Sad Day (2 Viewers)

[Shaggy]

Re: Media Sucks!

Anyone give any thought into what implications this will play on the AMS ProMod Series?

 

[T.Smith]

Re: Media Sucks!

Anyone give any thought into what implications this will play on the AMS ProMod Series?

With AMS on the side of the car, they will be named in the lawsuits.

This is really a bad deal.

 

[megadeth]

Re: Media Sucks!

With AMS on the side of the car, they will be named in the lawsuits.

This is really a bad deal.

I didn't even think about that!
But are you spot on.... This is going to have some serious ramifications.

 

[farmje]

Re: Media Sucks!

CompPlus has a piece about it. I am pretty sure that Troy was driving the car. However, it's not on his schedule located HERE.

Torco Racing Fuel's Competition Plus.com - Drag Racing's Internet Magazine - UPDATED: DRAG RACING EXHIBITION TURNS DEADLY

 

[r2]

Re: Media Sucks!

Drag racer kills four bystanders at show
This is just ridiculous... Raw Amatuer Video

 

[na]

Re: Media Sucks!

It seems as if this car show permits burnouts and high speed driving on this road for all their shows. So Critchley was probably not the only one doing burnouts, although looking at a video clip he was in it long......so the promoters are also to blame for allowing this.

My condolences and thoughts to those who lost loved ones.

 

[T.Smith]

Re: Media Sucks!

Doing a burnout with a high powered drag racing car on an undulating or crowned road can be a dangerous situation.

 

[Alan]

Re: Media Sucks!

Flame away, but irresponsible on Critchley's part if he was behind the wheel. Your talking about a 230 mph car with people lining the road. The situation is way FUBAR. NHRA, AMS, and other parties will not be happy about this.....

 

["Dr. Dirt"]

Re: Media Sucks!

It appears we may be missing another important point here.

I'd bet Troy was donating his time in an effort to breath more life into this fund-raiser. It's a shame the accident occurred and there was really no excusing it but I choose to include the efforts Troy put into making the fund raiser more profitable/memorable/notable. It just happens to have ended badly but my guess is his intentions were an honest attempt at offering a helping hand.

All of us who offer our race cars to help out events could learn a valuable lesson here.

 

[The Counterfeiter]

Re: Media Sucks!

Never mind.It seems as those of you think it's Ok to sensationalize a story at the expense of a fellow racer.No wonder corporate sponsorships are hard to come by with headlines like these.

Sensationalize? What in the hell are you thinking? There are four people who are DEAD because a DRAG RACER attempted to do a "burnout exhibition" in a PRO MOD on a city street! This isn't two kids street racing - it is a disaster for drag racing. It will be a "wonder" if any corporation not currently involved in drag racing would ever consider sponsorship after the litgation commences.
I've already seen this on two local new shows - media does not "suck". They are reporting on a tragedy that should never have happened.

 

[.]

Re: Media Sucks!

Geez, what a horrible situation for everyone involved. My prayers go out to the 4 that were killed and their families. My heart goes out to the driver as well because I'm sure he was just trying to do a good deed by putting on a show for the spectators, but it sadly turned deadly.

Sure it sucks that this might possibly hurt the image of drag racing but that really doesn't matter in a situation such as this. I just don't understand why they'd allow such a thing to take place on public streets where there's no sort of barriers to seperate cars from the crowd. Like Tony said, if the roads crowned it doesn't take much for a car to go out of control. I think any of us that have had quick street cars realize how fast it can happen when you think you've got things under control.

Just a shitty situation all around. Unfortunately this is going to be seen by a large group of the public. You know it's bad when it makes the Drudge Report.

 

[Tom]

Re: Media Sucks!

The official "Team Statement" is a load of HORSE SHIT.

"when a scheduled exhibition burnout performed in the Jackhammer Pro Modified Corvette turned tragic when road conditions caused the car to unexpectedly lose traction and strike a utility pole which then re-directed the car into the nearby crowd, severely injuring several fans"

Road conditions?! Road conditions my ass. What DID cause that wreck was plain and simple, showboating in a dangerous, crowded situation. What the hell was Troy thinking? In the video he was haulin' ass through that crowd. I realize that he was trying to help out the cause by putting on a good show for the fans, and that is very noble and commendable, but the extent he pushed that burnout (and his luck) was ridiculously irresponsible. He never once lifted, just kept his leg in it.

Flame away at me all you guys want, but this was a STUPID stunt. The video shows how dumb it really was. I like Troy. He's a no bullshit, hardcore racer, but his ego overran his brains and unfortunately it cost 4 people their lives, scarred countless witnesses, is going to create a major shit storm for the sport and for all the great advancements that professional drag racing has made over the years, this is going to set it back into the stone age. We'll suffer the ramifications of this silly stunt for years to come.

 

[.]

Re: Media Sucks!

Link to another thread:
www.Promodsource.com - Sad News
Looks like it was Troy behind the wheel.

 

[Jim Curtis]

Re: Media Sucks!

I don't really see where it was played up by the media. There wasn't any indictment of drag racing in general. As far as making it a big story, well it is a big story.

I looked at the posts on Pro Mod Source. I agree with all of the sympathy, but not the defense of the incident. There was a lot of "let's get all the facts first" and that sort of thing.

You really don't need any more facts. Operating a Pro Mod in a parade on a city street is INCREDIBLY STUPID. There is not a single fact that could possibly come out about this that could justify it.

 

[Randy]

Re: Media Sucks!

Very sad for the victims, their families and the race team. Our prayers go out to all.

We've been asked to start our funny car during displays and events and have done it three times in 17 years. My policy is: everyone stays back, a qualified person (crewmember) is sitting in the car who knows how to shut it off and the driveshaft is sitting on the shelf in the trailer, not installed in the car.

Back in my bracket racing days (1970's) I had an altered that ran low 8 second et's. I did a burnout in the parking lot of the chassis builder's complex. I found out maintaining control on slick streets is harder than on a prepped race track even in that thing. I can't imagine doing it in a Pro Mod.

RG

 

[D]

Re: Media Sucks!

This is terrible news, my thoughts prayers go out to all involved.

S/F
D

 

[downtime]

Re: Media Sucks!

I am greatly saddened by this news. I couldn't believe it initially and when I first saw the headlines I thought it happened at a track... Then I saw "parade"... Then I saw a "real" race car...

The team has issued a statement. The press has reported as accurately as can be hoped for. It is simply a tragedy and no amount of whining can comfort the people involved.

It is heartbreakingly evident that something went wrong. However I am not qualified to comment on "why" something went wrong.

Racers do burnouts as frequently as fans eat hot dogs. The vast majority of the time nothing goes wrong. For me to point a finger at anybody, or the vehicle, is in my opinion the wrong thing to do.

About all I can say about slicks and the street that makes any sense to me is that roads have a crown unlike a drag strip. The asphalt composition on a public road is different than on a drag strip. Those two factors alone provide changed consditions of such magnitude that without actually being there and being able to understand all the dynamics involved, and further comment is worth as much as the proverbial wizzing up a rope.

This publicity is not the fault of the press and although I would "prefer" a parade accident title, the bottom line is in this case it simply doesn't matter as a terrible accident has happened. This isn't the time to be question a marketing position.

It is time to step back and offer support to all people surrounding this event. Everyone involved was trying to make this world a better place to be. In the tens of thousands of burnouts I have personally seen and some in places just as public (when I was young and dumb), I have never heard of anything like this.

As much as I hate to say it, let us learn from this tragedy so that drag racers can find a way to support causes in a safer way that is beneficial to all.

Of course I do have my thoughts (as a former heavy construction person) as to how this might happen), but I am going to be quiet and listen for what the experts find.

In the meantime I urge everyone to be supportive instead of disruptive. If you want to complain, how about making a donation to "Cars for Kids" instead.

 

[Joker]

Re: Media Sucks!

Sad, sad day for the everyone involved. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone's families that lost there lives and also to Troy and the whole AMS Rage team.

 

[Too many to list here]

Re: Media Sucks!

Operating a Pro Mod in a parade on a city street is INCREDIBLY STUPID. There is not a single fact that could possibly come out about this that could justify it.

That about sums it up.
Just a horrible idea, with a terrible,tragic ending.

 

[Nitrohaulic]

Re: Media Sucks!

The official "Team Statement" is a load of HORSE SHIT.

"when a scheduled exhibition burnout performed in the Jackhammer Pro Modified Corvette turned tragic when road conditions caused the car to unexpectedly lose traction and strike a utility pole which then re-directed the car into the nearby crowd, severely injuring several fans"

Road conditions?! Road conditions my ass. What DID cause that wreck was plain and simple, showboating in a dangerous, crowded situation. What the hell was Troy thinking? In the video he was haulin' ass through that crowd. I realize that he was trying to help out the cause by putting on a good show for the fans, and that is very noble and commendable, but the extent he pushed that burnout (and his luck) was ridiculously irresponsible. He never once lifted, just kept his leg in it.

Flame away at me all you guys want, but this was a STUPID stunt. The video shows how dumb it really was. I like Troy. He's a no bullshit, hardcore racer, but his ego overran his brains and unfortunately it cost 4 people their lives, scarred countless witnesses, is going to create a major shit storm for the sport and for all the great advancements that professional drag racing has made over the years, this is going to set it back into the stone age. We'll suffer the ramifications of this silly stunt for years to come.

What if the street was a little slicker than they thought and a LINE LOCK didn't hold the FRONT TIRES the way they thought it would?

You people throwing your fellow drag racer under the bus when they have to be at the lowest point in their life is damn sickening. Many of you probably do things every day with much worse INTENTIONS. This guy has to spend the rest of his life knowing that the loved ones of four people have to suffer for the rest of their lives for his accident. Just what could you say that he doesn't already know? Anyone who would kick him right now is worthless, IMO.