Scott Kalitta

[chimp koose]

what ever happened to the catch fences they used to have at some tracks?Maybe those water filled barriers or a few rows of them could be used instead of sand?As I see it Scott was doomed from the moment the chutes didn't blossom.

[kb426]

I read on a drag racing forum that there were 2 large concrete pillars that held the catch net. Supposedly his car became airborne and hit a pillar.

[enjenjo]

I also think it's irresponsible advocating legal action until all the facts are in. No matter what was at the end of the track, Scott had run there in the past, and knew the risks. No matter who said it was safe or not, he had done his own risk assessment and decided it was safe enough for him. At that point it does not matter what is at the end of the track, he took on the responsibility.

We all do the same thing every day, some of us without realising it. But no matter if we are aware of it or not, we do it. If the people in charge kept it a secret that there was a wall, or posts, or any thing else at the end of the track, there might be grounds for a suit, otherwise it was an unfortunate accident.

[Dave]

From what i was told that was his first time ever on that track? Irresponsible.. hell ya perfect that goes with my * poor attitude i guess... Its hard being me anyway...Screw myself.. Like i said its america freedom of speech..
Dave

[unklian]

A public memorial service to celebrate the life of Scott Kalitta will be held this Thursday, June 26th at 7:00 p.m. at:

Ernsthausen Performing Arts Center
350 Shady Lane Drive
Norwalk, OH  44857

The Kalitta family appreciates your desire to send flowers to express your sympathy and asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to these charities close to Scott's heart:

The school his sons attend-

Saint Stephen's Episcopal School
Attn:  Development Office
315 41st Street West
Bradenton, FL  34209

B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe)
c/o Doug Herbert Performance Parts
1443 E. Gaston St.
Lincolnton, NC 28092

*All donations to BRAKES will be used for the expressed purpose of saving lives and keeping our children safe. Website – www.putonthebrakes.com


A private funeral service for family members will be held at a later date.

Cards for Scott's family or Connie can be sent to:

Kalitta Air
818 Willow Run Airport
Ypsilanti, MI 48198

Email condolences can be sent to:
champion@kalittaracing.com




http://www.competitionplus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6928&Itemid=6

[tomslik]

From what i was told that was his first time ever on that track?


nope, he started his carreer there....from what they said on tv....



Irresponsible.. hell ya perfect that goes with my * poor attitude i guess... Its hard being me anyway...Screw you guys.. Like i said its america freedom of speech..
Dave

as far as a lawsuit, i BELEIVE you sign a waiver........

[unklian]

as far as a lawsuit, i BELEIVE you sign a waiver........

That doesn't stop much these days.  

[enjenjo]

Its hard being me anyway...Screw you guys.. Like i said its america freedom of speech..
Dave

First off, we are not on America, we are on the RRT. You have no rights here. As for having a bad additude, you don't have a monopoly on that.  You have permission to pretty much say what you want, but not permission to attack others for disagreeing with you. Lighten up Dave.

[tomslik]

as far as a lawsuit, i BELEIVE you sign a waiver........

That doesn't stop much these days.  

true.


but i can't see "suing" the track OR NHRA.
CK still has 3 teams that race....

i SUPPOSE the Kallitta family could sue but, looking at it from nhra and/or a track owner point of view,well, if they were sue-happy, would YOU want them on your track?


nope, don't see a lawsuit in the future...
and i would be dam dissappointed if they did.


1st thing we need to do is shoot the lawyers....

[river1]

No matter who said it was safe or not, he had done his own risk assessment and decided it was safe enough for him. At that point it does not matter what is at the end of the track, he took on the responsibility.

We all do the same thing every day, some of us without realising it. But no matter if we are aware of it or not, we do it.

typical of today's "Let's find somebody to sue!" syndrome.

years ago after some major storms blew thru phx, a group of gentlemen decided that they wanted to go canoeing down the normal dry salt river. to get in the river they went past signs stating the river was dangerous when flooded. they hit debris and were unaware of shallow and deep areas that would change the flow of the river and ended up capsizing and losing their lives. very sad as they all had families. what their families did next was laughable tho. it seems that these gentlemen were lawyers who came from a family of lawyers and the families SUED. their grounds in the case was that the proper authorities should have FENCED off a RIVER.  

i believe their case was tossed but it just shows how in today's society no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions.

when the case hit the news i happened to be at my parent's house and i told them that if i ever did anything that stupid for them to not compound the stupidity by suing

my 2 cents

later jim

[kb426]

On the subject of the waiver, every participant at a nhra track has had to sign the same red and white sheet that almost every org. uses. Every person in your truck signs the same sheet. I started racing in the early 70"s and it was in place then. As a spectator at MRA motorcycle races, I sign the same sheet. I don't know if it holds up in court for small stuff, all I know is that they've been there for ever.

[Fat Cat]

From what i was told that was his first time ever on that track? Dave

On that point your wrong. If you had bothered to watch any of the coverage of his death on ESPN they covered that point many times. As a matter of fact Scott started his career at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in 1982. A fact that is covered in this article. Now your going to tell me that you believe that in 26 years of professional racing that you think he has never raced at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park except that first time. He is a multiple season champion for god's sake He could not have done that is he sat out the race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park during his run for the chanpionship. It would seem to me that you would rather make excuses as to why it is ok for his family to sue the racetrack than to actually check your facts.

[Carps]

Fact: If Scott Kalitta wasn't racing he'd still be alive.
Fact: If the engine didn't blow up, the accident would not have happened..... (nope, I think that may be conjecture)
Fact: Nobody knows what caused the engine to blow up
Fact: Motorsport is dangerous and every participant knows it
Fact: If any racer thought a concrete barrier or anything else posed a threat, then all they have to do is push their car back into the transporter and not race.
Fact: Nobody forced Scott to get in and drive the car

Fact: We, none of us here, know what caused the chain of events to unfold as they did or exactly what caused Scott's fatal injuries.  To suggest otherwise is nothing more than conjecture and speculation.

For all we know, Scott could have died as a result of the engine explosion long before the car hit any barrier.  It could be he suffocated, starved for precious air as the nitro fuelled fire sucked every last bit of oxygen from his lungs.  

Scott's death is a tragic loss, but in the emotion of the moment, let's not lose sight of the fact he was doing what he loved and I'm pretty sure he had a much better handle on just how dangerous it was than do any of us here.

Anybody who has ever strapped themselves into any race car should understand this only too well.

If you consider any motor sport facility you'll see they all have boundaries, and they all use concrete barriers as the most effective means to keep wayward race cars within those boundaries and from harming innocent spectators or non participants.

Most drag strips, I've been to have a concrete barrier at the end of the track, I've always assumed they are there for the reason stated above, for safety and definitely not to endanger the participants.

From the video clip, it appears to me that the braking/runoff area is more than adequate under normal circumstances.  However, it's also clear that there was little 'normal' about the circumstances of Scott's demise and I doubt at the speed the car was travelling, that any kind of sandtrap or net would have ensured his survival. In fact, they may even have made the situation worse by flipping the car over if it were to have dug into the sand/gravel or simply tearing it apart.

As I understand it, top level drag racing has been conducted at this strip for many, many years.  If the track was unsafe or the management derelict in their duty of care, surely this would not be the case.

We all know too well that people get hurt, or killed, participating in all manner of dangerous pastimes, especially motor racing and even moreso when motor racing is conducted at extreme speeds.  All it takes is an un-forseen or unexpected set of circumstances and we will probably never know exactly what happened tin this instance.

Like everybody reading this, I know the circumstances, but I don't know for a fact exactly what caused Scott Kalitta to die.  However, what I do know is this:
A law suit will not make drag racing any safer.
A law suit will not advance the sport of drag racing
A law suit will not benefit anybody except the lawyers who pursue it.
A law suit will not bring Scott Kalitta back to life

We have all learned valuable lessons in life from our own accidents. As a result of this one, safety in Drag Racing may be further improved.

The world of drag racing has lost a great champion.
The sport will be poorer for his death, may he rest in peace.

[unklian]

[purplepickup]

Very well said Carps.

Top fuel drivers completely understand that it takes a remarkably precise combination of thousands of things happening as planned in less than 5 short seconds to make a successful run.  The driver is there to attempt to control any of those conditions that may change during the run.   Sometimes you just can't.  Scott was an excellent driver who won many exciting races because of his ability to overcome problems.  This was one chain of events that he just couldn't drive through.  R.I.P.