Wet rag here....

Paul Alioshin suffered severe head trauma in a backroads single-car wreck last weekend while driving in a popular recreational rally. From the sound of it, he came around a turn in his amazing vintage Abarth and had to take evasive action to avoid impacting others. He rolled multiple times into a ravine, and even his cage couldn't save him.

There but for grace or dumb luck go I and many of you I'm sure. I don't want to be a nag, but to me the golden rule of performance driving should be to keep it down to the speed at which you can safely react to anything that can be reasonably expected to occur on that road in your field of vision.

Be safe guys. Godspeed.

Re: the title, I don't think so - it is scary, happen to any of us, and I'm afraid I am a bit cavalier from time to time.

Good reminder.

I read severe head trauma and I think bad/hospitalization, and then read "even his cage couldn't save him" and think the worse - is it? I don't know him, but, sad for friends and family if so...

In reply to OldGray320i:

It's the worst. He's in a coma and looks like they'll have to pull the plug. It's a bit of a mind f--k. Seems like my motorcyclist friends bury their fellow riders with some regularity. Much less common to lose a four-wheeler comrade.

Is this THE Paul Alioshin? Former Apple exec etc.?

Regardless, sorry to hear it.

Track vs street are as apple and oranges as you can get. The whole point of a track is to do the stuff that would be considered reckless and irresponsible if done on a public street. Many of the same rules still apply. On the street, you can't plan for a deer leaping out of the bushes, but if there are other people around you should moderate yourself so that the necessary evasive action doesn't harm anyone. On the track you should be able to plan on an environment dictated by the track condition, your skills and that of those around you. You can reasonably expect an expert driver to take the fastest line and not do something very unexpected. It's all about controlling for variables. There are far more variables on a twisty backroads than there are at any decent track.

From everything I've heard, Paul did the right and honorable thing. He might have been able to save his own life if he risked taking others, but that's not what he did. If we kill ourselves we hurt our loved ones. But if we kill an innocent, it's exponentially worse.

Damn I'm morose.

Kreb wrote: Track vs street are as apple and oranges as you can get.

Sorry - I misread your original post. I thought he was taking part in a stage rally. Previous reply deleted.

I've very sorry to hear about your friend.

It's something in the forefront of my mind as I go out on track, thinking about my wife and kid at home. (Not making any comment on the event Paul was hurt in, just that my only motorsports right now is on track.)

I hope Paul's family gets some comfort in the fact that he was trying to the end to protect others around him.

What 'popular recreational rally' are we talking about here? Sounds like a guy was hooning around in a race prepped car on public roads. Whether it was part of some organized event or not is sounds like he was being stupid and is now paying the price for it.

You are not being a wet rag at all. We make our choices and suffer the consequences. It is good advice to consider the possible consequences before undertaking any activity. I don't mean to sound holier than thou as I freely admit I've done plenty of dumb things on public roads myself.

I feel badly for the man's family and hope he manages to make a recovery. If that is not in the cards, then I hope he manages to pass without additional pain and suffering.

In reply to T.J.:

Without any further clarification from the OP, I suppose we can assume the popular recreational event was the California Melee (an organized, low-budget road rally event in central CA, not to be confused with the more upscale California Mille) ... and that Paul Alioshin is the brilliant engineer/innovator Paul Alioshin. Timing and logistics sort of point in that direction. Very, very sad news.

Kreb wrote: Paul Alioshin suffered severe head trauma in a backroads single-car wreck last weekend while driving in a popular recreational rally. From the sound of it, he came around a turn in his amazing vintage Abarth and had to take evasive action to avoid impacting others. He rolled multiple times into a ravine, and even his cage couldn't save him. There but for grace or dumb luck go I and many of you I'm sure. I don't want to be a nag, but to me the golden rule of performance driving should be to keep it down to the speed at which you can safely react to anything that can be reasonably expected to occur on that road in your field of vision. Be safe guys. Godspeed.

Do you have any kind of a link to a story about this?

I'm sure that it will hit the news - especially if they pull the plug (I'm still holding out hope for a miracle). To be clear, I am not a friend of Paul's. He was a fellow traveler and Abarth enthusiast who I had the good fortune to meet a couple of times.

Paul's passing finally makes the news