The car race near "Aladzha Monastery" near Varna, which was supposed to be a celebration for motor sports fans, ended tragically. One person died and eight others were injured after a racing car flew off the track and crashed into spectators standing in a dangerous zone of a bend. Among the injured is a woman in critical condition.
"To be honest, the track had very low traction. In the area where the accident occurred, the asphalt was slippery and worn. At this time of year, the temperatures are quite low, which reduces grip even more. The tires of racing cars are special and fail to reach optimal grip temperature". This was explained in the “Interview in NOVA News” by the racing driver Martin Petkov, who was a participant in this race.
The racing driver Iliya Tsarski also confirmed that there is no grip at all on the section where the race is taking place. "This has been known for years. This section is known as extremely slippery and has no "grip" - in other words, no grip. What I saw in the videos is that the car jumps on a bump at very high speed, the pilot loses control slightly, but immediately and very adequately steps on the brakes. But since there is no contact between the tires and the asphalt - he had no opportunity to even slow down to make the impact lighter".
According to Tsarski, one of the reasons for this incident is the fact that the asphalt during the tests was probably warmer due to the better weather. "So the reason is the cold air and the asphalt. And last but not least, the ban on the use of electric heating "covers" for the tires — a ban imposed by the Bulgarian federation, supposedly in accordance with environmental standards in Europe".
According to the car racers, the most disturbing thing in this case is not only the technical circumstances, but the fact that spectators were in a dangerous place — outside corner, both during the race and during Saturday's practice.
„These people have been standing there since Saturday. We, the drivers, cannot chase them away. We can only signal the organizer“, explained Petkov. And added: “It has been signaled. But the cars on this particular corner are moving at about 150-160 km/h“.
Ilia Tsarski also emphasized the role of the marshals — the people responsible for the safety of the track. According to him, people for this position are poorly trained and in short supply. “They must undergo special courses to be trained. A competent and professional team must be built. The opinion of experienced drivers must be listened to. Only in this way can we avoid such tragedies in the future“.