Death Returns To Formula One Racing Essays - Ayrton Senna

Death Returns To Formula One Racing Jesse Oleet !0/5/98 English 10 Short Story Death Returns to Formula One Racing My first hint that something was wrong came Sunday afternoon when I logged on to the BBS (bulletin board service, a central computer acting as a host for other users to exchange messages) for auto racing. Someone posted a short but gripping note, I think I just witnessed the death of Ayrton Senna, he said. My eyes widened as I exclaimed what, in shock and dismay. A few hours later, the facts became clearer. Senna had crashed on the sixth lap of the San Marino Grand Prix while leading the race. It happened at a section called Tamburello - a gentle bend taken at top speed, about 186 miles per hour. His car had suddenly veered off the course and crashed into a solid concrete wall. Senna was already considered one of the top drivers in grand prix racing history. He had more pole positions than any other driver did and only Alain Prost who retired last year surpassed his total wins. Incredible intensity and deep concentration characterized his driving. Mistakes from him were rare. It was shocking that he would have a serious crash, even more inconceivable that he would be in mortal danger. On the BBS, all of us were experiencing a sense of loss and were having a difficult time finding solace among outsiders to the sport of auto racing. Crashes like Senna's tend to bring out the worst critics who insist that those who want only to see crashes watch-racing events. And so we turned to each other expressing first our anger, then sadness and finally a candid assessment of the sport and how it could be made safer. This was the second death of the weekend as another lesser-known driver was killed during a practice session before the race. The modern formula one or grand prix car is a masterpiece of engineering and contemporary design. The top teams to develop the cars to their maximum potential spend incredible sums of money. Their shape is wind tunnel tested. Exotic materials like carbon fiber along with chemical additives for optimizing the gasoline are just a few of the important technologies used. Telemetry logged into a computer (like an airplane's black box flight recorder) can tell the mechanics and designers exactly how a car can be optimized for a particular track. In fact computer technology has played an even greater role in the last two years through the development of real-time enhancements. These driver aids as they have been called include: active suspension, engine management along with semiautomatic transmission, and traction control. Of course, along with the technological advancements has come a steady increase in speed. More importantly, this steady increase has led to a greater potential for serio us harm in an accident. Details of Senna's crash serve to illustrate some of the dangers that grand prix racing must overcome if it is to survive. At the section where Senna went off the track, there are some bumps, which (according to other drivers) were disruptive and may have caused a mechanical failure, resulting in the veering of the car. Earlier in the year (during preseason testing) Senna himself had pointed out the danger of these bumps and had requested that the surface be smoothed out. This was supposedly done but the result was even worse! Reports indicate the bumps were perhaps 2 inches high-an incredible hurdle to a modern F1 car. Also there is the wall where the crash occurred. On most tracks there are large runoff areas with sand traps that have proved effective in slowing down out-of-control cars. Stacked tire walls have also helped soften areas of possible impact. However, at Tamburello none of these techniques were employed. There is a small river that runs near the course at this point; h ence the placement of a large concrete wall at an acute angle only a few yards from the pavement but in front of the river. A sandpit was contemplated but there was inadequate room. Finally, a patch of concrete was added over the grass to help a car gain some control and perhaps avoid the wall if it went off course. The drivers' head