Yahoo Autos Let This Monza Crash Show You Why Sausage Kerbs Are a Bad Idea
Auto racing has a problem with track limits. Paved runoff areas make racing safer by giving cars more time to slow down before either getting back on track or crashing after a misstep, but they also create opportunities for drivers to gain an advantage by running off the designed circuit. Monza's solution was to install massive "sausage" kerbs outside the main racing kerbs, effectively speed bumps outside the racing line but ahead of a paved runoff designed to harshly punish any off-track excursion. In theory, these kerbs allow tracks to build fully paved runoffs without having to worry about cut corners. In practice, they act as ramps to any car hitting them at an awkward angle and add a new element of danger that significantly outweighs their strength.
A few hours into today's Six Hours of Monza, it happened again. Aston Martin driver Henrique Chaves spun before a corner protected by a set of sausage kerbs, hitting them sidewall-first at significant speed. Rather than gliding over and then using the runoff area to slow safely before any potential impact, the No. 33 TF Sport Aston Martin then instantly flips into the air, spins around, and slams down on its roof at speed.
It's a rare situation, a safety feature that makes a track significantly more dangerous. Monza, in particular, has had issues with sausage kerbs launching cars for years, including the various open wheelers that come to the legendary track for the Italian Grand Prix weekend. In the most startling incident, a sausage kerb threw Formula 3 driver Alex Peroni into the air at speed after he went off track on a corner exit. Hopefully, today's crash will be enough for Monza to reconsider its kerb design.
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