Non LSR John Force has major injuries due to crash

[interested bystander]

Lets just say that the announcers don't know what they're talking about. Nowhere in the 10.1 SFI spec does it mention ANYTHING about building the chassis to come apart.

Those specs are available from SFI in Poway, Ca and the one Force's car was built to is 10.1E, you can get it for $35.00.

There is a lot of contoversy currently with the SFI Dragster/Funnycar specs and lack of PROPER engineering procedure in the test methods, etc.

Unfortunately, NHRA relies on those specs and probably 40-odd others to regulate their tech program and it  may be that the drag race chassis specs, which, I think, started the whole SEMA thing and later the SFI (as a red-headed stepchild) when the industry became so giant that it went from the SPEED EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER'S ASSOCIATION to today's SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT MARKETING ASSOCIATION, which we all know from their show at Vegas being the second largest trade show in that city, second only to the computer show, (and it s growing bigger every year), may not be the only specs flawed.
What a long sentence-hope you can follow it!

[836dstr]

Dean,

OOPS. You're right about it being @ Lions and at the starting line. We ran there also. I wish I had notes to refer to as the memory of the specifics are failing me. Getting older is the pits!

Tom

[hotrod]

I just noticed something interesting, on the youtube video, by single stepping through the video by quickly double clicking the run/pause button. Just a fraction of a second before the chutes fully bloom and the chassis breaks apart you can see a very brief flash of flame at the base of the windshield (time index 1:48-1:49 on that video) then you see the hood scoop hump up a few inches then the car breaks in half.

I am inclined to believe that the forces generated during the blowout made something lockup and the engine blew or got locked solid and then blew, with shrapnel cutting enough of the frame tubes that the opening shock of the chutes pulled the chassis apart.

One thing is clear that passenger compartment with two fully deployed chutes stopped REAAAAL quick --- maybe -5 or -6 G's given how little it weighs compared to the full car.

It will be interesting to see the final report regarding the accident.

As far as breaking apart. On the championship cars and F1 cars their design tends to result in them breaking in half under heavy crash loads and separating the engine from the drivers compartment, but I don't recall anything in the SFI spec's I have seen that explicitly mentions that mode of failure although it may be built in with the choice of tube sizes and location points to have a planned mode of buckling under high load. 

That is part of the crash worthiness design of passenger cars today to have planned crumpling and failure points so energy is dissipated in bending and crushing body panels instead of the passengers.

Larry

[Sumner]

.........................As far as breaking apart. On the championship cars and F1 cars their design tends to result in them breaking in half under heavy crash loads and separating the engine from the drivers compartment, but I don't recall anything in the SFI spec's I have seen that explicitly mentions that mode of failure although it may be built in with the choice of tube sizes and location points to have a planned mode of buckling under high load.....................................

   

Mike has designed Ack Attack so that should the rear of the car behind the cage area come apart from the front of the car in a violent crash a chute would come out attached to the cage.  Here and in the next picture you see the chute.

 

Mike if you see this maybe you could elaborate,

Sum   

[AJR192]

Even if the chassis was designed to break apart, it certainly wouldn't break where Force's did. With no leg or extremity protection, I am very glad one of my heroes is still with us........

[Roadster943]

   I hate to be the one to bring it up but, is it time to slow these things down? That was ugly! I don't think John had any thing but the BEST equipment and it turned out bad. I look forward to seeing him back out there. In this day of drivers saying what some suit thinks they should we don't have enough real people like John. Get Well John.    Vince

[Dean Los Angeles]

When you talk about slowing them down are we talking 320? 310? 300? 200? Now you're thinking that 200 is wayyyy too slow. The impact at 200 at that close a range on a sharp turn isn't going to be any picnic.

I remember years ago Sam Posey ran at Le Mans and it started pouring rain. The car he was running was going 210 on the Mulsanne straight. At 210 he said it was totally scary. So he backed it off to 200, 190, 180, 170, 160, 150. It wasn't any better at 150, so he went back to running 210!

[Roadster943]

  it does not look to me like the impact was the problem. Looks like it was the power and trying to harness it that ia the problem. The races I have been to I enjoy the Pro stock and the alcohol cars as much as any thing. Vince

[AJR192]

could it be that the vibration or concussion from the tire exploding cause the frame to break where it did?

[Dean Los Angeles]

When you look at how a star impacts a sport, you can't get bigger than John Force.

Not only the unprecedented 14 championships, but if you ever need a quote, John is the guy.

With injuries that would put you or me on the shelf for a long time, John has already called NHRA from the hospital to ask if he can use an automatic clutch for the race in two weeks.

[Glen]

It looks like the right rear tire went down and rolled under the chassis causing the lower frame tubes to break. With that much rotating mass and the thin wall tubing it doesn't take much to rip it apart. One tube fails the others tear out as well. This is not an area that would fail without something like the tire hitting that area. The main thing is he is OK. There is a 9 minute video of him talking at the hospital on the NHRA web site.

[Brian Westerdahl]

Glen
   That is exactly what I think happened.  The left rear tire blew for some reason and rotated around and damaged or broke the frame and with in a split second the chutes came out and pulled the car apart from the left side first and then the right causing the car to veer to the right or at least the front half.
I don't think that it was suppose to come apart at all.  Bster 7796

[Unkl Ian]

I think for Top fuel cars,the size of the tubing is specified larger in the drivers area.
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The left rear tire was obviously flat when they were trying to get him out
of the remains of the car.Can't tell on the right rear.

It looked like the clutch can was intact on the back of the motor,as it continued
to the end of the track.Also looked like pieces of frame were still attached.

In one of the videos,they show the cage being hauled away,and it looks
like the tubes sheared off at the front of the cage.

So were those tubes fatigued,or cracked,before the run ?
How many passes on that chassis ?

I know they recently had new roll installed cages on all their cars.

[Super Kaz]

I Think the Fighter Pilot Cock Pit the Offshore,and Top Fuel Boats use is the right IDEA !The Head is Important,but being able to Walking after is Nice too :?They need to address the the whole Body's safety not just the upper torso

[Glen]

I think this was a new chassis at Indy. Regardless it will be addressed by the NHRA and chassis builders. John is a lucky man and it's hard to believe the injuries weren't much worse. SCTA changes safety rules every year. most are from lessons learned.