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CART
calls off race at TMS |
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| 04/30/2001
By Tony Fabrizio / The Dallas Morning News FORT WORTH – In a move unprecedented in major American motor sports, the Firestone Firehawk 600 CART race at Texas Motor Speedway was postponed indefinitely only two hours before its scheduled start Sunday. Officials
with Championship Auto Racing Teams made the decision based on concern
about gravitational forces the drivers were being subjected to at speeds
of more than 230 mph. Drivers were surveyed by CART medical director Dr.
Steve Olvey after qualifying Saturday, and the majority said they had
experienced vertigo or a similar symptom. CART's 1985 race at Michigan was postponed for one week because a new radial tire that was being used had problems, but the postponement was made a day before the race was supposed to run. This is the first major race to be postponed on the day of the event because of safety concerns. "We offer our sincerest apologies to the fans, Texas Motor Speedway and to all our sponsors who have entrusted us with this environment," said Joe Heitzler, CART's new CEO. Neither Heitzler nor Gossage could say when the race would be rescheduled or whether it would ever be run. Heitzler said that the cars could be slowed to a suitable speed and that a new date could be set. But he also conceded that rescheduling the race in another market is an option. Gossage said it would be difficult to find an available weekend this year because TMS is booked almost solid with various functions. Gossage said the speedway did not want to proceed with an event in which competitors would be at unnecessary risk. But he criticized CART for not being prepared. Despite computer models showing that CART's 850-horsepower Champ Cars at TMS would produce speeds never seen on a 1½-mile track, CART officials never conducted an open test before arriving Friday. "The bottom line is that CART should have known," Gossage said. "We questioned the speeds in meetings and with letters. We even offered some of our own suggestions on what to do with the cars. "On April 21, I got a letter from Joe Heitzler that said, 'CART is ready, willing and able to run the race.'"CART competition director Kirk Russell said that there was never an opportune time for an open test during the warm-weather months and that holding a test when temperatures were below 50 degrees wouldn't have been useful. He pointed out that speeds posted in private tests in December and February were much lower than those seen in practice and qualifying Friday and Saturday. Kenny Brack tested at TMS in December and averaged about 216 to 220 mph. On Saturday, he won the pole position for the 600 with a lap speed of 233.447 mph, a TMS record. Four drivers topped 236 mph in nonqualifying practice Saturday. Various factions have expressed concern about CART cars racing at TMS since former CART chief steward Wally Dallenbach Sr. ruled out the possibility of a race in 1996. At that time, though, TMS had a dual banking surface that was unsafe for all forms of racing. The original concerns after the race was announced last July were about whether the tires and suspension parts could hold up on TMS' 24-degree banked turns at more than 230 mph. Nobody expected the drivers to be the component that couldn't handle the gravitational forces. Dr. Olvey said that in his 25-year association with motor sports, he had never experienced the complaints that surfaced this weekend. He said two drivers pulled off the track Friday because of acute dizziness and an inability to control the car. A third, he said, complained that he wasn't able to stand or walk for four or five minutes after getting out of the car. Dr. Olvey met with all the drivers Saturday and asked for a show of hands from those who had experienced unusual sensations. All but four of the 25 drivers raised a hand. Dr. Olvey contacted a friend at the University of Texas, Dr. Richard Jennings, a specialist on the effects of gravitational forces on pilots, who once worked at NASA. Dr. Jennings told Dr. Olvey that the human tolerance in a sitting position to vertical G-loading (the sensation of being compressed) is 4 to 5 G's. He said that because CART drivers also experience lateral G-forces (a pulling sensation), the effect is compounded. Dehydration, heat and the duration of exposure worsen the condition, Dr. Olvey was told. Computer readouts showed that drivers were being subjected to forces that challenged human tolerance, making them susceptible to a disturbance of the inner ear and inadequate blood supply to the brain, Dr. Olvey said. The former can cause dizziness and disorientation, and the latter tunnel vision and blackout. CART's brain trust met well into the night Saturday and arrived at a plan to slow the cars by raising the rear wicker, a spoiler on the back wing, and with a slight reduction in turbocharger boost. The format was to be tested in a 15-minute practice Sunday morning. But during additional meetings Sunday morning, CART officials and team owners decided that the changes would not slow the cars enough. "I've really got to applaud CART and Joe Heitzler for standing up for the drivers and their safety and trying to come up with an answer to this problem and not go on with the event at this time," driver Michael Andretti said. Gossage said TMS spent a substantial sum to pay CART its sanctioning fee, make changes to the facility that were requested for safety reasons, and to promote the race. "There are millions of dollars that have to be resolved," he said. |
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