Safty at N.T.I

[roundman]

I never had to work as hard as I did sunday...as far as telling folks how to screw there head back on and use the brain inside of it..spinning out on the course and hammering the gas ..to keeping passangers arms in the car..Im new at being a safty sterwart but I try to keep folks safe as I can without pissing them off.The one thing that scared me most was the black 2000 that REAL close to a light pole and a couple of workers after spinning out on course and staying on the gas..soooo come on folks lets be safe out there and have fun and not talk about who got hurt....thanks


Joey Sutton es#60
p-dawgs backup safty dude
"gas.gas.gas"

[soloracer]

Second THAT !!!!!
If you loose it , It is no time for "bravery" . Go both feet in.
One on the brake, one on the clutch, better safe than wrecked.
Just do better next run.
James

[soloracer]

Good job, Joey. We do this for fun. And a n exhalt for caring.
James

[trdriver]

Excuse me and forgive me if I get on a safety soapbox for a minute.

Passenger's hands and arms outside cars really give me the creeps. We run in lots with light poles. Until yesterday some of you probably never thought a driver would ever stay on the throttle in a spin. In a spinning car, even a driver with slightly more than half a brain can get the "go" pedal confused with the "stop" pedal and stay on the gas. What happens then if that driver is carrying a passenger who has their arm on the door or the A pillar and the spinning car hits a light pole on the passengers side? Not that this is ever likely to happen, but because the consequences would be so great, I think that any car on course with body parts outside the car should be red flagged immediately and NOT be given a rerun and this should be made clear at each and every driver's meeting

That's just my opinion and you can all ignore if you want to, but this really touches a nerve with me because a few years ago at a VTR Regional Autox held at Jekyl Island Airport, a TR6 spun off in a slalom on the taxiway and hit a tree at about the A-pillar on the passengers side. The car was totaled, but more importantly the driver's daughter was in the passengers seat - nobody got hurt but the mental image of what might have happened if she'd had her hand on the door or the A-pillar is still with me.

Soap box mode off.

Cheers

Jack Mc

[drbiggly]

I agree with Jack. Keeping body parts inside of the vehicle is quite important. Although I simply cannot forget the driver who kept putting his entire left arm out the window while navigating the course. Yes, the driver. (BRR event back in April.) I was working the course and radio'd in about this guy no less than 3 times.

-Biggly

[jbyrd]

Safety is everyone's responsibility.

If you see someone doing something unsafe, you should report him/her immediately to a safet steward (Bill Crummett, Joey Sutton, or me) or to Steven Rankins.

At the Sunday NTI event, more drivers were called down than at any event I can ever remember, and at the SCR event last month, a driver was DQ for having a passenger with an arm out of the car.

But...we can't see everything. If you do, tell us. If you see it while working the course, call it in on the radio. If you see it while watching the event, find us.

[C4Shane]

Great job Joey! exalt fer ya! Yep, safety is the most important issue for the sport. We are just one incident away from having to race Pinewood Derby cars - just look at what happened with rally events.

I think all of you have stated some of the big issues from this weekend - we just need to all pay attention and take care of each other.

[ROADBOY]

Here here, i second that.

I myself radio'd in an "arm out" offense on a passenger this past weekend.

If we all make the effort, we can keep this going.

[lagunamiata]

Joey you had a tough job on Sunday. Thanks for what you do! Exalt to ya!

One group had a lady helping with start / grid. I mentioned to her to remind drivers to put their windows down. She pretty much said that in her region they don't require that. My response was I don't car what they do in your region, tell them to lower their windows.

For the "brain fade" on course, I saw two cars that had problems with that. One has done the same thing at several events. I don't know if he's been scolded in the past or not.

Also I did have a talk with one of the corner workers about flagging. He must have missed Shane's how to work speech!!

[m3]

Is the window's down requirement a CCR thing? I ask because it's not anywhere in the SCCA Solo Rulebook (unless they added it for 2006).

[lagunamiata]

I looked and couldn't find it either. I know that NCR and SCR also say the window needs to be down... at least at the events I've been to.

[pleiades]

windows must be down?

myth!!!!

[pleiades]

windows must be down?

myth!!!!

[m3]

Thanks for the clarification Steven.

Thanks for the clarification Steven.

[C4Shane]

yup...myth...but we have asked that winders are rolled down (and I have been told before) so the workers can yell at you when you run over their liddle toes....

So - let's decide here...up - or down? Drivers side only?

[lagunamiata]

Down. Driver side at a minumum.

[autoxcrx]

I was told at my first autox at the first of last year that we needed to have at least the drivers side window down (even if it rained ) so you could hear someone yelling at you if you didn't see a red flag. If your paying attention you shouldn't have a problem seeing a red flag. Dosen't matter to me one way or another, but I can't figure why anyone would want their windows up?? Are they running their air conditioner ?? Geeeze, it's usually so HOT !! And I would REALLY like somebody to prove to me that it's an aerodynamic advantage,........... ;D
HAAA, HAAA, HAAAAAAAAA!!!
I run with mine down, how bout Y'all ??



This outta be interseting................

[autoxcrx]

Needed em down at NTI to yell at the empty heads walking across the course, especially right around the finish, that acted like they didn't even see the cars runnin...........

[m3]

autoxcrx said:

...I can't figure why anyone would want their windows up?

Rain is the only logical reason.

[wjm]

I agree, Rain would be the only thing I'd take it up on. Even then, I usually down both front windows for the duration of the run...then they are back up.

[MrsVlad]

I do believe (I may be wrong) one of the Long Island Auto-X clubs, plays with the windows up , to keep body parts in. However, it never gets hotter than 95 there.

[volksman]

I think it should be windows down, so drivers taht are going the wrong way can hear you screaming. It happens. Also, should the worst happen, a crash, windows down would make sense as a door may be jammed or a driver may be dazed. Who runs with the A/C on anyway?

[Imprezivblue]

volksman said:

I think it should be windows down, so drivers taht are going the wrong way can hear you screaming. It happens. Also, should the worst happen, a crash, windows down would make sense as a door may be jammed or a driver may be dazed. Who runs with the A/C on anyway?

I've never done it before. . . .
(only accidentally)

[grey ghost]

IMO the decision for windows up or down is at the drivers discretion. Some regions make you run up and some down. the safest way is up to keep failing arms in on a roll over. having seen a Friend at nationals try to stick his arm out to stop a rolling 318i the finish of a pro solo. the guys willing to run with a window up are doing it for concentration. not aerodynamics. others that run them down are listening to the the difference in tire grip (not me:)0. when you make force a rule on some one make sure that it can be backed up with a hard copy of the rule IE posted or in the book before the event. or we look like we make the rules as we go.

enough of my soap box, lets have fun and drive responsible.

thanks Rob.