{"id":13792,"date":"2017-11-13T20:46:56","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T20:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2017\/11\/13\/junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies\/"},"modified":"2017-11-13T20:46:56","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T20:46:56","slug":"junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"Junior Drag Racing Rules Reconsidered In Australia After 8-Year-Old Dies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-style:italic;font-size:16px\">By  <a class=\"colorbox\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/11\/13\/563735079\/junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\">Amy Held<\/a><\/span>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/11\/13\/563735079\/junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/include\/images\/facebook-default-wide.jpg?s=1400\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Terrible news out of Princess Margaret Hospital &#8211; little drag car driver Anita Board, 8, has died<\/p>\n<p>MORE: <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zk7gQ2fLjp\">https:\/\/t.co\/zk7gQ2fLjp<\/a><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/perthnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#perthnews<\/a><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/wanews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#wanews<\/a><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JcCjjtpifI\">pic.twitter.com\/JcCjjtpifI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The West Australian (@westaustralian) <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/westaustralian\/status\/929599898042777601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RES563837067\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP TWITTER LARGE GRAPHIC624\" ARIA-LABEL=\"TWEET\" --><\/p>\n<p>An Australian girl described by her dad as &#8220;bright and bubbly&#8221; died Saturday after her drag racing car crashed into the track barrier.<\/p>\n<p>Anita Board celebrated her eighth birthday less than one week ago.<\/p>\n<p>At a press conference Monday from the site of Anita&#8217;s accident, her father Ian Board <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.9news.com.au\/national\/2017\/11\/13\/20\/07\/family-of-anita-board-say-fatal-dragster-crash-was-one-in-a-million-event\">said<\/a>, &#8220;Her passion for motorsport, drag racing and being here as a family with her sister at the track was the highlight of her life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Anita was doing a test run ahead of a competition at the Kwinana Motorplex in Perth, when &#8220;she failed to stop and struck a cement barrier,&#8221; the Western Australia Police Force <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police.wa.gov.au\/Media-Centre\/Media-Releases\/1759-Kwinana-serious-crash\">said in a statement<\/a>. &#8220;Police would like to speak to anyone who was at the Motorplex who saw the crash, or has vision of the crash.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Pending the outcome of the investigation, Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au\/Pages\/McGowan\/2017\/11\/Junior-drag-racing-suspended-until-outcome-of-police-investigation.aspx\">has suspended<\/a> junior competition drag racing at the Motorplex, Western Australia&#8217;s sole drag-racing track.<\/p>\n<p>But Anita&#8217;s dad said Monday it is his wish that children continue to &#8220;enjoy their racing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We do understand there will need to be a couple of changes. We don&#8217;t believe there needs to be a major change,&#8221; Board said at the press conference.<\/p>\n<p>Eight is the minimum age for children to compete in junior events, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/andradragracing\/docs\/2018_andra_rulebook\">according to<\/a> the Australian National Drag Racing Association. Its rules also state that drivers between the ages of eight and 10 years old may not exceed 60 mph.<\/p>\n<p>Acting Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook seemed taken aback after learning how fast children could go. He <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.perthnow.com.au\/news\/western-australia\/state-government-suspends-junior-drag-racing-after-death-of-anita-board\/news-story\/c480d4fdad206ddf0f7390e939859f7f\">told local media<\/a>, &#8220;I think it would strike anyone that it&#8217;s an extraordinary speed for an eight-year-old to be having the sole control of a vehicle.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And Murray <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.watoday.com.au\/wa-news\/extraordinary-an-eightyearold-can-race-at-96kmh-acting-premier-20171113-gzkap1.html\">told local media<\/a>, he too was surprised that children so young were allowed to race and that the government was taking a &#8220;hard look&#8221; at the rules. He added, &#8220;from my understanding (the system) was well controlled but an unfortunate accident that happened.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The speed Anita was going at the time of the crash is not clear. And her father said it was his belief that she would remain protected in the sport. &#8220;We chose drag racing because we believed it was the safest form of motor sport,&#8221; Board said. &#8220;Sadly this one in a million event happened to us. To our little girl.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mike Sprylan, who runs a junior dragster web site in Perth, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/morning-mix\/wp\/2017\/11\/13\/8-year-old-dies-after-slamming-her-drag-racing-car-into-barrier-at-australian-track\/?hpid=hp_rhp-morning-mix_mm-racer%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&amp;utm_term=.85e4c8cb61af\">told <\/a><em>The Washington Post <\/em>that children practice &#8220;all sorts of safety&#8221; measures in the sport, including beginning driving a fraction of the track and slowly building up their distance and speed.<\/p>\n<p>In September, Anita&#8217;s father posted a picture on Facebook of his daughter standing behind her drag racing car, &#8220;Purple Pony,&#8221; her sister posing next to her with her own car.  <\/p>\n<div>[embedded content]<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RES563750801\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<p>In the United States, drivers as young as five years old are permitted to compete, according to rules <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/jrdragster.nhra.com\/leagueracer-info\/faqscontact-jdrl\/\">set by<\/a> the National Hot Rod Association&#8217;s Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League.<\/p>\n<p>Jr. dragsters are half-scale versions of adult models and can go as fast as 85 mph in an eighth-mile, although the league&#8217;s web site <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/jrdragster.nhra.com\/leagueracer-info\/about-the-jdrl\/\">says<\/a>, &#8220;younger competitors are restricted to slower times\/speeds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Drag racing is a dangerous sport,&#8221; NHRA&#8217;s rule book <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/promod.nhra.com\/ebooks\/jdrl\/rulebook\/#\/6\/\">states<\/a>. &#8220;There is no such thing as a guaranteed safe drag race.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/acceptable.html\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source:: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/11\/13\/563735079\/junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\" class=\"colorbox\" title=\"Junior Drag Racing Rules Reconsidered In Australia After 8-Year-Old Dies\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/11\/13\/563735079\/junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ftpimagefix\" style=\"float:left\"><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/thetwo-way\/2017\/11\/13\/563735079\/junior-drag-racing-rules-reconsidered-in-australia-after-8-year-old-dies?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=sports\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/include\/images\/facebook-default-wide.jpg?s=1400\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<blockquote>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Terrible news out of Princess Margaret Hospital &#8211; little drag car driver Anita Board, 8, has died<\/p>\n<p>MORE: <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zk7gQ2fLjp\">https:\/\/t.co\/zk7gQ2fLjp<\/a><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/perthnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#perthnews<\/a><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/wanews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#wanews<\/a><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JcCjjtpifI\">pic.twitter.com\/JcCjjtpifI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The West Australian (@westaustralian) <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/westaustralian\/status\/929599898042777601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 12, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RES563837067\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP TWITTER LARGE GRAPHIC624\" ARIA-LABEL=\"TWEET\" --><\/p>\n<p>An Australian girl described by her dad as &#8220;bright and bubbly&#8221; died Saturday after her drag racing car crashed into the track barrier.<\/p>\n<p>Anita Board celebrated her eighth birthday less than one week ago.<\/p>\n<p>At a press conference Monday from the site of Anita&#8217;s accident, her father Ian Board <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.9news.com.au\/national\/2017\/11\/13\/20\/07\/family-of-anita-board-say-fatal-dragster-crash-was-one-in-a-million-event\">said<\/a>, &#8220;Her passion for motorsport, drag racing and being here as a family with her sister at the track was the highlight of her life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Anita was doing a test run ahead of a competition at the Kwinana Motorplex in Perth, when &#8220;she failed to stop and struck a cement barrier,&#8221; the Western Australia Police Force <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.police.wa.gov.au\/Media-Centre\/Media-Releases\/1759-Kwinana-serious-crash\">said in a statement<\/a>. &#8220;Police would like to speak to anyone who was at the Motorplex who saw the crash, or has vision of the crash.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Pending the outcome of the investigation, Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au\/Pages\/McGowan\/2017\/11\/Junior-drag-racing-suspended-until-outcome-of-police-investigation.aspx\">has suspended<\/a> junior competition drag racing at the Motorplex, Western Australia&#8217;s sole drag-racing track.<\/p>\n<p>But Anita&#8217;s dad said Monday it is his wish that children continue to &#8220;enjoy their racing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>&#8220;We do understand there will need to be a couple of changes. We don&#8217;t believe there needs to be a major change,&#8221; Board said at the press conference.<\/p>\n<p>Eight is the minimum age for children to compete in junior events, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/andradragracing\/docs\/2018_andra_rulebook\">according to<\/a> the Australian National Drag Racing Association. Its rules also state that drivers between the ages of eight and 10 years old may not exceed 60 mph.<\/p>\n<p>Acting Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook seemed taken aback after learning how fast children could go. He <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.perthnow.com.au\/news\/western-australia\/state-government-suspends-junior-drag-racing-after-death-of-anita-board\/news-story\/c480d4fdad206ddf0f7390e939859f7f\">told local media<\/a>, &#8220;I think it would strike anyone that it&#8217;s an extraordinary speed for an eight-year-old to be having the sole control of a vehicle.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And Murray <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.watoday.com.au\/wa-news\/extraordinary-an-eightyearold-can-race-at-96kmh-acting-premier-20171113-gzkap1.html\">told local media<\/a>, he too was surprised that children so young were allowed to race and that the government was taking a &#8220;hard look&#8221; at the rules. He added, &#8220;from my understanding (the system) was well controlled but an unfortunate accident that happened.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The speed Anita was going at the time of the crash is not clear. And her father said it was his belief that she would remain protected in the sport. &#8220;We chose drag racing because we believed it was the safest form of motor sport,&#8221; Board said. &#8220;Sadly this one in a million event happened to us. To our little girl.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mike Sprylan, who runs a junior dragster web site in Perth, <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/morning-mix\/wp\/2017\/11\/13\/8-year-old-dies-after-slamming-her-drag-racing-car-into-barrier-at-australian-track\/?hpid=hp_rhp-morning-mix_mm-racer%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&amp;utm_term=.85e4c8cb61af\">told <\/a><em>The Washington Post <\/em>that children practice &#8220;all sorts of safety&#8221; measures in the sport, including beginning driving a fraction of the track and slowly building up their distance and speed.<\/p>\n<p>In September, Anita&#8217;s father posted a picture on Facebook of his daughter standing behind her drag racing car, &#8220;Purple Pony,&#8221; her sister posing next to her with her own car.  <\/p>\n<div>[embedded content]<\/div>\n<p><!-- END ID=\"RES563750801\" CLASS=\"BUCKETWRAP STATICHTML\" --><\/p>\n<p>In the United States, drivers as young as five years old are permitted to compete, according to rules <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/jrdragster.nhra.com\/leagueracer-info\/faqscontact-jdrl\/\">set by<\/a> the National Hot Rod Association&#8217;s Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League.<\/p>\n<p>Jr. dragsters are half-scale versions of adult models and can go as fast as 85 mph in an eighth-mile, although the league&#8217;s web site <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/jrdragster.nhra.com\/leagueracer-info\/about-the-jdrl\/\">says<\/a>, &#8220;younger competitors are restricted to slower times\/speeds.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Drag racing is a dangerous sport,&#8221; NHRA&#8217;s rule book <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/promod.nhra.com\/ebooks\/jdrl\/rulebook\/#\/6\/\">states<\/a>. &#8220;There is no such thing as a guaranteed safe drag race.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/\">Let&#8217;s block ads!<\/a><\/strong> <a class=\"colorbox\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blockads.fivefilters.org\/acceptable.html\">(Why?)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[221],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13792\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}