martin SportsTicker Contributing Editor

JOLIET, Illinois (Ticker) - On the four-year anniversary of the most
severe terrorist attacks on American soil and with images of Hurricane
Katrina's devastation still fresh, there was more on the minds of IRL
participants than running another race.

Sunday's Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 virtually clinched the title for Dan
Wheldon, who set a circuit record with his sixth win of the season. But
the 60,000 fans at Chicagoland Speedway were reminded of matters much
more tragic.

Flags were at half-staff officially because of Hurricane Katrina, but
many Americans will lower the flag every September 11 in remembrance of
the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and
the ground in Pennsylvania on that day of horror in 2001.

All sporting events were canceled that following weekend except for one
- a CART race in Germany four days after 9/11. It was held because the
teams from that fading series already were in Europe, and the decision
was made to hold the event in honor of the Americans killed in the
terrorist attacks. In fact, they even renamed the race the American
Memorial 500.

On that day, however, two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi was involved
in a sickening crash with Alex Tagliani in the second turn. Coming out
of the pits with the lead, Zanardi's car slid across the grass warmup
area at the pit exit in turn 2, sending him sliding into the path of
Tagliani's car traveling at full speed.

Upon terrifying impact, the nose of Tagliani's car literally cut off
both of Zanardi's legs at the thighs. The image of that crash just a
few days after the terrorist attacks added to the horrible feelings
American racing fans were experiencing that week.

On Sunday, the danger of high-speed racing emerged again on lap 20,
when rookie Ryan Briscoe crashed in a spectacular fireball in the third
turn.

Briscoe was racing hard when he ran over the back of Alex Barron's
Dallara-Toyota. The cars hooked wheels, launching Briscoe's
Panoz-Toyota airborne into the catch fence.

The car broke into several pieces, with the gearbox and rear wheels
breaking off and flying in one direction. The engine ripped loose and
the cockpit, with the driver inside, flew through the air.

A huge fireball erupted, engulfing both Briscoe and Barron.
Photographers in the area across the track reported feeling the heat
from the flames.

Debris was scattered across the track and the fence was left with
gaping holes, causing the race to be stopped for 17 minutes while
repairs were made.

Briscoe was airlifted to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where he was
diagnosed with a concussion, a bruised lung and a broken clavicle. He
is listed in good condition and will spend the night at the hospital.

Helio Castroneves was a participant in that CART race in Germany in
2001 and witnessed the aftermath of Briscoe's crash on Sunday.

"When I saw Ryan's accident, you saw the engine and the car in half,
things like that, it did remind me actually of Zanardi's crash,"
Castroneves said. "In that time, I was just wishing my prayers
hopefully nothing happened. I tried to keep looking away, to see if I
would run over something. It was a tough day."

"That was a big accident," rookie Danica Patrick said. "That was a
horrible accident. There was an engine here, a wheel there, a cockpit
there. As I knew we were going to go read, I had concern for Ryan
Briscoe and the drivers in the incident. I had seen his car. All I was
doing was hoping and praying he was OK."

Wheldon is on the verge of a championship, but that was the furthest
thing from his mind Sunday.

"It's tough," Wheldon said. "From a weekend perspective with Hurricane
Katrina, the fourth year since 9/11, I think everybody's thoughts and
prayers are with those people. Certainly that does affect you. It
certainly affects me. When you see an accident like that, it's not the
nicest feeling at all."

"You hate to see that happen," Wheldon said. "I don't even like
thinking about it. I don't even like talking about it."

It could have been much worse. Briscoe will recover from the injuries
and race another day, but it was an eerie reminder of another awful
incident that was linked with September 11.

Updated on Sunday, Sep 11, 2005 11:19 pm EDT

<faux_ferrari (AT) yahoo (DOT) com> wrote

Perhaps another newsgroup? That annoying schlock has nothing to do with F1.

TBA bexar wrote:
If I asked to see your birth certificate, you'd lie and say you lost
it.
Only human beings get them.

"TBA bexar" <tbabexar (AT) satx (DOT) rr.com> wrote in message
I respectfully disagree with you, TBA.
1. The dangers and accidents of the IRL and CART/Champ
cars and other open wheelers are very relevant to F1.
2. This is not the moderated group, and is very near topic.
3. Zanardi has raced in F1.
4. Several of the other drivers mentioned may make it to F1.
5. Driver and spectator safety measures and improvements
between the various series are very related and interconnected.
i.e. if I recall correctly, Zanardi's CART accident was rather
directly related to FIA dictated improvements in F1 side impact
safety standards.

"a425couple" <a425couple (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Feel free.

Nah. Those series are filled with Satos.

Right. Near.

To no effect.

No they won't. Enough losers elsewhere with more sponsorship money.

No they are not.