Indy Car VS Deer!!

[Firefight911]

Put this here to remind everyone of the dangers associated with deer.

 

Indy car driver Cristiano Da Matta remains in a coma from a deer strike at speed!!

 

Story is here: Deer Strike

 

Mine and my family's prayers are with him.

[David]

I met a guy a few years back who hit a deer on the long straight at Road Atlanta in a race. Something's wrong with that.

[Mike O]

Unbelievable...

 

I watched Da Matta race in Denver Grand Prix. These Champ Cars are intended to be aerodynamic and I can't imagine what hitting a deer would do to the driver.

 

Prayers...

 

Regards,

 

Mike O

[crashtap]

It's amazing that this doesn't happen more often at Road America. I frequent the races there, I remember way back when Bobby Rahal and Rick Mears were racing, they both saw deer right next to the track during the race. They said all they could do was "hope", and keep driving. It's as beautiful a track as we have in the US, but it's kind of crazy to worry about deer. I'm praying for a great racer to come out of this OK.

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

It's remarkable that they don't have fencing high enough to prevent this sort of thing. I'd also think that they wouldn't want people to sneak into the facility, but I guess kids can climb fences. I wonder if the track will consider better measures to prevent this happening again. Imagine if it was a superbike?

[Paul Mihalka]

Race tracks really should be fenced in to make them safe from deer. Another thing that would work is a few feet wide strip or ditch filled with stones/rocks. Deer don't like that. I don't know what is cheaper, fence or rocks.

[David]

It's remarkable that they don't have fencing high enough to prevent this sort of thing. I'd also think that they wouldn't want people to sneak into the facility, but I guess kids can climb fences. I wonder if the track will consider better measures to prevent this happening again. Imagine if it was a superbike?

 

It's really not that simple.

 

1) Some tracks have 600+ acres.

2) They are heavily wooded.

3) They can sneak in easily in various ways.

 

I think they do what they can, but it's almost an impossible job.

[smiller]

I have gained much amusement watching my neighbors try to keep deer off of their property (which are of considerably smaller size than a racetrack facility.) It isn't as easy as it may seem, especially when there's food and water to be had inside. Me, I just let 'em rest on my porch... much more practical than trying to keep them out.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Handy too when you get a hankerin' for venison.

 

I have seen a full grown deer standing flatfooted and clear an 8 foot fence. They are a whole bunch harder to keep out than most think. Reminds me of the great story in Michiner's Texas about the battle between a landowner and a family of armadillos. You wind up rooting for the the critter.

 

Tragic that a fine young man got injured, racing is dangerous enough without adding large critters to the equation. Hope he recovers and races again.

[Tasker]

It's remarkable that they don't have fencing high enough to prevent this sort of thing.

 

From the article:

 

Road America media director Julie Sebranek said she had never heard of a similar incident at the track.

 

"The race track has been here for 50 years. It's highly, highly unusual," Sebranek said Friday.

 

An 8-foot chain link fence topped with barbed wire circles the 628-acre property, which is surrounded by wooded terrain and farm fields.

 

When asked how the deer got onto the property, Sebranek said: "They have been known to jump the 8-foot fences."

 

"It's just a freak thing and we just maintain the property as we do on a daily basis," she added.

[ElevenFifty]

Bambi must die! The emergence of grassland/pasture and lack of predation has led to a man-killing population of giant 'pasture-rats' . . . pita be damned - it's time to SERIOUSLY thin the deer population. We (all of us, bikers and cage-drivers) need a poitical champion . . . thin the herd by 70% and send the venison to whoever needs it - we'll all be better off.

[RickP]

A formula car driver was killed several years ago at Summit Point WV when he hit a flying turkey on the main straight.

 

They race motorcycles there several times a month.

[Kinsley]

Bambi must die! The emergence of grassland/pasture and lack of predation has led to a man-killing population of giant 'pasture-rats' . . . pita be damned - it's time to SERIOUSLY thin the deer population. We (all of us, bikers and cage-drivers) need a poitical champion . . . thin the herd by 70% and send the venison to whoever needs it - we'll all be better off.

 

Great idea which is not likely to happen. Heck many people won't even consider that as one solution in the current PC climate.

[DouglasR]

Bambi must die! The emergence of grassland/pasture and lack of predation has led to a man-killing population of giant 'pasture-rats' . . . pita be damned - it's time to SERIOUSLY thin the deer population. We (all of us, bikers and cage-drivers) need a poitical champion . . . thin the herd by 70% and send the venison to whoever needs it - we'll all be better off.

 

C'mon now, don't hold back - you're among friends here. How do you REALLY feel about deer?

 

I'm gonna get one of these for riding in the high-deer areas of Wyoming:

 

 

Coupla these mounted on my GS should do the trick:

 

 

Seriously, I don't even ride at night around here. There are so many critters hanging out by the roads I just don't feel safe riding after dark any more. It's not just deer, either, we have a huge selection of suicidal critters to watch for out here. Just last Sunday I got to test the ABS while riding my GS down a muddy gravel road in the rain and a herd of antelope blazed across in front of me. It was full daylight, about 11:00 AM in open country and I never saw them coming until they crossed the road at a high gallop. Love my ABS.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

. . . pita be damned ...

 

 

Hey, I like pita; it goes great with kabobs.

 

Perhaps you were thinking of PETA...

[Albert]

Oh, I thought he said pizza.

[cjmkerns]

Hey!

 

And I just happen to like PETA myself! Don't Knock 'Em!

Nothin' bad about "People Eating Tasty Animals".

 

Um, that is what PETA means? Right?

 

Carl

[MysticRed]

Handy too when you get a hankerin' for venison.

 

LOL!!