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McKinney, thank you! It's just that, even though Roger Rodas wasn't a well known person, he still has family that are hurting right now for their loss.
You are welcome. I actually got his name from a friend of mine who has a similar business as Mr. Rodas out in California, specializing in Porsches, who knew Mr. Rodas personally.
So, even though Mr. Rodas didn't have the name recognition that Paul Walker does, the people connected to him, in the same industry, etc, have all been spreading the news. There are a lot of people connected to motorsports and racing right now that are mourning him too. If my friend says he was a good guy, then I have no doubt that he was. RIP Roger and Paul.
You mean people should never talk about their speeding because they died?
I feel bad as this guy seemed to be a good person. But fact remains driver of that car was out of his mind. Otherwise you explain how someone who is doing 45MPH or even 55MPH can end up like that?
It has already been stated that "speed" was a factor in the crash. It was also reported that a part of the car was found in a nearby building. It had gone thru a window. The building appeared to be about 50 to 75 yards away. He was either going at a very high speed and lost control or floored it and lost control. Either way it goes to show that even professionals are not immune to driving beyond their limits. Feel bad for their families.
I wonder how many of you would think the same if your family member died in that fiery wreck. No matter who was at fault. Would you simply shrug and say what you are saying about Paul Walker and his friends death? I am willing to put money on it that you won't.
Too bad. I don't normally have strong opinions or feelings about Hollywood actors but I always kinda liked this guy. Grew up with the F&F movies and thought it was cool because he was basically just playing himself in those movies, being a car guy in real life and all...
We don't know what Paul Walker was doing Bummer and he did seem like a nice guy, not a Hollywood type who let fame go to his head.
I agree, D-Towner, Paul Walker was obviously an extremely talented, humble and unassuming actor (extremely rare nowadays), however, he was not driving so my post had nothing to do with him directly.
We also know that Roger Rodas was driving and it is "claimed" he was an expert, experienced and accomplished race car driver yet the latest reports are claiming "excessive speed" in a relatively populated area as, more than likely, the cause of the accident. In this case, excessive speed does not imply 5 or 10 miles over the limit or what is considered reasonably safe.
Personally, I do not believe an expert, experienced and accomplished race car driver would conduct himself in such a way without the help of drugs and/or booze so the excuses being "dropped" on here about the tricky handling characteristics of the vehicle are just that . . . EXCUSES.
My comment still applies . . . THANK GOD no innocent lives were involved.
Personally, I do not believe an expert, experienced and accomplished race car driver would conduct himself in such a way without the help of drugs and/or booze so the excuses being "dropped" on here about the tricky handling characteristics of the vehicle are just that . . . EXCUSES.
My comment still applies . . . THANK GOD no innocent lives were involved.
I don't even know where to begin with this.
Firstly, how about we don't blindly accuse people, especially those no longer on this earth, of doing drugs and booze. Nobody here knows the entire details of what led to this accident. How about you not start slandering somebody's name.
Secondly, again, I will reply to you and say that I don't believe anyone on here is making any excuses for what they did. If you would actually read some of the commentary that has been said about vehicle characteristics you are citing, it's more or less what is being stated as the effect of their behavior. Excessive speed, coupled with not accounting for how a vehicle is going to handle at those speeds is likely what attributed to the accident. I don't think anyone on here thinks that speeding around on surface streets was a bright idea, however we also don't know if a fault of the vehicle itself attributed to the excessive speed. We won't know until a complete investigation occurs.
Honestly it saddens me that we're arguing about this. Two people lost their lives here and it ripples outward from there.
Sad story all around. I wasn't a fan having never seen any of the F&F movies (I'm just not into the tuner scene) but Mr. Walker seemed like a good dude from all accounts. I'm sure Mr. Rodas was as well. RIP gents.
As for the car they were in, most of you probably don't know that Porsche paid $360k to settle a lawsuit where a driver of a Carrera GT crashed it and was killed on a racetrack back in 2007. This car is basically a street legal race car and has absolutely no business on the street.
Here is a comment from someone who has actually driven a CGT back in 2007 (Robert Farago); sorry for the lack of paragraph breaks, that's just how it was posted:
Having driven the Carrera GT (CGT) and a wide range of supercars on both road and track, I have to say that the Porsche had some real “issues” that differentiate it from other such cars, and earn the machine and its maker a rightful place in these legal crosshairs. First, as my review mentioned, the CGT’s ceramic clutch’s initial take up (from rest) was/is completely unacceptable. Obviously, once you get going, it’s not a problem. While the clutch doesn’t merit the same kind of attention that high speed handling issues deserve, it’s entirely possible to stall the vehicle in the middle of an intersection. If a CGT driver was taken out by a Semi– a not inconceivable scenario– would not Porsche share some responsibility for this accident? I mean, I have NEVER driven a street legal car with a more difficult clutch. As for the CGT’s high speed handling, I had the rear end come out on me at 40mph. I was cornering on a dry road, going slightly downhill. I TAPPED the brakes. I was shocked. The incident occurred on part my usual test drive loop. I never had any oversteer issues on this segment at any speed. Cold tires? Small patch of grease? Nope. Just a completely unexpected tail slide. Without endangering life or limb, I soon discovered that the CGT’s back end would snap out of line without much warning. And there was nothing I, an amateur though experienced pilot, could do to “catch it.” In this, the CGT reminded me of my F355. In that case, better drivers than I (e.g. Jeremy Clarkson) claimed that a “whiff of opposite lock” would bring the [equally] mid-engined Ferrari’s ass back in line. But I never managed it. In fact, I spun the 355 twice. On public roads. And that brings us to my main point. I sincerely believe there are “death cars.” I’m speaking here of automobiles that seduce you into high speeds and then hang you out to dry through inherent handling defects. Yes defects. When I reviewed the 500-horse GT500 Mustang, I pointed out that its real world (i.e. not on a mirror-smooth race track) on-the-limit handling was abominable. Any mid-corner bump throws the solid rear axle machine seriously sideways. I view this tendency as a fundamentally dangerous and completely unacceptable design flaw. The fact that a journalist recently lost control of a GT500 and killed a pedestrian underscores my convictions. Now you could say it’s the driver’s responsibility to acknowledge any given car’s “limitations” and act accordingly. Unfortunately, these limitations only make themselves known in highly dangerous situations. You can’t simply tell a car buyer “this sucker’s a handful at the limit” and expect them to be able to compensate. I believe a sports car maker has a responsibility to create a car with safe handling. Whether that is or should be a legal imperative is an issue worthy of debate. But I firmly believe sports car makers have a moral obligation to do so. I, for one, could not build a car with dangerous on or over-the-limit handling and sell it to a “civilian” in good conscience. So yes, Porsche dropped the ball with the CGT. Again, legal issues aside, I find it hard to understand how the manufacturer of the world’s safest supercar– the Porsche 911 Turbo– could build and sell such a “tricky” handling supercar. As for creating a legal requirement for handling Nannies, I’m all for it. Sure, the Ford GT is a Nanny-less supercar that an average punter can drive balls-out without (necessarily) dying, but I see nothing wrong with compelling sports car makers to add an extra layer of safety to all cars. Society requires crash test ratings, seat belts and airbags. Why not handling aids? And if you can switch them off (at your own risk), what’s the downside? I am a free market kind of guy. But when it comes to life and death issues in my favorite field of endeavor (save writing), I believe automakers must be held accountable for the products’ safety– especially in foreseeable circumstances. Not eight percent. One hundred percent.
Having driven the Carrera GT (CGT) and a wide range of supercars on both road and track, I have to say that the Porsche had some real “issues” that differentiate it from other such cars, and earn the machine and its maker a rightful place in these legal crosshairs. First, as my review mentioned, the CGT’s ceramic clutch’s initial take up (from rest) was/is completely unacceptable. Obviously, once you get going, it’s not a problem. While the clutch doesn’t merit the same kind of attention that high speed handling issues deserve, it’s entirely possible to stall the vehicle in the middle of an intersection. If a CGT driver was taken out by a Semi– a not inconceivable scenario– would not Porsche share some responsibility for this accident? I mean, I have NEVER driven a street legal car with a more difficult clutch. As for the CGT’s high speed handling, I had the rear end come out on me at 40mph. I was cornering on a dry road, going slightly downhill. I TAPPED the brakes. I was shocked. The incident occurred on part my usual test drive loop. I never had any oversteer issues on this segment at any speed. Cold tires? Small patch of grease? Nope. Just a completely unexpected tail slide. Without endangering life or limb, I soon discovered that the CGT’s back end would snap out of line without much warning. And there was nothing I, an amateur though experienced pilot, could do to “catch it.” In this, the CGT reminded me of my F355. In that case, better drivers than I (e.g. Jeremy Clarkson) claimed that a “whiff of opposite lock” would bring the [equally] mid-engined Ferrari’s ass back in line. But I never managed it. In fact, I spun the 355 twice. On public roads. And that brings us to my main point. I sincerely believe there are “death cars.” I’m speaking here of automobiles that seduce you into high speeds and then hang you out to dry through inherent handling defects. Yes defects. When I reviewed the 500-horse GT500 Mustang, I pointed out that its real world (i.e. not on a mirror-smooth race track) on-the-limit handling was abominable. Any mid-corner bump throws the solid rear axle machine seriously sideways. I view this tendency as a fundamentally dangerous and completely unacceptable design flaw. The fact that a journalist recently lost control of a GT500 and killed a pedestrian underscores my convictions. Now you could say it’s the driver’s responsibility to acknowledge any given car’s “limitations” and act accordingly. Unfortunately, these limitations only make themselves known in highly dangerous situations. You can’t simply tell a car buyer “this sucker’s a handful at the limit” and expect them to be able to compensate. I believe a sports car maker has a responsibility to create a car with safe handling. Whether that is or should be a legal imperative is an issue worthy of debate. But I firmly believe sports car makers have a moral obligation to do so. I, for one, could not build a car with dangerous on or over-the-limit handling and sell it to a “civilian” in good conscience. So yes, Porsche dropped the ball with the CGT. Again, legal issues aside, I find it hard to understand how the manufacturer of the world’s safest supercar– the Porsche 911 Turbo– could build and sell such a “tricky” handling supercar. As for creating a legal requirement for handling Nannies, I’m all for it. Sure, the Ford GT is a Nanny-less supercar that an average punter can drive balls-out without (necessarily) dying, but I see nothing wrong with compelling sports car makers to add an extra layer of safety to all cars. Society requires crash test ratings, seat belts and airbags. Why not handling aids? And if you can switch them off (at your own risk), what’s the downside? I am a free market kind of guy. But when it comes to life and death issues in my favorite field of endeavor (save writing), I believe automakers must be held accountable for the products’ safety– especially in foreseeable circumstances. Not eight percent. One hundred percent.
My neighbor has one and has managed not to kill himself or wreck or anything.
Listen, when you buy a car, you drive it and you understand what it does and doesn't do and can and can't do. Then you become responsible for the machine.
It's not like the Toyota self-acceleration problem. It's more akin to jumping on a wild bronco thinking you can bust it because you are such a big man with big balls and then getting thrown and injured. That's the bronco's fault?
You don't have to build a supercar to build an extremely dangerous car. I have another friend who accelerated just a bit too fast in his Ferrari Scud and spun the thing around 360 degrees down the street. Thank god he was separated from oncoming traffic by a median. But the point is that any car with healthy acceleration and relatively low body weight can be a disaster.
Given that the driver in this situation was a race car driver, I have an even harder time hanging Porsche out to dry for this one.
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