Did Force and KB Crash?

#**151** 09-23-2007, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Young

First - as bad as this was, thank God John's injuries are not worse.
Now a question . . . I believe I heard Mike and Paul state that FC chassis are designed to break apart behind the engine to dissipate energy during a crash. And - I just heard Mike say something that seems to contrdict earlier statements.

I know that is true in top fuel (with the difference that the car separates in front of the motor), but it seems strange that a FC would be designed to separate at a point that would leave the driver's legs exposed to impact.
Does a more knowledgeable Mater have an answer?-

Thats definately what I was thinking too....it made me sick to my stomach watching the broadcast and realizing finally where exactly the chassis snapped in half.....hopefully more positive will come out of this in regards to upgrades in funny car safety.

#**152** 09-23-2007, 08:58 PM

After seeing what was left of the cocpit of John's car, it's not supposed to break apart right in front of the roll cage like it did, just like Jerry Caminito's F/C did a few years back in Memphis.

#**153** 09-23-2007, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David McCandless

It looks to me like the car came apart, and the front half of the car went into KB's lane, and the back half stayed in JF's lane and came to rest against the wall. Is that right?????

That is correct.

#**154** 09-23-2007, 09:22 PM

get well very soon bog john! our thoughts and prayers are with you!

#**155** 09-23-2007, 09:29 PM

I was there. It was ugly. We were all scared. I was with the guy who runs the golf cart deal there, so we drove down to the finish line area. Whit, Shoe, and some others were there and the look on their faces when they came away from the site shook us pretty good. But when the Force ladies left the scene in a cart that seemed to indicate that at least the unthinkable didn't happen. If the worst had happened, no way would any of them have left his side.

The rest of the day was pretty irrelevant. Get well soon, John.

#**156** 09-23-2007, 09:32 PM

he's in surgery as we speak er type

#**157** 09-23-2007, 09:41 PM

OMG, I just got back from Dover and saw this headline.

All my thoughts and prayers are with John and the whole JFR team!
What a 2007. May the healing begin.

#**158** 09-23-2007, 09:44 PM

Get well JOHN

#**159** 09-23-2007, 10:05 PM

I want to say get well soon John, and I hope that at some point I will get to watch you race down the track again.

I am not going to point any fingers, but I swear some of your guys are blind in one eye and can't see out of the other when talking about the cause of this crash.

If you want a little bit of a laugh, go check out Del Worshams note on NHRA.com. If I was Del, I would of told that lady to kiss my @ss.

#**160** 09-23-2007, 10:07 PM

the ting that sticks out to me about the crash.. is the chute cables got caught on the wall opening... you know the places they have set to opnw the walls farther up the shut down... and slammed him to a stop against the wall...

nothing but good thoughts and prayers...

Billy

#**161** 09-23-2007, 10:12 PM

What rotten luck , i hope he heals quickly. That was horrible to see but sure could have been worse if it was the back half that got into Bernstein.

It's hard to tell in the video but it doesn't look so much like a tire or the body blowing apart as it does a chassis failure. I can't really see if the bellhousing is still on there as the front half of the car goes past but it looks like the chassis made a clean break at the front of the cage, too far back from the bellhousing for that to have been the cause.

I'm sure they will figure it out and make changes if needed.

#**162** 09-23-2007, 10:12 PM

If you watch the footage closely you can see John's feet hanging in the air when the car was coming to a rest. Glad the car came to a stop as fast as it did or it could have been a whole lot worse.

#**163** 09-23-2007, 10:19 PM

My first concern is for John and his health. Another concern I have is the location of the chassis separation. I put two of my sons in Funny Cars often and we're all aware of the risks but I've never seen a F/C chassis that was designed to separate immediately in front of the cage leaving the legs fully exposed as so many have mentioned already? A failed clutch that somehow exited the Titanium Can would have cut the bars forward of the cage but this one looked to separate immediately in front of the cage? After we hear the Boss is on his road to recovery, it will be quite interesting to hear John Medlen describe what caused such an abnormal separation at such a vulnerable location.
As Billy noted, it may have been a blessing to have stopped so abruptly with the chutes into the wall opening?
This was just too weird for me.

#**164** 09-23-2007, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Wiedner

If you watch the footage closely you can see John's feet hanging in the air when the car was coming to a rest. Glad the car came to a stop as fast as it did or it could have been a whole lot worse.

I saw the same thing Steve.

I will be the first to admit that I know nothing about the chassis of these cars, but wouldn't there be a safer place for the chassis to split? To leave the drivers legs exposed like that seems very unsafe. Any thoughts?

And, please, I reiterate, I know NOTHING about anything...but it looked like one of his tires was flat in some of the video. Any thoughts on that?

Mike Dunn seemed concrete on the blocks knocking his tire out in the broadcast.

Our prayers are with the JFR racing team. A friend of mine earlier told me he swore John would be back in Virginia. I know if it's at all possible, he'll be there.

#**165** 09-23-2007, 10:40 PM

I know anything we can say at this time is of course pure speculation, but after watching the videos of the crash if you watch on one of the shots taken from a rear angle, it seems that the right slick went down. I then noticed sparks coming from under the car just before it broke in half, which may have been the chassis draging on the ground. Like I said before just speculation, I am sure John Medlen will be all over this and we will find out just what happend... As for the chassis designed to break, as for most designs the upper frame rails in that area are doubled and have larger tubing. From my experience, they are not designed to break in that area.

Our Prayers are with John and hoping for a speedy recovery!!!

Did Force and KB Crash?

Did Force and KB Crash?

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