35 replies to this topic

[dutra]

The brazilian driver Rafael Sperafico died during lap 6 oh the last race of the season of the Stock Car Light at Interlagos, São Paulo. Sperafico's car when out of the track at the last corner of the track, hitted the tire wall and came back to the track and then got hitted by Renato Russo. The severe crash killed Sperafico instantly. The accident was very similar to what happened betwen Alonso and Webber some years ago and at the same place.

[pingu666]

RIP

[Ross Stonefeld]

Which Sperafico is that? I know they all did various forms of Formula 3000, but where did he sit in the talent order? Was he the one that did Champ Car a few years ago?

[berto]

Really sad... And its one more big accident with casualties in Stock Car Brazil... Its a dangerous type of racing, with fragile cars and too many drivers for really small tracks...

It's not the Sperafico who did Champ Cars years ago, that one was Alexandre, if I remember well... I think this one is a new boy, he was cousin of Ricardo and Rodrigo Sperafico, those two did F 3000 sometime ago

RIP

[dutra]

He was a cousin of the twin brothers Ricardo and Rodrigo. He drove in Euro F3000 in 2003 and had 27 years old.

[dutra]

Video from the crash

[wrighty]

Originally posted by dutra
(link removed)Video from the crash

thanks for that

RIP

[Ross Stonefeld]

You knew what it was, if you didn't like it don't click on it.

[Christian Szymczak]

I raced with him in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 01 and 02. He was a nice guy with a good sense of humor. He was a very strong competitor also and a front runner in the series. Although I haven't seen or talked to him in 5 years I remember him well. I will miss him. RIP my friend.

[FLB]

Originally posted by Christian Szymczak
I raced with him in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in 01 and 02. He was a nice guy with a good sense of humor. He was a very strong competitor also and a front runner in the series. Although I haven't seen or talked to him in 5 years I remember him well. I will miss him. RIP my friend.

I thought his name rang a bell...

http://www.motorspor...9&FS=BARBER-PRO

He was the 2001 Barber Dodge Pro Series Rookie Of The Year. He was second in the 2002 championship, in a field that also included people like AJ Allmendinger, Memo Rojas and Danica Patrick.

[Sergio Sultani]

Rafael Sperafico died in Interlagos today in Stock Car race (09/12/2007)

SS

[wolf sun]

Oh dear, that looks horrific.


RIP poor Rafael.

[karlth]

Didn't he test for Williams?

[Chubby_Deuce]

Originally posted by karlth


Didn't he test for Williams?

Wasn't that Ricardo?

RIP

[Sébastien]

You might want to go here , there is a topic on this already.

[speedmaster]

Sad as it is auto racing is dangerous and none of the drivers are there without knowing it. The best we can do is understand the causes and try to prevent it to happen in the future. He died doing what he liked most as Clark, Senna and many others. Stock Car Brasil is a very professional category with plenty of talent around and a first class medical team that for sure they will analyze, learn and do the possible improvements. As for the Sperafico's our sympathy and respect for a family that has racing in their lives and do the best possible for us, the fans, to have our share of emotion and thrill. Let's have him in our prayers.

[vapaokie]

OMG, didn't expect that picture of him sitting in the car.

Looks to be pretty minimal side impact protection in those cars, where's the door bars?

[pingu666]

whats the bodyshell made of? that just ripped right off like paper...

video is deffinately shocking :

[GregAU]

Yeah saw this on this mornings news very sad.

I didnt quite clearly catch the initial impact but it looked as if he hit the tyre barrier as if it was head on while still traveling in the direction of the flow of traffic.

If this was the case surely a dangerous track design?

[pingu666]

depends on the angle of impact i suspect, the tyres bounce him back onto the track...

its possible the saftey cell was comprimised by the first impact, 2nd one was just goodbye

[Dmitriy_Guller]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
You knew what it was, if you didn't like it don't click on it.

Still, you don't expect to see the body inside the mangled car in such a video.

[Dmitriy_Guller]

Those things definitely look like unsafe shitboxes, they just can't take any serious impact. Also, hasn't it already been decisively concluded that tire walls lining along the racing line are a very bad idea?

[Fiorentina 1]

He was a nice kid and a heck of a driver. The best of the Sperafico's IMO. I raced 2-liter barber dodges with him, as well as with Szymczak. RIP.

[Burai]

Originally posted by Dmitriy_Guller

Still, you don't expect to see the body inside the mangled car in such a video.

Sure, but if I'm linked to a video in which someone is killed, I usually expect the very worst.

Horrifying crash though. I always thought those Brazilian stock cars looked a bit wanky - from the little I've seen of the series, cars regularly retire with bodywork cutting into tyres and mangled suspension after light argy-bargy that would seem tame by most touring car series standards.

[lustigson]

That's sad.

And it's been quite some time since any moderately-known driver died, hasn't it?

[molive]

Its one of those situations that, independent of how strong car he was driving, he was gonna get killed anyway. When he came back to the track he was hit in a T fashion, in a high speed section of Interlagos. The place is exactly the same spot where Alonso hit Webber a few years ago.

[cheesy poofs]

Whatever we think of the cars or series, a person has lost his life in a racing accident. Very sad indeed.

[mwphoto]

Very sad. Remember him well from the Barber Dodge series.

RIP

[Coral]

Very sad. You just don't expect there to be fatalities in motor sport nowadays. R.I.P. Rafael.

[pkenny]

Condolences to his family and friends.

For the future the tyre barrier may not have helped as without it he may have hit the wall at a shallow angle and not come almost immediately back into the following cars. It also seems that these cars have minimal protection. Given they can do what they want - they are not starting from a production model - they should follow the DTM route and place the driver into the centre and give them good side impact protection. I know it costs but if Tom Kristensen is reading this he knows why he is still around to do so.

[Sébastien]

Originally posted by pkenny
they should follow the DTM route and place the driver into the centre and give them good side impact protection. I know it costs but if Tom Kristensen is reading this he knows why he is still around to do so.

exactly my thoughts when I saw this accident, however the speed at the DTM accident was much lower imo.
RIP Rafael Sperafico

[Dmitriy_Guller]

Originally posted by molive
Its one of those situations that, independent of how strong car he was driving, he was gonna get killed anyway. When he came back to the track he was hit in a T fashion, in a high speed section of Interlagos. The place is exactly the same spot where Alonso hit Webber a few years ago.

I don't think so. People in NASCAR have survived t-bone accidents at greater speeds than that. They didn't always walk away, but most survived, and their cars didn't look like a tank just ran over them. You also have to consider the role of the tire wall in the accident, as it both slowed down Sperafico's car very suddenly (increasing the speed differential), as well as spit him out into the path of other cars. I'm pretty sure this was an avoidable death.

[dutra]

Originally posted by Dmitriy_Guller

People in NASCAR have survived t-bone accidents at greater speeds than that. They didn't always walk away, but most survived, and their cars didn't look like a tank just ran over them. You also have to consider the role of the tire wall in the accident, as it both slowed down Sperafico's car very suddenly (increasing the speed differential), as well as spit him out into the path of other cars. I'm pretty sure this was an avoidable death.

I fully agree with you.

[speedmaster]

Originally posted by Dmitriy_Guller

I don't think so. People in NASCAR have survived t-bone accidents at greater speeds than that. They didn't always walk away, but most survived, and their cars didn't look like a tank just ran over them. You also have to consider the role of the tire wall in the accident, as it both slowed down Sperafico's car very suddenly (increasing the speed differential), as well as spit him out into the path of other cars. I'm pretty sure this was an avoidable death.

Race director said in a TV interview today that the tyre barrier was defined and required by FIA... and yes, the suden desaceleration and kick back in an sharp angle were quite decisive for the outcome... now, show me an accident in Nascar where you had a Tbone with a zero forward moving, 220km hr, left side, full force over the drivers door and I will agree... Enhardt for instance died in a far less horrifying accident... the name of the **** is fatality which, of course, should not prevent to study how it happens and improve it.

Speedmaster

[LB]

Originally posted by lustigson
That's sad.

And it's been quite some time since any moderately-known driver died, hasn't it?

Depends what you mean by quite some time, Peter Brock was only last year in September, Paul Dana I guess would be the one that everyoneknew about before that one.

This one reminds me of the Mark Porter crash from last year at Bathurst,and the Keith Odor one at AVUS in 1995 big hit on the drivers side ( other side for them of course).

RIP Rafael

[Nikos Spagnol]

Originally posted by Dmitriy_Guller

Still, you don't expect to see the body inside the mangled car in such a video.

That body wasn't Sperafico, but Laércio Justino, a driver who was killed in another accident in Stock Car series back in 2000. Justino had been the last driver to die in Stock Car event before poor Rafael.

Rafael Sperafico raced in Stock Car Light series. The main Stock Car series has more powerful cars, but similar in construction.