with all due respect, i feel sorry for the car, not the kid. i think, at 22, and given some warning, he should have acted wisely and not do such dangerous things in a weapon like that. lucky thing he did not kill any innocent bystanders, oncoming cars, etc.
js430: Come over to the Northwest section, and come out to "Exotics on Main" when you get the chance (if you haven't already). I enjoyed reading your insights into crash analysis.
terrific crash! must to go at top with the car. 22 is quite young for this type of car, i don t understand parents.
Why the sensitivity on this thread (or is it because of this section) ? Are his parents reading, or close personal friends ? There are literally *thousands* of posts like this all across this and other forums. Indeed, there are even whole websites dedicated to people winning posthumous Darwin-awards and allowing people to find amusement in other people's misfortunes (collective Schadenfreude I guess). It may not be in good taste, but unless directed personally at someone grieving, I think "callous" is a stretch.
Fact is, sport car owners we are, i don't believe that most of us use them on track and otherwise compile to the rules. How thrilling sometimes it is to do a small WOT on an empty highway... and suddenly our tacho reaches 140mph... True, if his parents were wise they would probably take the car away from him till he arrived in London... i believe also that when you got fined for speeding you actually drive abiding the speed limits for a while but it doesn't last long. Moreover in a red cavallino with 350+hp. Now we should bring it to the local realia, in qtr or UAE you have many long straights... sandy straights, empty straights... Also in Egypt, you all remember Tarek and Intouch taking their GT2 and Scud to the desert highways near Hugrada and reaching incredible speeds... What if it was Tarek crashing his car there? The age of the driver is a factor there, and also the attitude of the parents. But remember, it may happen to us as well... no matter how old or responsible we are. May this young man rest in peace.
First off, to lose a person this young is tragic. Condolensces to the family. Having said that, driving any car without a seatbelt is incredibly foolish. V-maxing a supercar that accelerates harder than if you dropped it off a building while not wearing a seatbeat is tragically foolish. I don't mind if people wanna crack their machine open, more power to them as long as they pick the proper time and place. Having said that, PLEASE wear a seatbelt when you do it! I can't tell you how many friends I knew in high school who had close friends die because they were doing fast driving and not wearing a seatbelt. If you are thrown from a car at high speed, you will not survive. Have fun people, but BE SAFE! As for the whole spoiled child arguement, it's has its merits and drawbacks. On one hand, plenty of young people kill themselves doing stupid things in much lesser machines. On the other hand, giving a very powerful car to a young person who has grown up with very little notion of self-responsibility is asking for worlds of trouble. I am not in position to comment on how the father raised his kid, and I don't think that would be appropriate. However, if I were in a position of great wealth I would never buy my children an SLR or Ferrari or Lamborghini, or for that matter even a Corvette or 911. For one, it warps their perspective. Two, that much power in the hands of a new or recent driver is asking for them to do something really stupid. One of the guys I lived next to my freshman year in college was from Saudi Arabia. He went to an oustanding school there and several young members of the royal family went there as well. Their parents would buy them exotic cars as soon as they were able to drive. One princeling showed up to school in his first car - a neon-green Lamborghini Murcielago with an orange interior. I don't know if this is a trend across wealthy families in the Gulf, but he said that it was basically to be expected in Saudi among the royals.
That ignores human nature. Of course it's callous to say "what a pity a good car was wasted" to the grieving parents of the son just killed in the accident. But, everyone, and I mean everyone, has picked up a newspaper at some point in their lives to read about a story of death-by-misadventure and said to themselves, or to friends, "what an idiot"--often followed by "well, at least he didn't reproduce"/"Darwin in action" or some such comment. If the person responsible happens to be born into great wealth and privilege, then the Schadenfreude kicks in, because deep-down we all resent people that have received this without earning it for themselves. Again, human nature. We are discussing an unknown-to-us victim, and the internet and distance de-humanizes the victim. Callousness depends very much on the context. We don't personally know the victim, his family, friends, loves, passions, hobbies, goals; it's hard to have sympathy for an anonymous unknown victim. Did he save a puppy from drowning in a pool one time ? Did he recently donate money to build a new wing in the children's hospital ? Was he voted most compassionate home-town hero at his university ? Did he come top of his class ? Did he help fellow students ? Its answers to these types of questions that allow us to identify and care about an individual that has lost their life in a trafic accident. That's when our thoughts turn from "what an spoiled brat" to "what a terrible waste of life".
SO, that's a no, right? Ok, everyone is entitle to their own opinion. And every child, whether you know them or not, has a mother and father that in this situation grieves. I'm just sayin', know the victim, don't know the victim, thinking there is more value in a car than a life is callous. I don't think this is situational ethics. You either respect human life or you don't. DM
Depends on who is dying. If it were UBL in the seat, I'd be celebrating heartily But, as a general rule, of course a human life is worth more than a car. I'm sure his parents would pay for 100 SLRs if it meant they could have their son back. I think I just take issue with the word callous as it has connotations of intentional meanness. People die every day; I don't have any sympathy for those deaths. That doesn't make me callous, it just means that I do not know the people concerned. Thinking there is more value in a car than a life is not necessarily callous; you could describe it as misanthropic or apathetic ... it's the difference between "I hate all Prius drivers, and wish they'd all die" and "I hope you die because you drive a Prius". The first is perceived as a general rant, the second is a callous personal attack.
Very sorry for the kid and family. As harsh as JS430´s comments have been, they most likely reflect the truth. Unfortunately, there is a very high probability that the kid´s wealthy parents gave him this supercar, despite his young age, and did not think carefully about the possible consequences. Speeding at that velocity is also a blatant disregard for other innocent drivers in other vehicles and pedestrians (though not many in the desert). Unfortunately, also it is true that a small percentage of wealthy people (regardless of nationality and ethnicity) think they are "above the law" and have the "right" to certain abuses. Generalizing is not good, but the law of numbers tells us that JS430 is most likely correct in his assessment. I am sure JS430 would be the first to praise people who can afford these cars and drive them responsibly and speed only on tracks with supervision. Unfortunately kids like to showoff and sometime this costs them their lives.
I get the feeling that this anonymous deceased person would be hated much less had his parents been poorer, and were he driving a more ordinary car.
I think if his name was different the response would have been warm. Remember Ben Keaton after his tragic death in his Porsche GT the warm support. The rich and poor are equalized when your time is up. My condolences to his family, the blame does lie partialy on his family but as a spoiled adult I am sure anyone in his shoes would have been tempted to floor it in the middle of the desert. At least he was living the dream everyone wished for lots money girls not having to work. JS430 I feel sorry for you, the grave will be an awful place I hope im wrong, enjoy your last 15 years of retirement its downhill from this point. Life sure sucks when you have to work like a slave only to get your share when your falling apart.
Any idea where it happened? Pictures don't show much else around, there are definitely some nice wide open places where you can open up a fast car. Can't say I would want to try driving fast around town, though I have been caught a few times by speed cameras in Doha On a side note.... how is the construction going on Salwa road? I saw some nasty accidents from traffic trying to negotiate some of the traffic diversions over to Al Waab road.
well, Dave, around here, i've gotten involved in incidents, with young guys like this at the wheel. i remember, 3-4 years ago, a guy tried to take a corner such a high speed. he lost it, car spun, hit the divider at terrible speed. half of his body was hangin out when i came, helped him out, and called the ambulance. worst part? this incident happened barely 100 metres away from a pre-school. so, i stand my by comment. i feel sad for the family for losing a young kid. i feel for the car. not the kid. it's just pure stupidity, IMO.
Hey hey, I have been away for a bit, and it seems this topic hasn't died down. To be honest, you are only partially right. It's not that impressive to be able to buy an expensive car (unless you are a teenager working for a few bucks an hour). They are not terribly expensive, all things considered. It's all relative, and supercars are drops in the bucket, compared to jets or yachts or big houses. Maybe I am jaded, but I have seen them won and lost in card games. Obviously I am talking about the sub $1 million dollar supercars or superexotics, not pontoon testaroosas or 250 GTOs. I wouldn't praise anyone with a superexotic (they haven't done anything praiseworthy, it just takes a hefty bank balance to buy one, or good credit), but I would look at it appreciatively unless it was a puke lime green color . However, if someone screws up, I wouldn't be quick to feel sorry either. That holds for Priuses or Ferraris. I don't agree with the ridiculous speed limits in the US, and I feel you can do 100+ fairly safely if you are alert and competent and the traffic and road conditions allow it. It's neither praiseworthy nor worth condemnation. On track, obviously, you can be even more uninhibited, although it seems most tracks only allow you to experience cornering at the limit--their straights are too short to get much beyond 150mph, even on bikes. But, if someone exceeds their skill levels on the road or on the track, and endangers others, they are an idiot.
I remember that incident. Fontana, right? I don't know anything about Ben Keaton, although I felt his wife's lawsuit and Porsche's settlement of it was a sad reflection of the American legal system. Corey Rudl, the other guy killed in the accident, made his living spamming people. He sent out billions of spam emails. I even got one of his spam emails shortly after his death. I have always wondered if it a lot micro karma adding up into one big ball of anger! I don't rejoice in his death, but it would be retarded to say that I feel sorry for complete strangers or send condolences to their loved ones or wish them eternal peace and tranquility--these are sentiments I reserve for people I know. Same for the kid in the SLR. I am glad, however, that innocent bystanders weren't killed. That Porsche's lack of deformation was pretty interesting, considering the (alleged/estimated) speed of impact. I didn't see all this angst when 70,000 died in the Chinese earthquake, were all you guys busy that day?
This thread sucks BIG time!! it just shows how me and my fellow Arabs are stereotyped, hated, and judged. we cant even chat about cars and things we enjoy... or feel sorry for a kid that died without stupid remarks from people who dont know crap about this part of the world, and just because they visited Dubai or worked in the middle east for a few years, think they have us all figured out!! Mr know it all... Im from Qatar I got a garage full of exotics and im 32 years old, should I burn in hell for that???? Moderators I repectfully ask you to close this offensive thread.
