When will this madness end......

[TLK]

Tony Renna killed during Indy tire test


New Target/Chip Ganassi Indy Racing League driver Tony Renna was killed Wednesday morning after he crashed during a Firestone tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Renna, 26, of Deland, Fla., participated in seven IRL events and scored five top-10 finishes. He led 35 laps in his first IRL start in 2002 after he replaced Al Unser Jr. at Kelley Racing while Unser attended an alcohol rehabilitation program.

Renna, who recorded a career-best fourth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in 2002, qualified eighth and finished seventh for Kelley Racing in his Indy 500 debut in May. Ganassi signed Renna to partner 2003 series champion Scott Dixon, with whom he previously teamed in PacWest's Indy Lights team.

More details will be provided as they are released.


LINK (http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=motorsportsnews&loc_code=index&content_code=09396389)

[QuikSand]

I'm guessing that by "madness" you probably don't mean the entire industry of people driving souped-up machines at throoughly reckless speeds for the amusement and prurient pleasures of the ticket-buying public.

[TLK]

There's a semi-safe way to race and a reckless way to race. This is two serious accidents in less than a week and a half for the IRL. Somebody needs to start looking into some serious safety concerns over in Indy, because something just isn't right.


In 87 IRL races during the past eight years, an astounding 76 drivers have suffered concussions or fractures of the skull, neck, back, pelvis, legs, arms, wrists, ankles, feet, hip and shoulder. And that's not counting the four seriously injured drivers in the IRL Infiniti Pro series in 2002 and 2003.

[Ryan S]

That page has been pulled, but other sources are reporting the story.

[TLK]

Ganassi Racing has confirmed the story :(

edit: another story.....


INDIANAPOLIS -- Race driver Tony Renna, taking his first laps with his new team at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during a tire test, was fatally injured Wednesday morning, a Target Chip Ganassi Racing spokesman confirmed.

Renna, who would have turned 27 years old next month, was going into Turn 3 when his car jumped sideways and became airborne. According to witnesses, the car cleared the four-foot concrete wall and smashed into the catch fence -- breaking in half in the cockpit area.

The Indy Racing League medical team reacted instantly and tried to revive Renna but could never establish a heartbeat.

In becoming the 40th driver to lose his life at Indianapolis, the native of Deland, Fla., was the first Indy-car racer to die since Greg Moore perished in a CART race at Fontana, Calif., in 1999.

Renna, scheduled to be married next month, had only been on the track for five laps when the accident took place shortly before 9:30 a.m. It was the same car driven 228 mph the day before by 2003 IRL champ Scott Dixon.


LINK (http://espn.go.com/rpm/irl/2003/1022/1644023.html)