View Full Version : Porsche test driver killed
Roentgen
02-13-2009, 04:53 AM
Porsche Test Driver Dies Testing Pre-Production 911 - worldcarfans (http://www.worldcarfans.com/9090213.013/porsche-test-driver-dies-testing-pre-production-911)
Jeremy Clarkson is right about Porsches; they will kill you.
IBrake4Rainbows
02-13-2009, 04:56 AM
Dude, thats not funny.
My Condolences.
Roentgen
02-13-2009, 05:12 AM
Dude, thats not funny.
My Condolences.
Don't get me wrong. I did not find it funny at all. I just wanted to put it out to you guys in a less negative manner. I apologize for any offenses caused.
And yes, my condolences also.
Matra et Alpine
02-13-2009, 06:19 AM
Sobering :(
Am angry to see how readily the car went UNDER the barrier, some seious questions have to be asked about the construction.
drakkie
02-13-2009, 06:28 AM
Sobering :(
Am angry to see how readily the car went UNDER the barrier, some seious questions have to be asked about the construction.
Yea it is pretty strange indeed. Either the car is VERY low, or the barrier VERY high. Strange stuff! But you never know what can happen in a prototype and the exact circumstances will probably never be released..
Bleeding Heart
02-13-2009, 06:46 AM
Oh dear. that doesn't look pretty.
My condolences... too...
Ferrer
02-13-2009, 06:47 AM
Rest in Peace.
LeonOfTheDead
02-13-2009, 06:56 AM
my condolences, rest in Peace.
the guard rail seems a little too high, compared to the car.
perhaps with some wedge-shaped car like a Corvette or a Ferrari would have been even worst.
It would be better, for Porsche, if the accident wasn't caused by a malfunction. I'm not considering the possibility of being their fault or a possible law-suit, just considering the safety of the new car, both from the point of view of the malfunction, probably dued by the prototype nature of the car if that is the case, and from the point of view of the passive safety of the car in case of an accident.
teatako
02-13-2009, 07:56 AM
Although the accident did take place at an unusual hour, both drivers were working on a 10pm to 6am shift. An initial damage estimate is said to be several thousands of Euro.
Am I the only one offended by this? Itīs going to cost some money - So what? A man lost his life here.
Rest In Peace.
LeonOfTheDead
02-13-2009, 07:59 AM
Am I the only one offended by this? Itīs going to cost some money - So what? A man lost his life here.
Rest In Peace.
I thought that too. seriously irrelevant (besides the fact prototypes can cost Millions).
LTSmash
02-13-2009, 08:32 AM
My God, this is tragic. Rest in Peace.
Do we know the drivers name?
Sobering :(
Am angry to see how readily the car went UNDER the barrier, some seious questions have to be asked about the construction.
You are absolutely spot on with this
These elevated barriers wouldn't do motorcyclists any favours either. Unfortunately a lot of Oz roads are becoming infested with those terrible multi-cable barriers, which might be a cost-effective solution for arresting wayward vehicles, but promise only to slice 'n dice any hapless bikie who may unfortunately come to grief
Years and years after the folly of these cheesecutters were pointed out, and despite continuing protests from the motorcycle lobby, these dreadful devices continue to pop up. I guess govts justify them in respect of cost/benefit, but others would suspect that only some motorists lives are cheap
f6fhellcat13
02-13-2009, 09:21 AM
RIP
Sobering :(
Am angry to see how readily the car went UNDER the barrier, some seious questions have to be asked about the construction.
Is it a product of the SUV craze? Almost any road car would be low enough to shoot under that barrier at speed especially a cabrio. :(
That seems quite dimwitted on the part of whoever put it there. I guess an SUV hurtling into opposing traffic is more dangerous than a normal car, but that doesn't decrease the value of a normal car driver's life. :(
LeonOfTheDead
02-13-2009, 10:23 AM
RIP
Is it a product of the SUV craze? Almost any road car would be low enough to shoot under that barrier at speed especially a cabrio. :(
That seems quite dimwitted on the part of whoever put it there. I guess an SUV hurtling into opposing traffic is more dangerous than a normal car, but that doesn't decrease the value of a normal car driver's life. :(
they are meant to absorb the energy a trailer can develop while hitting, tangentially, the guard rail. Also, being so high, they can prevent the trailer from flipping into the other lane when pushing against the guard rail.
Still, they should also prevent a car to slide behind the guard rail.
Now that I think of it, they are very used here, but I didn't really think of height until now.
ZeTurbo
02-13-2009, 11:22 AM
Although the accident did take place at an unusual hour, both drivers were working on a 10pm to 6am shift.
on a lighter note, what kind of an amazing job is test driver on the night shift?
engineer27
02-13-2009, 12:26 PM
Condolences. One question tho. Did the driver get adequate sleep before working the night shift? Always a concern for all who work that shift--too often their sleep is either shorted or broken into small amounts at a time. This isn't to take away from my condolences.
LeonOfTheDead
02-13-2009, 12:29 PM
Condolences. One question tho. Did the driver get adequate sleep before working the night shift? Always a concern for all who work that shift--too often their sleep is either shorted or broken into small amounts at a time. This isn't to take away from my condolences.
well, considering his age, and the career at Porsche, and the very fact he was testing a car which is going to be unveiled in at least a couple of year, I guess his experience should clear reasonable doubts about his preparation. That said, s***t happens.
silverhawk
02-13-2009, 04:07 PM
R.I.P. my condolences.
Am I the only one offended by this? Itīs going to cost some money - So what? A man lost his life here.
Rest In Peace.
Don't take offense for this reason- it's the job of the news writer to report that information whether the story is tragic or not. It's also the job of someone to estimate the damage and go about fixing it.
AERO_HDT
02-14-2009, 05:17 AM
I am terribly saddened by this.
:(
markpaul
02-15-2009, 11:33 AM
thats a tragic accident
rest in peace
Tall_G
02-15-2009, 01:39 PM
High speed motoring at any time of the day or night, in any vehicle, multiplies the risk of accident. Physical laws are constantly threatened, but never broken. We've all probably seen the effect, for instance, of a tyre blowout on a car travelling at moderate speeds let alone at unlimited autobahn pace.
We'll probably never get a totally accurate account of the circumstances of this tragedy (unless Porche had a high-tech data logger fitted, and are forced to reveal it's contents), but we can all be sure the driver knew the risks and accepted them as part of his conditions of employment. Who amongst us WOULDN'T want that job and would accept the risks involved?
I think we can safely say this sort of occurrence is very rare, considering the massive km's poured into testing prototypes of all sorts of plain and exotic machinery.
Condolences to the driver's family, and his Porsche colleagues.