Fast and Furious irony

[Old Savage]

3:30 PM yesterday Fast and Furious star Paul Walker was killed along with race driver friend who was apparently driving. This happened in an industrial park type area about 35 miles from here. The Rye Canyon Loop is an almost Numemburg Ring type loop though the upper back part of an industrial park area in Santa Clarita, Ca. near Magic Mountain. Never in it but drove by many times. Odd experience for me because an hour before the accident we drove through the intersection of Routes 46 and 41 150 miles north and just about 28 miles south of Paso Robles where James Dean was killed. Took particular note of it, mileage 6677 on the new Jeep. Thought at the time that I did not really know much about it as it was a little before my time in the movie realm and thought I must look that up when we get home. Arrived home with the news of this death on the news. Seemed ironic because this series focused on street racing in LA and the star gets killed in a similar scenario. Reports are that it happened about 300 yds from a charity event he was hosting there. Somebody must have hit the gas mighty hard and fast. Professional driver loses control and ends in fiery crash.

[FWiedner]

When big-boys play with their toys, sometimes they have big-boy accidents.

Tough luck. It's a tragedy, but Stuff happens.

I thought he was a pretty good actor.

[Modoc ED]

Did you move Fred? You said the accident happened in Santa Clarita 35-miles from you yet you live or at use to live in Lancaster which as I remember it is much more than 35 miles from Santa Clarita.

Just goes to show how even the most experienced driver can end up in deep doo doo in a heck of a hurry just as you experienced last year.

[Old Savage]

No, really just about 35 miles down the back way past the range I shoot at on San Francisquito Road. and across Copper Hill Rd past this area if you are cutting over to the 5 but they have changed that whole upper Valencia area which is next to Santa Clarita not sure which this is properly in you have Saugus/Newhall/Santa Clarita/Valencia all pretty much contiguous and I certainly could not draw the borders on a map but this is the most northern part and quite near the 5. The 14 runs down the other side of it all.

[Rusty]

As a professional driver and former LEO I can promise you cars are not toys. They are more dangerous than any gun you care to name and kill more every year than guns do. People need to recognize them for the danger they are instead of blowing it off like it's no big deal.
We make young people wait till they're 18 to buy a long arm and 21 to buy a handgun, but the second they turn 16 we give the keys to a 4,000 pound killer and turn them loose.

[SJPrice]

As a professional driver and former LEO I can promise you cars are not toys. They are more dangerous than any gun you care to name and kill more every year than guns do. People need to recognize them for the danger they are instead of blowing it off like it's no big deal.
We make young people wait till they're 18 to buy a long arm and 21 to buy a handgun, but the second they turn 16 we give the keys to a 4,000 pound killer and turn them loose.

AMEN Brother!

[Griff]

Sad, but when doing stupid things, stuff often happens.

[wecsoger]

So we don't have to worry now about a Fast and Furious 8 movie?

(sorry, too soon?)

[J Miller]

Sorry to hear about the victims.

It was 15 years 7 months in Arizona when I got my driving permit waaaaaaaay back when.
I was in little danger though .... being an uber conservative type even then I learned to drive in a Corvair station wagon and drove a 1957 Buick Roadmaster to high school. Nobody expected a student to drive in a boat like that so I got away with parking in the teachers lot .....

Anyway, high performance vehicles have and will continue to claim the lives of their operators when things go wrong. It's a shame, but that's the way it is.

Joe

[wecsoger]

So we don't have to worry now about a Fast and Furious 8 movie?

So saying, looks like it was involved in several good causes...and that's now gone because of a moment of stupidity.

Done my share of OH-1 (crash reports) when I was wearing the funny hat, excessive speed appears to be a big factor. Looks like they wrapped around a utility pole? Surprised it didn't shear off.

[Blaine]

I enjoyed all the movies....RIP

[williamranks]

All street racers are stupid!! Race tracks have safety run off areas, padding on hard walls, Armco guard rails and emergency crews.
Race cars have reinforced driver cages and automatic fire extinguishers.
Streets have other cars, lamp poles, trees, houses, and pedestrians.

[Sixgun]

What's going to happen now, make this guy some kind of a hero, like they did to the Philadelphia Eagles guy who crashed his Corvette that also took the life of his 12 yo nephew?

That other guy who was killed a year or two ago......JackAss guy. Happened 5 miles down the road from me.

When these idiots do these deeds, not only does it cost all of us more in insurance, it sometimes takes the lives of innocents. -----6

[Old Ironsights]

I thought this thread was going to be about a Holder Hit on... err... convenient accident involving a F&F witness/whistleblower...

[Modoc ED]

No, really just about 35 miles down the back way past the range I shoot at on San Francisquito Road. and across Copper Hill Rd past this area if you are cutting over to the 5 but they have changed that whole upper Valencia area which is next to Santa Clarita not sure which this is properly in you have Saugus/Newhall/Santa Clarita/Valencia all pretty much contiguous and I certainly could not draw the borders on a map but this is the most northern part and quite near the 5. The 14 runs down the other side of it all.

Yeah Fred, I was thinking the 14 from Mojave, through Lancaster through Palmdale to where it merges into the 5.

[2ndovc]

Real Bummer!

He seemed like a decent kid and he was one of Blondie's favorites.

No one should go out at that age, no matter what you
think of him or her!!!!

RIP Amigo!

jb

[Old Savage]

Modoc, that is about 70 miles.

[Ysabel Kid]

As a professional driver and former LEO I can promise you cars are not toys. They are more dangerous than any gun you care to name and kill more every year than guns do. People need to recognize them for the danger they are instead of blowing it off like it's no big deal.
We make young people wait till they're 18 to buy a long arm and 21 to buy a handgun, but the second they turn 16 we give the keys to a 4,000 pound killer and turn them loose.

AMEN Brother!

Another AMEN!

I think I may have seen 15 minutes of one of the F&F flicks. Sorry to hear this though. Big time irony!

[Ji in Hawaii]

Paul Walker also starred in 2006 "Flags of our Fathers", he was a good actor and seemed to be a genuinely nice guy unlike most of Hollyweird.
RIP Paul.

[piller]

I haven't seen anything that he was in, but all accounts say that he was a nice guy. Hope he rests in peace. Remember, no matter how good you are, no matter how good your car is, no matter if your tires are the best, you can still have an accident. Ask Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, or Richard Petty if accidents sometimes happen.

[Streetstar]

All street racers are stupid!! Race tracks have safety run off areas, padding on hard walls, Armco guard rails and emergency crews.
Race cars have reinforced driver cages and automatic fire extinguishers.
Streets have other cars, lamp poles, trees, houses, and pedestrians.

It sounded like they had the streets closed off for some kind of a meet or gathering --

-- The SCCA also holds races on cordoned off city streets at times, Grand Prix and Formula One has races which utilize public roads, the Isle of Man TT is on a public route

As far as race track safety --- some tracks have the things you mentioned, and some do not -- I had a race car capable of hitting 200 mph in 1/4 mile, -- it did not have an automatic fire extinguisher - just a fire bottle and a port in the side for track personnel to poke their bottle in

But no, street racing in an unsanctioned event on a city street that is not blocked off is a fool's game

I enjoyed the movie Varsity Blues ---- anybody who is a legit gearhead (as this fella was , reportedly) is alright with me - (well, usually)

[Modoc ED]

Modoc, that is about 70 miles.

You're right Fred. I haven't travelled that route in about 4-years and remembered it to be longer. I got out my Atlas and checked it out. We will be coming through there this Spring (April/May) when we go to LA to see the kids.

[Griff]

Are the reports I read that a professional driver was behind the wheel, incorrect?

[Old Savage]

Streetstar look up 28300 Rye Canyon Loop, Santa Clarita, Ca. You will see it sits off in an industrial park type area. Seems it might be tha Hercules/rye canyon loop intersection.

Ed, call maybe we can have coffee or lunch or something, my office 1/2 mile off the 14.

[Streetstar]

Streetstar look up 28300 Rye Canyon Loop, Santa Clarita, Ca. You will see it sits off in an industrial park type area. Seems it might be tha Hercules/rye canyon loop intersection.

Ed, call maybe we can have coffee or lunch or something, my office 1/2 mile off the 14.

yes, I was mistaken -- I thought it might have been an organized cruise in type car event , with a section of industrial park cordoned off for hot laps --- but evidently he was hosting a charity toy event at a business he co-owned with the other deceased --- both are reportedly listed as drivers on the shop's "racing team" --- but that doesn't mean either are (were) professionals

Looks more and more like knuckle head stuff unfortunately --- hopping into a 600+ hp car for a quick joy ride --- the driver's 8 year old son reportedly witnessed all this and was trying to reach the wreckage to liberate the occupants too


like a jaded old cop might say - "Nothing to see here - move along "

But is further proof that having a little bit of money doesn't buy a person good sense , and its hard to just buy the skills needed to be a pro driver, - you have to put in a lot of time and effort

[Old Savage]

How fast must that car have been going to do that kind of damage.

[CowboyTutt]

Fred, that is also what I was thinking. The car hit hard enough to cause it to explode right after impact. I never cared much for the F&F films but by all accounts he did a lot of good charity work. RIP. -Tutt

[Larkbill]

I don't go to the movies so I've never heard of the fellow, but from what I read he was a good man.

The fellow driving was most properly considered a semi-pro driver. The series he competes in uses production based cars modified to perform like real ground up race cars. That's basically what the Porsche they were driving was, but he was a part time driver in the series. It's a high strung car that rewards precision and punishes any minor lapse. It's an expert's tool, like a .410 shotgun. Apparently he ran out of talent before he ran out of speed.

[Modoc ED]

How fast must that car have been going to do that kind of damage.

I wouldn't think too fast Fred. Even at say 50-MPH that would be plenty to wrap that type of car around a tree. Although they are well constructed, they are still very light and from looking at the after-math pictures it didn't look like the car was equipped with a roll/crash cage. Further, I believe those cars are uni-body constructed and do not have a frame such as on a truck or older cars. It may also be possible that the fuel lines were routed down the right side of the car where it impacted against the tree.

Last night on FOX News LA there was a guy who said he was in a car behind them and that they were not going at an exorbitant speed.

If as some say, the steering gear box broke, they'd have had no controll over the car once that happened.

[williamranks]

I keep this stored in bookmarks. That used to be a 740iL like mine. Every time I'm tempted to see if it really will top 175 these pictures come to mind.
He wasn't going that fast.

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/9 ... -pics.html

[CowboyTutt]

I hadn't heard about any gear box issues but saw today on CNN while at lunch that the car did not burst into flames until 60 seconds after impact.

Modoc Ed, I'm with you, I still admire the old full frame cars, but modern cars, even if a unibody design, offer more crash protection for the occupants. I saw a video once of a comparison in a crash between the two designs, and it was really apparent which vehicle I would want to crash in.

Which still begs the question, what in Sam Hill happened?

They had almost finished filming the new F&F movie, and apparently Hollywood is still going to complete it after some rewrites. The films make too much money not to do so.

I think I'm going to be sick.

-Tutt

[Old Savage]

Tragic though this is it is ironic that one of the stars of this series which glamorized/glorified street racing and very likely contributed to other deaths would come to his end this way.

[williamranks]

This came up at Daily Mail tonight.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -road.html

[Old Savage]

Took down a light pole then hit a tree which is where you see it. Witnesses report a high rate of speed.

[Old Ironsights]

...

They had almost finished filming the new F&F movie, and apparently Hollywood is still going to complete it after some rewrites.... -Tutt

They did a pretty good job "fixing" The Crow after Brandon Lee died...

[Old Savage]

All street racers are stupid!! Race tracks have safety run off areas, padding on hard walls, Armco guard rails and emergency crews.
Race cars have reinforced driver cages and automatic fire extinguishers.
Streets have other cars, lamp poles, trees, houses, and pedestrians.

williamranks

As more comes out about this and the car this is very clearly a pertinent point of view. Reading about this car it was designed as a street legal race car. The driver's speed shop I'd right up the street and is where the charity event was hosted. It is in an industrial park up the end of a canyon. I would speculate that on weekends almost no one would be up there and it may have been palace it was easy to do small tests on cars that they worked on. Porsche said the car was very touchy and could even run over a beer can side ways. It did not have the stability control system. One tester at the Nuremburg ring said it was the only car that ever scared him. Other similar comments from other testing but not professional drivers, magazines and the like - an expert's car. There is a history of actors/singers getting into racing, amateurs with money and access getting into race cars. Paul Newman used to bring his car to the Willow Springs Raceway which is one good way to do it. Speed and disrespect for it gone bad here, 600 plus HP ANC a carbon fiber frame. What you see in the the picture is the car ending up against a tree after taking a light pole down.

[williamranks]

The BMW I'm driving has stability control. If I come into a corner too fast the side load sensors turn on a 12V hydraulic pump under the hood to supply brake line pressure to the stability computer, it squeezes individual brakes to keep the car under control. tells the tranny not to shift and eases back the throttle plate to reduce power.
I've never even had the rear kick out and, when I make a mistake, it's brought me around a curve so hard I felt the squishy stuff in my belly move over. Not something you want to do after a big meal!

[CowboyTutt]

On top of the car being notorious it may have also had something wrong with it. Apparently the area is well knows for drag racing although it does not seem to be the case here.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... erges.html

-Tutt