Jason Priestley crashed race car at 180mph
- Thread starter 8000RPM
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- 3 February 2000
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I thought modern race cars were supposed to break up into pieces to help absorb the energy of the crash and reduce the impact to the driver. I saw Jason's car on TV after the crash, and it didn't look like a car that hit a wall head on at 180mph. The front nose was flattened a bit and that was it. Even the front wheels and suspension looked untouched.
They do, except with a full frontal impact. Having driven open wheelers its the worst way to hit. They have been trying for years to get the driver farther back, although its still a problem b/c from your knees below are nearly in front of the wheels. That area takes the force and then your brain is compressed to the front as well, which is his case with his memory loss, in addition to his chest area. The cars are basically design around what is call a tub. All chassie components are attached @ pick-up points on the front of the tub which are designed to break away. The engine is bolted to the rear of the tub with the tranny/rear suspension bolted to the engine. Thats why you see them fly apart with side or rear impact. Its not good anyway you look at it. I don't know the extent of his leg injuries, but he won't be walking soon.
No video available. Did see a pic on TV of the imprint left on the wall. It looked like a image of the whole front including front tire prints. It was clearly head-on !!
