Da Matta hits deer testing

[John Nesbitt]

I don't think it is as isolated as you guys think. At Summit Point this year I had two close calls with deer this year. One, not too bad between turns 3 and 4, the other I had to brake hard and make a decision as I approached the bridge before turn 10 which way to go to avoid the deer.

Rick is right about the frequency of animal strikes and near-misses. Last fall, I had deer cross the track in front of me at SP at the same two locations as he did. It may well be the greatest danger (in terms of a probability times outcome calculation) at Summit Point.

[Keith Carter]

From Monday:

Dr. Randall R. Johnson. The following statement is an update on da Matta’s medical status.

"Cristiano continues to make slow but steady progress while in the Intensive Care Unit at Theda Clark Medical Center. At this point in his recovery, Dr. Johnson has begun to decrease Cristiano's sedation. The care Cristiano has been receiving has been excellent and he'll remain in the Intensive Care Unit while his condition and progress are being monitored.”

[Rob_ert]

Here's a link to a story today on GP.com which refers to the hematoma injury. It appears it's going to be a lengthy process. He's blessed to be in very good care and the best thing I and others can do is hope and pray he has a full recovery. <http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns17303.html>

[Dave Harmison]

I work major at a major car company in Detroit and test production cars at our huge track in the outskirts of town (now starter McMansion-ville) and we have a huge fence all around, special permission to shoot deer year around, and still hit several a year. And we aren't travelling over 100mph so the deer have a chance to miss us. We also hit turkey's and buzzards regularly. Keeping deer out is not possible. Didn't a FV driver hit a deer at RA about 15 years ago? Mezzuro?

[akilcoyne]

I don't think it was even that long ago Dave, I vaguely remember the same thing.

[DaveW]

Didn't a FV driver hit a deer at RA about 15 years ago? Mezzuro?

That was Mark Mazuro, George Mazuro's son.

[Chas Shaffer]

I happen to be talking with Maria Morsini (summit point manager) this past weekend about deer at summit. She says they have tried everything imaginable to keep the deer population down. They have 10 foot fences that don't keep the deer out. They also allow open hunting out there (it is west virginia after all) and with a gun range on the premesise for CIA, ATF and FBI shooting practice they have plenty of lead slinging. One of the problems faced by summit is the housing boom. The deer have fewer places to live and naturally migrate to the wooded areas. Point is that the tracks are trying to do something but its a difficult thing to control. There is an orchard next to summit that is also surrounded by 10 foot high fencing which doesn't keep them out. btw... I've seen lots of deer on the grass areas between runways at Dulles Airport.

[Mark_Silverberg]

Per his post on the waterford hills message board Mark Mazuro said the accident occured on May 1st 1994 at corner 5. He sustained a closed head injury and was in a coma for 6 days.

He was very offended that Road America made the off hand statement that they had no prior knowledge of such an incident happening. Although it is quite likely that given staff turnover there was no one with continuous service from 1994 to 2006.

Getting back to my original point. It is unfair to state that a pragmatic view I have on animal control is a relaxed view on safety. I have very strong views on safety and put a considerable safety effort into my preparations.

My point is that putting a fence around a open field (airport) is not the same as putting a fence around a forest with a race track running through it. With an airport it is pretty easy to insure that all the deer are gone - and it is not a very appealing environment for the deer in the first place. Road America is a very appealing environment and to keep them out you first have to get them out! I am sure with a 12 foot perimeter fence no additional deer will come into the Road America property. It will also keep all the deer presently there from leaving. If you think a controlled hunt can eliminate deer from 400 acres of dense forest (Road America is a 635 acre property) you are fooling only yourself.

[Brad Ellingson]

and after the deer are gone we'll just have to worry about the turkeys that have been known to take on cars...right Jim Roemer?

[Mark_Silverberg]

A wild turkey would be of sufficient mass to cause injury in a direct hit. Fortunately they are smaller and lower targets than a deer. Certainly a turkey, turtle, ground hog or Nutria (alleged to inhabit Portland) if thrown from one car into another could cause injury - either primary or from loss of control. So could many other forms of race track debris.

[bill]

another thought on this is what kind of spotters/workers are around during testing? We have all experienced test and tune days where VERY few people were on the course watching corners etc. Wonder what ChampCar provides for their testing days, do they employ or use corner workers and/or spotters to keep an eye out for hazards for drivers while on track during testing?

[Al Craighead]

I know for official test days, like the one recently conducted at Road America, corner workers are present, as well as ambulance, EMS workers and safety crews. That being said it is not at the level you'll see at a race weekend, usually you have one, maybe two at each corner. As for private test days, it is often what is required by circuit for insurance purposes. Some need more than others. Therefore I would guess it varies greatly from track to track.

Cheers,

[AJWALKER]

I have a relationship with someone on the medical staff treating Da Matta. I had sent the ApexSpeed thread as a fyi, the comments back are below.


"he (Randall Johnson) was really encouraged with Cristiano's progress today. He (DeMatta) started responding to the doctor pinching him by moving his arms. It was mostly a reflex but still a really good sign. His dad (up from Brazil) started crying over the good news."

[racerxlilbro]

I have a relationship with someone on the medical staff treating Da Matta. I had sent the ApexSpeed thread as a fyi, the comments back are below.


"he (Randall Johnson) was really encouraged with Cristiano's progress today. He (DeMatta) started responding to the doctor pinching him by moving his arms. It was mostly a reflex but still a really good sign. His dad (up from Brazil) started crying over the good news."

Thanks for the RELEVANT update.

[Agitator]

rel·e·vant (rl-vnt)
adj. Having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.



Not sure I follow....everything pertaining to this thread seems to be directly related or motivated by DaMatta's accident.

[racerxlilbro]

rel&#183;e&#183;vant (rl-vnt)
adj. Having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.



Not sure I follow....everything pertaining to this thread seems to be directly related or motivated by DaMatta's accident.

Yeah, sorry about that. I was in a particularly crappy mood when I posted that. I just meant that the update about poor "Shorty's" condition was more relevant than speculating about what different fencing might have done.

Apologies all around.

[Agitator]

Been there, done that. No worries. You're right - his condition is the real concern.

[-pru-]

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../60811006/1001

[Craig Jones]

I have trouble understanding exactly how he got a head injury from hitting a deer. I know they are big -- I hit one square-on at 75 mph on the expressway once -- but, from the pictures of him in the Champ Car, his head doesn't stick up very far in the cockpit. I would think that the wings, nose, and tires on the car would push the deer up in the air enough to clear his head. Shouldn't a professional grade helmet provide enough protection from that kind of impact? Approaching Turn 6 at RA isn't even a fast part of the track. Did the injury come from the deer hitting his helmet or from the resulting crash? I assume he was wearing a Hans. Anyone know for sure?

[Allen_W]

I have trouble understanding exactly how he got a head injury from hitting a deer. I know they are big -- I hit one square-on at 75 mph on the expressway once -- but, from the pictures of him in the Champ Car, his head doesn't stick up very far in the cockpit. I would think that the wings, nose, and tires on the car would push the deer up in the air enough to clear his head. Shouldn't a professional grade helmet provide enough protection from that kind of impact? Approaching Turn 6 at RA isn't even a fast part of the track. Did the injury come from the deer hitting his helmet or from the resulting crash? I assume he was wearing a Hans. Anyone know for sure?

I think it's faster than it feels in a Ford--and definitely fast in a Champ Car. I believe I read that the deer landed in the cockpit of da Matta's car and then da Matta's car buried itself in the tire wall. I never could tell where he sustained his head injury.

I was thinking about the safety thread here. Where I live, we have a lot of deer. My backyard is entirely fenced in and deer-proofed. From the looks of it, there is no way a deer could get in--or out. Yet deer manage both directions fairly regularly. I have never "caught one in the act," so I don't know how they do it. But they do. In my little backyard. Which brings home the point several have made about the likelihood of fences and such deer-proofing a place the size of R/A. Doesn't excuse the ignorant remarks by the track spokesperson. Nor does it give me comfort. Reading about da Matta's condition is very sobering, and I thank -pru- for that news, hard as it is to read.

Best wishes to Shorty and family.

[bill]

Based on overheard conversations in the Champcar pits this weekend here in Denver, seems the biggest issue with RA is they failed to clear the area of wildlife prior to the testing session. Apparently (by RA's own admisssion) they failed make a sweep of the area for wildlife (something they said they do before racing days) for some reason. Interesting admission if true.

[Jon Jeffords]

With over 600 acres, how do they go about clearing/sweeping the area of wildlife prior to a testing session? Doesn't sound feasible to me.

[formulasuper]

I would think a few good dogs could find any wildlife inside the track.

[Steve Demeter]

II couldn't believe it Formula Super. Exactly the idea I had.

We have a park system here and it is overwhelmed with canadian geese. and they leave their green droppings everywhere. And they are actually agressive towards people.

Not a pleasant guest. They tried noise makers and other sorts of things.

Then they adopted a border collie from the local pound and he has a ball chasing them off. They started with him at just one park and he did so well that they move him from park to park every day or two. Whallah no more geese.

[D.T. Benner]

Steve,we have the same problem here in Fremont California where our city park has a large lake. Goose Poop everywhere! Dog did the trick. BUT I was corrected about the CanadIAN Geese thing! They are Canada's Geese.

[ste]

I know they work great with Geese, but the deer aren't going to fly away.

Turn a dog loose on the trail of some deer & they'll all disappear into the woods - then we have a dog to hit as well.

Where should the dogs chase the deer to? The only way a dog will work is if it captures & kills the deer. As discussed elsewhere in this thread, the deer will continue to get in anyway.

Realistically, I don't think there is much that can be done to eliminate the problem - it certainly can be minimized & I would hope RA is doing what they can. I've raced there many times & have never seen a deer, but I certainly would not be surprised if I did.

Steve

[Wes Shelton]

I have trouble understanding exactly how he got a head injury from hitting a deer. I know they are big -- I hit one square-on at 75 mph on the expressway once -- but, from the pictures of him in the Champ Car, his head doesn't stick up very far in the cockpit. I would think that the wings, nose, and tires on the car would push the deer up in the air enough to clear his head. Shouldn't a professional grade helmet provide enough protection from that kind of impact? Approaching Turn 6 at RA isn't even a fast part of the track. Did the injury come from the deer hitting his helmet or from the resulting crash? I assume he was wearing a Hans. Anyone know for sure?

You're kidding, right? Let's look at the facts.

1) The animal is stationary
2) It is made up of primarily muscle mass and bone, probably weighs at LEAST 200 lbs.
3) The car is doing at least 100 MPH, maybe alot more. Is there a mathematician in the house? At what force is this blow being delievered.
4) The helmet can help cushion the blow, but can't absorb all of the energy from the impact.
5) DaMatta's car hit the barrier after the deer impact at an excessive rate of speed.
6) While it might not be a fast part of this track, RA is one of the fastest track in the country, period.

Frankly, I'm shocked the guys not dead. Says alot about medicine and response crews.

[Rick Kirchner]

Art Smith and I did a "back of the envelope" calculation of the forces involved when Tomasi was hit in the head with a diffuser at the Sprints. We figured it was sort of like getting hit with a shot put. A deer hit by a Champ Car??? mV^2!!

[D.T. Benner]

When you have a lot of trees and brush in a place like Road America the dear have a lot of natural cover. If you have ever been to Sears Point (Infineon) you know there are probably only 10 trees on the entire property and the local grass is not very tall. In spite of that there was a fatal accident about 15 years ago on a practice day when a Spors 2000 driver failed to come around and when they went out to see what happened they found the car by the side of the track with the engine running and the driver deceased. The dear was found in the middle of the track a short way back up the track. This was back when Sears Point had a lot of rolling hills and blind corners. At that time they didn't have flagers at every corner on practice days so nobody saw what happened. After Bruton Smith bought the track and buldozed most of the hills (So N--CAR fans could see Billy-Bob more often) I doubt that this could happen now. But it goes to show that BamBi's mom can show up just about anywhere.

[formulasuper]

I know they work great with Geese, but the deer aren't going to fly away.

Turn a dog loose on the trail of some deer & they'll all disappear into the woods - then we have a dog to hit as well.

Where should the dogs chase the deer to? The only way a dog will work is if it captures & kills the deer. As discussed elsewhere in this thread, the deer will continue to get in anyway.

Realistically, I don't think there is much that can be done to eliminate the problem - it certainly can be minimized & I would hope RA is doing what they can. I've raced there many times & have never seen a deer, but I certainly would not be surprised if I did.

Steve

As is done in some states during deer hunting season the dogs are used to find & run the deer out to the officals that either harvest them or tranquilize & relocate them to a less traveled area. The deer are too fast for the dogs to catch.

[-pru-]

http://f1.racing-live.com/f1/en/head...17110750.shtml

[bob darcey]

More Progress for Cristiano da Matta RuSPORT driver now speaking in two languages and walking with minimal assistance


LOVELAND, Colo., Aug. 30, 2006, 2:15 pm EDT -- The condition of Champ Car World Series driver Cristiano da Matta (#10 RuSPORT Ford-Cosworth / Lola / Bridgestone) continues to significantly improve. Da Matta was injured after colliding with a deer that ran onto the track near Turn Six at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. during a Champ Car Open Test on August 3, and has been recovering at Theda Clark Medical Center in Neenah, Wisc. since then.


Champ Car Medical Director Dr. Chris Pinderski flew back to Theda Clark today, for an update on the condition of da Matta and to visit with the da Matta family.


"Cristiano has made excellent progress in the past several days," said Pinderski. "Although he is still somewhat confused, he is now conversational in both English and Portuguese. Additionally, he has started to walk on his own for short periods of time with minimal assistance. We anticipate that Cristiano will be ready to make the transition to a rehabilitation setting next week."


Further updates on da Matta's condition will be issued by RuSPORT as they become available.


Since da Matta's accident on August 3, RuSPORT and Champ Car have received many messages of support for da Matta. In response, RuSPORT also announced that, in lieu of sending flowers and gifts, anyone wishing to express their support for da Matta during his recovery is asked to please make a donation in his name to Hole in the Wall Camps, an official charity of the Champ Car World Series. Donation information can be found by visiting www.holeinthewallcamps.org, or by calling 203-562-1203.


Get well cards for da Matta can be sent to:

Cristiano da Matta, patient
Theda Clark Medical Center
130 2nd St.
Neenah, WI 54956

[Dragnmorad]

found this today...
http://www.crash.net/news_view~t~da-...~id~137382.htm

[Dave Welsh]

Great news on Da Matta's recovery.

http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/32739/

[J.D. King]

Great news Dave!

Thank you for sharing the link.

[Dave Gomberg]

A new update at http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/news/s...=ESPNHeadlines

Dave