For a forum that extols F1 so much, NO ONE has mentioned the horrible accident that will probably end Robert Kubica's F1 driving career--just as he was setting top times in pre-season testing. The accident happened in a local rally, where apparently he lost control and the gurad rail pierced the front of the car and has done severe damage to his right lef and arm.
Let's all wish him speedy recovery. Kid's got chops, ability, and what looked like an excellent car for 2011.
In reply to triumph5:
They have too! http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/kubica-sustains-severe-injuries/31576/page1/
Yeah, that really sucks. He's a hell of a driver, and I hope not to have to switch that to past tense when he's done bouncing back. Scary, scary accident.
Oh, MEA CULPA and apologies to all, seriously. I missed it. I'm going to go hide for a while. Let the bashing begin.
And, I know, misspelled his name. Kubica. Feel like an idiot
In reply to triumph5:
Yeah, I'm sure everyone hates you for expressing concern for a well-liked driver who's had a bad accident 
Also, nobody else has ever missed a thread and started a new one on the same subject in the history of the Internet. Inconceivable!
For more information on his accident, here's a digital reconstruction on what happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Q2MFkiaj8
If this is anywhere close to accurate, it shows how scary close Kubica and his co-driver were to more serious injury or even death.
Here's an update on Robert's condition:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89497
I watched the video on the first competion car that came upon the scene behind him; it was odd. Just looking at how long the straight appeared from that in car camera, it appears Kubica's car must have held a long slide and then rotated. And that doesn't jive with the reconstruction. Oh, and there was a report it was a transition stage. But you can hear the co-driver giving directions as they come upon the scene.
Those guard rails were almost neck-height. Very alarming.
In reply to triumph5:
Even on transition stages, competitors are traveling at or near full speeds. They have to because they are dealing with an imposed time-limit between stages and risk penalty or expulsion if those time limits are exceeded.
The reconstruction may not completely accurate, but I'd suggest what occurred before the impact is less important than what happened during and after.
Isn't there supposed to be some in car video and then the following car video? I can't find it on youtube. Would someone be so kind as to post it up again?
I haven't seen any in car video from Kubica's car, but the following car's video was posted on SPEED a couple days ago. Probably still there if you do a little digging.
oldsaw wrote: In reply to triumph5: Even on transition stages, competitors are traveling at or near full speeds. They have to because they are dealing with an imposed time-limit between stages and risk penalty or expulsion if those time limits are exceeded. The reconstruction may not completely accurate, but I'd suggest what occurred before the impact is less important than what happened during and after.
I thought the time limit from special stage to special stage was based on posted speed limits, as evidenced by a competitor getting a speeding ticket on such a stage in Finland(?) last week.
You're right, it's the aftermatch that's of most concern.
In reply to triumph5:
As I understand it, Solberg was in a rush so he could have repairs performed on his car before the next stage.
If Kubica had experienced any delays, that could explain his excessive speed on the transit. Or, he was just driving really quickly. Either way, I don't know - just speculating!
For those of us in rally, this sort of thing makes us feel veeeerry yucky. There are some incidents you just can't safetyequipment your way out of. Let's be careful out there...
I'll be surprised if Kubica returns to the cockpit of an F1 car from the sounds of the injuries. Too bad. He appeared to have the chops. I'm pretty sure it was somewhere on this website that someone posted some pics of a steel guard rail piercing a SUV. Several pics showed how deadly those things can be. Yeah, a little searching and I found this: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/how-well-are-your-roads-designed/26465/page1/
it's a real pity to see this happen to Kubica, I remember watching him give BMW Sauber their first win in god only knows how long back in '08 and then be a real force to be reckoned with in '09 and '10, the kid has some skill. since he has serious rally experience, and if he has enough rally experience and is unable to get into a F1 car again, a move to WRC might be in his future? given the experience he does have in the gravel, he might have a better result than Raikonnen has been having. then again, maybe not, I don't know what sort of off-road experience Kimi had prior to giving WRC a try
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