Luckily, Helio walked away, and even more incredibly, got a few laps in the backup car before the end of the day. However, this was a terrifying crash, both in pictorial and video form. I'm far from an engineer, so I have no idea what caused it, but I will point out that the DW12 has had problems getting airborne in the past at IMS. It could also have had something to do with the aero kits (maybe the new piece from Chevy?), or something else.
The one thought I had looking at the crash is that it's a good thing that the cars will likely be more separated on race day than they have been. A crash like that the last three races could have resulted in a Vegas-like disaster. Heck, it already could with a car that high up approaching the catch fence. Going forward we'll see if anything is done.
Helio's incident got the national press interested, but we all know that hasn't been the only problem the last two days. Poor Simona ended up in a Car-Be-Que *again.* What did she do to piss off this place, and do we fans of her have to sacrifice a tenderloin or something to make it stop? If nothing else, she'd definitely be Beavis's favorite IndyCar driver.
The final hour of practice today saw Pippa Mann crash hard into the attenuated barrier on the pit wall. Once again, the crash looked bad, but the driver was alright, a testament to the safety of these cars.
What today's incidents reminded me of is that IMS is dangerous, and the possibility of disaster is always looming in the background. The last few Months of May have been relatively safe, at least nothing as frightening as Mike Conway's crash in 2010.
Obviously, no one wants to see incidents like today's or any severe injuries, but as Paul Page said in the 1991 Delta Force intro:
"Danger has always been a passenger. Like the track and the speed, it is a constant. Ever present, it too is a part of the lure. Without that risk, the men are just ordinary."
Add women to that, and as much as we want to put the danger out of our heads, it remains just as true today and it was in 1991. The danger is part of what gives racing its thrill, going hand and hand with the speed and competition. It's the unstated thrill, but it's not going away and it never will. That said, let's hope Helio's wild ride is the worst we see for a long, long time.
Now, for some other thoughts on practice so far.
- This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'm not sure there's a whole lot of value in the no-tow report, at least not this early. On race day, how often do cars run by themselves? Not much, if at all. On Friday with the extra boost, the no-tow speeds might tell us who has a shot at the pole and who is in trouble, but on these first few days? I'm not convinced it's telling us a lot.
- Last year, speeds didn't hit 230 until Fast Friday. Today? Carlos Munoz ends the day with a 230.121 mph bullet.
- Chevy still has the majority of the top 10, but Honda is clearly competitive. Chevy's biggest advantage at this point may be as simple as having Penske and Ganassi in their corner.
- It's possibly a one day blip, but KV Racing was well down the order today. For Clauson, that's been an all-week problem.
- What's going on at Foyt? Sato has run quite a bit, but Hawksworth didn't get going until today, and Tagliani has run all of 10 laps this week. I wonder if three cars is spreading them thin.
- Individually, all the decisions regarding the 19 car makes sense. For James Davison, it makes sense to take the Indy 500 ride, even if his PWC commitments mean he can't qualify the car. For Tristan Vautier, it make sense to take on the qualifying duties, since it keeps his name out there for future rides. For Dale Coyne, it makes sense to take the biggest check (not that Davison is a crap driver by any means). Combine it all together now and it just adds to the farce that is 2015 at Dale Coyne Racing.
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