Death at California Speedway
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TMS West Coast Correspondent
Joined: October 14, 2004
Posts: 3,581
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This is a little behind on the date but I just heard about this today and I realize that this is not Mustang related but I think it is important enough to bring to everyones attention that our passion for cars and driving those cars can in the blink of an eye be fatal no matter what one's driving skill level is or how high tech and high performance the car may be....we should all be cautious and grateful to enjoy these vehicles as safely as we can for as long as we can...so I hope that the mods please leave this in the area of this forum with the most traffic; at least for a while before moving it...Thank you....I think everyone needs this reminder every now and then so that we dont have incidents like this occuring too often. That and I hope all of our prayers can go out to these guys' families that they left behind for they were really great guys.
These were two local San Diegans, the driver was the owner of a new Carrera GT, who frequented a local monthly exotic meet that myself and SurfnSoCal attend regularly. Ben Keaton (the owner and driver) was a really nice and cool guy that loved cars and driving them as much as any of us and he openly shared his multi hundred thousand dollar vehicle with anyone who showed an interest in it and would take people out for rides in it at this meet. He wasnt the typical exotic car owner who never drives their car...he knew that a car's purpose was to be driven and thats what made him really different. At a track day last Thursday Ben crashed his car as another entered the track. Apparantly there wasnt anyone at the corners where the cars come on and off to guide the flow of traffic and neither driver saw each other until it was too late. Ben swirved to miss the other dirver and did and spun his car into the wall ending in this tradgedy.
The meet will not be the same without him there....in fact the next one I am sure will be a bit eerie.
Here are the details as reported on the NBC website.....
The 2005 Porsche Carrera GT went out of control, left the inside track and careened onto the grass, hit a barrier and caught fire at 10:40 a.m. Thursday, San Bernardino County officials said.
The passenger, Corey Nicholas Rudl, 34, died at the scene. The driver, Benjamin Miles Keaton, 39, was airlifted to Loma Linda University Hospital, where he died about an hour later, according to the county coroner's office.
The La Jolla men were not burned but died of crash injuries, Supervising Deputy Coroner Randy Emon said.
Both men were wearing helmets and safety belts but the car was doing more than 100 mph when it crashed, authorities said.
"The driver's side was in good shape, but the passenger side was obliterated," Emon said.
The accident occurred while the track was being rented by the San Diego chapter of the Ferrari Owners Club, speedway spokesman Dennis Bickmeier said.
Clubs commonly use the speedway when professional races aren't going on, he said.
The men are the fourth and fifth fatalities at California Speedway since it opened in 1997.
Fontana is 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
PICS OF THE AFTERMATH....
http://www.nbc4.tv/slideshow/news/4562709/detail.html
These were two local San Diegans, the driver was the owner of a new Carrera GT, who frequented a local monthly exotic meet that myself and SurfnSoCal attend regularly. Ben Keaton (the owner and driver) was a really nice and cool guy that loved cars and driving them as much as any of us and he openly shared his multi hundred thousand dollar vehicle with anyone who showed an interest in it and would take people out for rides in it at this meet. He wasnt the typical exotic car owner who never drives their car...he knew that a car's purpose was to be driven and thats what made him really different. At a track day last Thursday Ben crashed his car as another entered the track. Apparantly there wasnt anyone at the corners where the cars come on and off to guide the flow of traffic and neither driver saw each other until it was too late. Ben swirved to miss the other dirver and did and spun his car into the wall ending in this tradgedy.
The meet will not be the same without him there....in fact the next one I am sure will be a bit eerie.
Here are the details as reported on the NBC website.....
The 2005 Porsche Carrera GT went out of control, left the inside track and careened onto the grass, hit a barrier and caught fire at 10:40 a.m. Thursday, San Bernardino County officials said.
The passenger, Corey Nicholas Rudl, 34, died at the scene. The driver, Benjamin Miles Keaton, 39, was airlifted to Loma Linda University Hospital, where he died about an hour later, according to the county coroner's office.
The La Jolla men were not burned but died of crash injuries, Supervising Deputy Coroner Randy Emon said.
Both men were wearing helmets and safety belts but the car was doing more than 100 mph when it crashed, authorities said.
"The driver's side was in good shape, but the passenger side was obliterated," Emon said.
The accident occurred while the track was being rented by the San Diego chapter of the Ferrari Owners Club, speedway spokesman Dennis Bickmeier said.
Clubs commonly use the speedway when professional races aren't going on, he said.
The men are the fourth and fifth fatalities at California Speedway since it opened in 1997.
Fontana is 55 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
PICS OF THE AFTERMATH....
http://www.nbc4.tv/slideshow/news/4562709/detail.html
V6 Member
Joined: January 30, 2005
Posts: 92
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my thoughts are with there familys and friends
the crash has the feeling of the James Dean road crash but the fault was not likley the other car in this case but the lack of a track worker. I hope the track or the club do something to prevent this type of error in the future
the crash has the feeling of the James Dean road crash but the fault was not likley the other car in this case but the lack of a track worker. I hope the track or the club do something to prevent this type of error in the future
Big Falken Tires
Joined: October 17, 2004
Posts: 4,601
Likes: 1
darn...... my thoughts and prayers go out to the families.....
Thanks for posting this - sometimes you need to be reminded of how fragile mortality is and how, as much fun as our cars are, they can be dangerous at times.
RIP.....
(love your avatar - excellent...)
Thanks for posting this - sometimes you need to be reminded of how fragile mortality is and how, as much fun as our cars are, they can be dangerous at times.
RIP.....
(love your avatar - excellent...)
AKA 1 BULLITT------------ Legacy TMS Member
Joined: January 29, 2004
Posts: 7,738
Likes: 361
From: U S A
It's unfortunate, I feel for the victims and their families. High speeds is always a high risk even for experienced drivers in a controlled enviroment with the ultimate sports car.
An incident like this should be a warning to all those who cherish kill topics in a uncontrolled enviroment with their 300 hp Mustangs.
An incident like this should be a warning to all those who cherish kill topics in a uncontrolled enviroment with their 300 hp Mustangs.
Thread Starter
TMS West Coast Correspondent
Joined: October 14, 2004
Posts: 3,581
Likes: 0
yeah this really makes you think twice before jumping the gun off the next light...Ben had the common sense to save his stuff for the track and it still didnt save him....thats one of the reasons I posted this; as a reminder to everyone that the sheer speed is all you need, those that were there say he was doing about 150, which doesnt seem like much for racing high end europeans on a track, but its a reminder that it is enough, not saying never go fast ever again or to live in fear but dont be stupid and think your invincible out there.
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