22 years ago today, the motorsports world lost one of its greatest stars. In his 10 years in Formula One, Ayrton Senna da Silva chalked up 41 wins, 80 podiums, 65 pole positions, and three World Championships.
He was an incredibly skilled, focused, and aggressive driver, saying in an interview at the 1990 Australian Grand Prix, "...if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing, we are competing to win. [source]"
That same weekend, another up-and-coming driver, Roland Ratzenberger, was killed in a qualifying accident. He had just achieved his lifelong dream of competing in Formula One, having just been signed to run five races for the brand new Simtek-Ford team. Ratzenberger's death was unfortunately overshadowed by Senna's, but his death ultimately led to the reformation of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association on the morning of the race with Senna, Gerhard Berger and Michael Schumacher as its first directors [source]. The GPDA was responsible for several safety improvements throughout the 1994 season, and led to the mandated use of the HANS head and neck restraint system in 2003 (which was later mandated for use in NASCAR to try to prevent the injuries that led to the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001).
It's difficult to talk about safety in racing—an inherently dangerous endeavor. In a sport where human and machine are simultaneously being pushed to their limits, serious injury and death are seemingly always around the corner. And not just for drivers; spectators, track workers, and team members are often in harm's way as well.
Safety in racing (or really in anything) is inherently reactive. How many times have you been at a dangerous intersection and wondered "how many people have to get killed here before a traffic light is put up?" Or a railing at a workplace? Or the seat belts, anti-lock brakes, and airbags in your minivan? I could go on, but you see what I'm saying.
Racing today is safer than it has ever been. From the construction of the car itself to the clothing and helmet worn by the driver, everything is massively better than it was, say, even ten years ago. Is it perfect? No. Can racing safety be improved? Always. Cockpit intrusion systems are currently being tested by both the Ferrari and Red Bull Formula One teams to try to prevent, or at least minimize, the types of accidents that recently took the lives of Dan Wheldon (IndyCar), Jules Bianchi (F1), and Justin Wilson (IndyCar). Although, both systems (Ferrari's and Red Bull's) are not full canopies, and likely wouldn't have prevented Wilson's injuries. But it's a start.
This weekend, during the NASCAR races at Talladega, there were multiple incidents involving multiple cars, with some getting airborne and flipping, and others slamming into the wall at high speed. Due to several recent safety innovations (the SAFER barrier in particular), all of the drivers walked away with a few bumps and bruises. But the conversation is opening up again. How can we (at least try to) prevent these types of incidents? How can we make the sport safer for the participants, officials, team members, and spectators?
There are no easy answers. The conversation must continue, with no immediate dismissal of any ideas. With professional racing teams spending millions and millions of dollars to make their cars faster (within the rules, of course), they must be prepared to spend the money to make the sport safer, for everyone involved.
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