Well they're now racing – they've covered the exit towards the beams with boards so you can't come out of the track that way (also speeds are less with a lower start, though still faster than any other track). The thing is, watching one of the early runners who is supposedly very experienced, he made a mess of the last bend in a way that if he hadn't corrected it you could see him having similar problems – the difference being he was able to correct and save it.

The American that just ran hit the woodwork on the top of turn 16. Commentary was that now they've moved the start further down, all the corners are taken at a different speed to what they've been practising 😯

I know they've lowered the start point, but it still looks hellish fast.
American chap nearly lost it there, looked like he clipped the top of the big right hander.

Balls of steel, all of 'em.

Aye, still rapid as, but a speed they wouldn't normally take it at meaning they're going to make mistakes.

Muchos respect

These are sportsmen at the top of their game fighting for the 'ultimate' title. It will be dangerous.

Basically (maybe a bad turn of phrase) this whole event is staged to sort the men from the boys. Condolences where they are due, no-one wanted this to happen and lets hope there are no more major incidents at the games.

At 90mph with virtually no protection how much run-off would be needed? I came off my m-bike at 40 and went far enough.

Basically (maybe a bad turn of phrase) this whole event is staged to sort the men from the boys.

Not really it's not – of course it takes a lot of bottle, but from a competitive point of view it's not about surviving, it's about getting the lines right. Making a mistake and coming off should result in bruises, nothing more than that.

At 90mph with virtually no protection how much run-off would be needed?

Downhill skiers go that fast and in some places there isn't much run off before the catch fences. A couple of people have died in that in the last 20 years, but then they crash spectacularly rather more often than lugers, and one of those was hitting somebody else on the slope during a training run – the last death due to hitting something solid was in 1994, since when there have been huge numbers of people saved by the fences.

His death is very sad indeed. Echo Jedi's comments about dying doing something he loved though. If you've got to go (as we all have!), far better that it was doing something he loved.

The comments made against the person who posted the link to the video… WTF are you guys on? The video is shocking indeed, pretty gut wrenching to be fair, but so much better that something can be learned from watching it and measures taken to make sure it can't happen again surely?

Again though, how the hell were ANY exposed hazards that could potentially kill allowed to get through in the first place. Hindsight is indeed a wonderful thing, but surely someone must have looked at that and said "these guys are doing 90mph coming down here, that's an exposed hazard that would stop them instantly resulting in pretty much certain death, perhaps we should cover it over?"??? 🙄

I don't think padding would've made any difference. He died, tragically, doing what he wanted to do. It's almost like having a heart attack during a BJ, fatal but quick.

I don't think padding would've made any difference.

But nobody with any sense is suggesting padding. Simply what they have done subsequently – putting up boards to stop them leaving the track. If the track had been like it is now he'd almost certainly have survived – maybe even be taking part in the competition.

I watched it because I wanted to see how it happened. It's a horrible crash and it's no wonder he's dead given his high speed backward flight into the pillar – he had no chance.

Don't know much about the sport, but those rows of pillars look lethal. I realise they shouldn't sanitise extreme sports but to me the design of the track looks more dangerous than it needs to be. Either the walls should keep you in, or the area around should be free from collision hazards IMO

Poor bloke 🙁

Indeed, on a course like that in a fully man-made environment, such exits should be controlled. I'm all for raw sport and not sanitising sports that have danger, but leaving the track should be impossible, and if not impossible should be made reasonably safe. At least in sports like F1 your car is a safety cage and the track design is secondary. In this sport there is no safety cage, the track design should be much safer.