Joe Handley Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 http://jalopnik.com/5850330 Rick Huseman, off-road racing champion, dies in plane crash Champion off-road racer Rick Huseman was killed this afternoon in a plane crash near Barstow, California. While unrelated to the death of Dan Wheldon, it's another sad occasion in what will long be remembered as a dark day in motorsports history. The accident occurred approximately 2:00 pm Sunday afternoon when the plane, a Beach 33 Bonanza, was attempting to make an emergency landing at the Barstow/Dagget Airport. Huseman and his family were returning from the Monster Energy Cup held in Las Vegas last night. According to DIRTNewz, his younger brother Jeff was one of the three people killed. It's unclear who the third victim is. Huseman has been racing 1997 and was the first PRO4X4 Traxxas TORC Series Championship in 2009, garnering six wins and 10 podium finishes. In 2010, Husman won the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Pro-4 Championship. He was in second place in the 2011 Lucas Oil Series following the most recent race in Arizona, just 23 points behind the leader. Huseman was 38 years old.
jeff ewaskey Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 Truly a sad day for certain. Rest in peace Dan and Rick and may God be with your families.
Tony T Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 RIP...His brother Jeff was also onboard...Sad day for motorsports.
Agent G Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 That's like the third fatal aircraft crash in that area this year. Barstow has become the "Bermuda Triangle" of the desert. RIP G
sjordan2 Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 Just like movie stars, there are many race drivers who feel a call to use their fame to improve the lives of others. There are quite a few drivers who use their notoriety to draw attention to charitable needs. Dan Wheldon used his fame to draw attention to Alzheimer's, which has visited his mother. I was privileged to get a personal tour by Kyle Petty of his"Victory Junction" medical resort for very sick children (originally called "Adam's Place" in honor of his son Adam who died in a NASCAR wreck), and there was the late Ayrton Senna who, during his career, raised millions to help Brazilian street children. This charity continues with the assistance of Alain Prost, once his nemesis. As crazy as the sport may be, let's not overlook the contributions of the participants who use their money and their fame for the betterment of others.
mikemodeler Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 Just like movie stars, there are many race drivers who feel a call to use their fame to improve the lives of others. There are quite a few drivers who use their notoriety to draw attention to charitable needs. Dan Wheldon used his fame to draw attention to Alzheimer's, which has visited his mother. I was privileged to get a personal tour by Kyle Petty of his"Victory Junction" medical resort for very sick children (originally called "Adam's Place" in honor of his son Adam who died in a NASCAR wreck), and there was the late Ayrton Senna who, during his career, raised millions to help Brazilian street children. This charity continues with the assistance of Alain Prost, once his nemesis. As crazy as the sport may be, let's not overlook the contributions of the participants who use their money and their fame for the betterment of others. I agree Skip, there is much that these sports heroes do without recognition because they feel a need to give something back. Dan Wheldon once donated his race winnings from a race at Iowa Speedway to local victims of a tornado. Many times those things go without notice as most of these guys don't do it for the press, they do it out of the kindness of their hearts. Much was written and spoken about the late Dale Earnhardt after his death 10 years ago about the charitable acts he did over the years, my favorite one being how he helped a church pave its parking lot. He wrote a check to complete the job with one condition- that no one be told he was the benefactor. He didn't want the attention, partly some believe because he could be viewed as being "soft" and that would go against his "Intimidator" image! In this age of "share the wealth" I don't think many people are aware of how much the racing world does just that for others.
bbowser Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 Plane crashes, while tragic, don't have the same effect as a fatality on the race track (except for the air race fatality recently). We take for granted these days how "safe" racing anything from go-carts to Funny Cars is but the danger is part of the attraction for spectators and participants alike. The footage of the Indycar crash in Vegas was both horrifying and riveting. Drivers know every time they go on the track what could happen, and maybe they are narcissistic adreline junkies, but so are we. I salute anyone with the fortitude to go out there and risk life and limb for our entertainment. They earn those big (and not so big) paychecks IMHO.
Jantrix Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 Drivers know every time they go on the track what could happen, and maybe they are narcissistic adreline junkies, but so are we. What baffles me is drivers that get their sons and daughters involved. It would destroy me to bury one of my boys for something so dangerous that I got them into. The Andretti's and the Petty's have both felt that tragedy, and others I'm sure. I can understand the draw of racing, and why my sons would WANT to participate, but it would still destroy me all the same.
bbowser Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 What's the difference if you are in the construction business and your kid gets killed by a bulldozer? Tragedy is just that.
Jantrix Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 What's the difference if you are in the construction business and your kid gets killed by a bulldozer? Odds. There is a terrifiic difference between a job with hazards and a job where you life is on the line every second.
MachinistMark Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 pretty sure more folks get killed on jobsites every year than race car drivers...
PatRedmond Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 I hope Harry isn't too broken up about this ...
Steven Zimmerman Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Why doesn't every member of our armed forces that dies or is wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq get this kind of attention ? I'm sorry that a race driver died, It happens to people every day. and the race driver does not have his life on the line 'every second' but maybe 4 or 5 hours a week, about 3/4 of the year. I've worked in factories,(50/60 hours a week,year in year out/ 40 years; I've seen a man die on the job more than once, due to the employer bypassing the safety precautions, without the employee's knowledge. It is a horrible thing to see....So, let us grieve for the race car driver, but let's put it in context.......Steven Zimmerman
mikemodeler Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Steve- you are correct but when you factor in the celebrity of a racecar driver versus the everyday working man or enlisted soldier, it is easy to see why there is such a disparity. I grew up watching the Vietnam war on the 6 o'clock news (no cable back then!) and the images of flag draped caskets being unloaded with our soldiers is just as vivid in my mind today as it was 40+ years ago. For whatever reason, we don't see that today and I think it has changed people's views of the human cost of war. Every loss of life is tragic, the sad reality is that some get more publicity than others. A soldier killed defending freedom, a firefighter trapped in a burning building, a construction worker falling to his death or one of the many other everyday workplace deaths is no different that Dan Wheldon's, it's just that his was viewed by many on TV and therefore became "news" on the news channels as well as the sports networks.
Jon Cole Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 pretty sure more folks get killed on jobsites every year than race car drivers... That would be because there is more... folks working on jobsites... than race car drivers.
mr cheap Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 the beach 33 has a good record for safety.. most of the ones that come down are from ploit or mechanic error ...some body post the nest finding when they come out
Junkman Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 What baffles me is drivers that get their sons and daughters involved. It would destroy me to bury one of my boys for something so dangerous that I got them into. The Andretti's and the Petty's have both felt that tragedy, and others I'm sure. I can understand the draw of racing, and why my sons would WANT to participate, but it would still destroy me all the same. Would you deny your children pursuing their dream? When I became involved in motorsports, my parents were fiercely against it and used every means available to them to emotionally blackmail me. Actually, you should have heard my mother when I so much as bought my first 50cc moped at age 15. I can assure you, that my children will not face such opposition from me should they demonstrate ambitions in this direction. I kept telling my parents what I truly believe: Don't forget who is really in control. We go when he calls our number, whether we do something dangerous or not, has zero influence on this.
Jantrix Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Would you deny your children pursuing their dream? Don't forget who is really in control. We go when he calls our number, whether we do something dangerous or not, has zero influence on this. You are missing my point. I'm an engineering technician. If my son wants to become a skydiver, I WILL support him. If he does and dies doing so, I will mourn. But I will not have a measure of guilt. Because my life and my decisions have not had a bearing on how he died. It will be all on him. His decisions, his actions. As for who is in control, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.
Jon Cole Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Isn't it quite common for a kid to want to follow in their parent(s) footsteps?
Junkman Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Isn't it quite common for a kid to want to follow in their parent(s) footsteps? It certainly wasn't for me. To the contrary. Thinking about it, I only know people who tried their own thing and not follow anybody.
Agent G Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Dad ran a print shop. He started there at age 15 when his dad died. 50 years later he retired as what would now be called the COO of the business. I had no desire for a career in the printing industry. My oldest was a Firefighter/EMT before joining the PD. The middle son is a psychiatric aid, going to nursing school. The youngest is also going to nursing school next fall. I made up my own mind about my career, and I let my kids make up theirs. Thats because my father told me to do my own thing. G
MachinistMark Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Dads GM of the biggest GM dealer in the maritimes, I am a machinist.
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