(drags soap box across garage floor, drops hard on concrete, stands up on it, clears throat)
I'm not sure what happened to our racing forum, but for those of us that actually really
follow motor racing -- and I mean really follow -- we all had a bitter pill to swallow last weekend when Jules Bianchi's Marussia Formula 1 car ended up under a "crane" (or what looked like a wheel loader, trying to get Adrian Sutil's car out of the way) at Suzuka. No, we didn't see it, as FOM edited the feed -- which should tell you just how bad of an accident this was. Odds are not in the young 24-year-old Frenchman's favor. Jules actually tested for Ferrari a couple times and running with the back-marker Marussia team hardly showed his ability. Even so, he scored the first constructor points for this team
ever in Monaco earlier this year.
IMHO, a safety car should have been deployed once Sutil's car was stuck in the position, it was. It was flat out in a bad position in a run off area. The rain that arrived from the fast-approaching Typhoon Phanfone was heavy. However, it seems it can always rain hard in Suzuka, which begs the question why the race is run there this time of year to begin with, but I digress....
I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Matchett a few years back. He summed up it best, much like another racer IIRC:
“The reality is that everything we do in life, carries an associated risk. Whether we choose to wear a construction helmet, a military helmet, a football helmet, a motor racing helmet, that we all work to make life as a safe as possible, but unfortunately not everything in life can be safe.
You know, we accept the risks of what we do in life because, these activities define who we are. And, motor racing is dangerous, and we have to accept that occasionally accidents… bad accidents… will happen.” -- Steve Matchett, 10.10.14
Some people hunt. Some people drink. Some people play games. But on the weekend we head back to Road America, we remember that as much fun as this is, EVERY time we were there, someone wrecked. And while most walked away, not all did. We are fortunate to share this gift, this opportunity. I recall a statement that "The Buster" (Paul Walker) supposedly once said:
"If one day the speed kills me, do not cry because I was smiling."We all have to go at some point. And while I suppose doing something you love -- versus blowing your brains out (miss ya Osk
) is the way to go, you can't fix in-action or stupidity.
Thoughts and prayers remain with Jules's family, friends and the rest of the "F1 circus," doing the right thing in Sochi this weekend -- the way Jules would want it to be.
(kicks soap box into corner, walks away...)