Woman dies at Track During Andretti Driving Experience

[Bodhii]

too bad....

The details are sketchy, but this much I know. A 24 year old woman who was attending one of those "Drive Way Out of Your Mind in a Car You Have No Business Driving" events put on by Andretti Racing died at Fontana yesterday when she hit a wall and flipped over. They apparently sell 8 minute drives in 600 hp/160 mph open wheel cars. How sad. You sure have to question the widsom of those types of events.

Woman dies in crash at Auto Club Speedway

Published: Friday, October 15, 2010 7:06 PM CDT
A woman died in a crash at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on Friday morning, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner's Division.

At about 9:32 a.m., Ashley Sara Phalen, a 24-year-old resident of Los Angeles, was attending the Mario Andretti Racing Experience (Driving 101) at the speedway. The event allows members of the public to drive replica Indy 500 racecars around the two-mile track at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour.

Phalen's vehicle struck the inside wall at a high rate of speed and overturned. Phalen was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Fontana, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

* Drive a race car for ONE 5 minute racing session
* Full size, Indy-style race cars
* In car radio communications
* Personal Racing Instructor
* Racing School, training, instruction
* Driving Experience Graduate Certificate
* Top Speeds Up to 160 mph!

[NVRL8R8]

Terrible news! May she R.I.P.

[randombloke]

They apparently sell 8 minute drives in 600 hp/160 mph open wheel cars. How sad. You sure have to question the widsom of those types of events.

nobody is forcing them to go and drive the cars, life would be boring if nothing with an element of risk was made available to those willing to take it.

[OEMplus.com]

This is unfortunate, but accidents can happen.

[Bodhii]

I think the main thing is to remember that real dangers do exist. In many extreme sports, including tracking sportscars, no matter how much good instruction and supervision may be present, risk,... and risk of life or serious injury will probably still remain. Approach these sports as if your life depended on your own serious good preparation and judgment every second that you are out there no matter how much expert supervision is present.

[rawg]

Terrible news! So sad...hope she's up in heaven

[AnOutsider]

The tone of the quote is pretty condescending. As it admits, details are sketchy. She could have been a pretty decent driver and just had a random accident. Using it as a platform to snub your (the poster's) nose at "mere mortals" doing things that only track snobs feel they should do is in bad taste IMO.

Sorry if that's ranty, but that post rubbed me the wrong way. Come across too many elitists in my short years.

[Arin@APR]

Such a shame.