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First of all, I think it takes ba11s to be an instructor for such an event and I would never do it. If I did I would want to know the experience of the driver whose car I was about to ride in. During my track session at VOI9 I had 4 different instructors and not one asked me what my track experience was. Additionally, none of the cars had a tech inspection so the issue of tire age, brake fluid, etc. was never addressed.
This type of event is not the place to "push" drivers to higher limits. I don't know if this was the case in the incident in question (I heard rumors to that effect). I do know that none of the instructors pushed me (they didn't have to - I was passing cars right and left), but my session was after the accident so they were probably a little on edge.
Although I have sympathy for the instructor, he had to be aware of the risks going in and the possible consequences of an accident, including death. I would assume that he signed some form of waiver or agreement as part of his contract with Skip Barber and that he had some form of insurance. If not, then he assumed a huge risk on his own shoulders and maybe should not have been in that car. I am sure the driver feels devastated by this whole chain of events and he has my sympathy and support as well. What a mess!
Bob K
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This is why when I am at VOI on the track, I drive very conservatively and just enjoy a few casual laps on the track, not being concerned with speed, people getting waved by etc., because I do not want the instructor to have a moment's concern that would be easy to have in such a situation. Further, this avoids situations like the instructor pulling the E-brake and messing you up, not to mention the car (though I prefer driving Dodge's cars at VOI
).