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BILL SIMPSON SAYS DAVE STEELE DID NOT HAVE TO DIE
The official cause of death of sprint racer Dave Steele has not been made public yet but longtime racing safety pioneer Bill Simpson only had to see the replay once to know what killed his friend last Saturday night in Bradenton, Fla.
"He wasn't properly protected and it's tragic because that crash should not have cost him his life," said Simpson, whose fireproof suits, gloves, shoes and helmets revolutionized safety in IndyCar, NHRA and NASCAR during the 1970s and 1980s. "I talked to a friend of his who was at the track and Dave didn't have a left-side head surround attached to his seat.
"So he ran over a wheel, the car rotated 180 degrees, slapped the wall and I'm certain he died of a basal skull fracture just like Jason Leffler." The full head surround supports the driver's head on both sides in the event of impact but many prefer to only use it on the right side. Like Steele, Leffler was killed driving a winged-sprint car during a race in 2013 and had a right-side head surround but not one on the left – where he impacted the wall.
"What is wrong with these sanctioning bodies that let people race with defective seats?" asked Simpson, who has spent the past several years building lighter, stronger football helmets for high school players. "It's not expensive – you can fix the problem for $250 but drivers need some protection from left-side impacts.
"I hear drivers say they can't get into their cars very easy with the full head surround but all they've got to do is take off the steering wheel. If they don't have that left-side head surround and they hit like Dave or Jason they're going to get hurt, or worse, and people have to listen because it can be stopped."
The former drag racer and IndyCar regular is flying to Florida on Friday for Steele's service with checks from his friends for Dave's wife and children – and a heavy heart.
"I should be going to have a beer with him like we used to do at Kelly's Pub, not to bury him," said Simpson. "He was such a great guy and racer but this could have been prevented. It should have been prevented and people need to wake up."
The official cause of death of sprint racer Dave Steele has not been made public yet but longtime racing safety pioneer Bill Simpson only had to see the replay once to know what killed his friend last Saturday night in Bradenton, Fla.
"He wasn't properly protected and it's tragic because that crash should not have cost him his life," said Simpson, whose fireproof suits, gloves, shoes and helmets revolutionized safety in IndyCar, NHRA and NASCAR during the 1970s and 1980s. "I talked to a friend of his who was at the track and Dave didn't have a left-side head surround attached to his seat.
"So he ran over a wheel, the car rotated 180 degrees, slapped the wall and I'm certain he died of a basal skull fracture just like Jason Leffler." The full head surround supports the driver's head on both sides in the event of impact but many prefer to only use it on the right side. Like Steele, Leffler was killed driving a winged-sprint car during a race in 2013 and had a right-side head surround but not one on the left – where he impacted the wall.
"What is wrong with these sanctioning bodies that let people race with defective seats?" asked Simpson, who has spent the past several years building lighter, stronger football helmets for high school players. "It's not expensive – you can fix the problem for $250 but drivers need some protection from left-side impacts.
"I hear drivers say they can't get into their cars very easy with the full head surround but all they've got to do is take off the steering wheel. If they don't have that left-side head surround and they hit like Dave or Jason they're going to get hurt, or worse, and people have to listen because it can be stopped."
The former drag racer and IndyCar regular is flying to Florida on Friday for Steele's service with checks from his friends for Dave's wife and children – and a heavy heart.
"I should be going to have a beer with him like we used to do at Kelly's Pub, not to bury him," said Simpson. "He was such a great guy and racer but this could have been prevented. It should have been prevented and people need to wake up."
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