I did not intend my suggestions concerning coatings to be inciteful in any way whatsoever. I did not mean to imply that anything could be realistically be done to make going 300mph "safe" in any stretch of the word.
What I did want to say is that in a sport measured in lightspeed conventional thinking sometimes needs to be adjusted going forward. I spent ten years working with heavy construction projects involving trafic control and safety for equipment, workers, and the public. Barriers, retaining wall technology, concrete and asphalt surfaces all play a significant role in accident frequency and severity.
Obviously there is no perfect solution of we would have implemented it by now.
My only goal was to suggest that perhaps people more knowledgeable than I might want to consider what effects a smoother surface might have on vehicles travelling at that speed. Sure a rougher surface will scuff off more speed, but a smoother surface may allow the vehicle to be more controllable. I have no answer, just a general suggestion that I hope someone will investigate that has the training to do so.
As a former ski instructor (and ski racer and freestyler) I have a lot of experience with slipping and sliding and how it affects control issues in general. At the speeds of fuel cars there are far more variables to take into account.
I am not suggesting "soft" walls as that technology has already been looked at and implemented in different automotive variants, but I am unaware of whether or not coatings or surface treatments have been investigated as a safety measure. Safety is often measured in miliseconds or ounces and anything that could be done to make our sport safer would be welcome.
That is all.
