Not sure if any of you have seen it, but Formula 2 driver Henry Surtees has been hit on his helmet by a loose wheel and consequently crashed as full speed into a barrier as Brands Hatch where he competed the second F2 race there.

My thoughts are with him and his family, I surely hope he will be fine!

It's been quite awhile. Any news on his state yet?

Carlos Iaconelli has said on his twitter a few minutes ago that Henry has died.
Nothing is official yet, but PLEASE let's hope not.

Similar reports elsewhere, let's hope it's not true.

John

Confirmed.

My sincere condolences to his family.

Tomba wrote:Confirmed.

My sincere condolences to his family.

Mine too. Where is it confirmed?

/E: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/77088

bad news.

do they use tyre safety straps in F2? any other vids of accident?

Really sad news. Poor kid

Poor guy.
Nobody deserves to go like that.

That's horrible. Don't know what to say really.

tadzio89 wrote:do they use tyre safety straps in F2? any other vids of accident?

That doesn't help 100%. Even in F1 wheels fly sometimes. And no roll hoops and no side 'fences' can protect a driver from a flying object, be it wheel or a whole car airborne. As long as the cockpits are open this can happen to anyone.

modbaraban wrote:That's horrible. Don't know what to say really.

tadzio89 wrote:do they use tyre safety straps in F2? any other vids of accident?

That doesn't help 100%. Even in F1 wheels fly sometimes. And no roll hoops and no side 'fences' can protect a driver from a flying object, be it wheel or a whole car airborne. As long as the cockpits are open this can happen to anyone.

True, but if there are using wheel tethers within the suspension arms, they are very, very sloppy as wheels have been flying around in several cases this year in Formula Two.

I've said it on the f1technical twitter, and I'm going to say it again, but I have the impression that this wheel issue was only possible because some FIA president rapidly wanted to make GP2 look silly by making something as competitive but far less expensive.

The initial accident that led to the stray wheel didn't seem that intense, I'm sure if there was tyre straps that the wheel wouldn't have gone off like that. Well unfortunately for the Surtees family nothing will bring their boy back now. Such an unfortunate incident, I mean I looked at that video and you really have to be unlucky for something like that to happen. But then again there will always be the danger of death in motorsport. He died doing what he loved, although it just doesn't sound right when it's an 18 year old you're talking about.

Yes F2 has tethers but sadly, I think as Tomba has said, they have not proven to be safe enough, perhaps (merely speculating) that was because of the low budget application of the F2 series.

It looked like an odd accident, very freaky and very unfortunate. My best wishes to his family and friends.

This is very sad and my thoughts also go to the Surtees familily and his friends. It is a reminder that motorsport is dangerous and every participant can pay the price for it.

The brief of F2 from a design point of view was making it as safe as F1. So if Williams designed the car to that safety objective we have to consider that the accident could have happened in F1 as well. It shows that nobody can ever be complacent about safety and we must not listen to unreasonable demands that increase the dangers of the sport. Young drivers must also be screened for the necessary experience and discipline required for such high levels of motorsport.

It also means that the relentless work of the FIA, the GPDA and the engineers involved in motor racing must continue. I hope that a very dilligent and thoruogh investigation will be executed and if necessary improvements to safety will be found.

Edit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTDiYS1NVW4

It appears from the race footage that Surtees was first hit by the wheel and then went full speed into the safety barrier. So his head and neck was probably exposed to multiple severe impacts. I do not know how good the safety standards are at Brands Hatch but I'm sure it isn't on F1 level in terms of run off and barriers.

If we watch the video from the front page we can see that evan Surtee's right rear comes off the vehicle when he goes straight on after the initial incident.

I doubt these are CF suspensions, they need to improve those tethers immediately, also in F1, we've been seeing too many stray wheels.

Condolences to the family, it is always difficult to experience the death of a child.