MARRS 7&8

[JamesB]

I stold that from Yip and his description of instructing at a DE event.

Camaro drove off the course thought pit in like Marshall but the back end was pretty busted up and twisted from the hit.

[EV]

You should win some kind of prize for that analogy! How was the camaro driver? Is he ok?
[/b]

He was better after we extinguished his engine fire in the paddock

But as we discussed in the tow truck, I'm concerned that SPMSP (Summit Point Motorsports Park) won't take the necessary steps to keep this from happening again until someone is killed which is (as we all know) way too late.
[/b]

I bet they will. It took a broken leg to get stairs built going into the tubs on the corners. This was WAY more serious than that (no offence Bob). I suspect there will be some grading at minimum, concrete walls at best in that area by next event. Erosion is the problem. The walls need to be cut 90 to the ground around them. Problem is, over time they erode and become ramps.

Of course, there is sometimes nothing you can do to prevent that. Later the same day, there was the Miata that jumped to the other side of the wall at 4. Who would have thought???

I also suspect there will be narry a photographer standing around there next event either..

BTW, you were running over to the car, it only looked like you were "moseying" because your legs are so short And I need my phone book back before next event, you know, the one you borrowed to sit on at dinner.

[ggnagy]

I am sure we haven't heard the end of this saga....

I bet Bill Scott and the D.C. region will have to deal with several either threats of law suits, or actual law suits because of this.

I hope we still have a place to race after this.
[/b]

Unfortunately, this is all too possible. A driver/litigation atty from another group who I shall not name came into the stands across from 8 saying repeatedly "who saw what happened?"

[JamesB]

matt moved faster then I have ever seen, even when free food was announced.


Actually, EV what was up across from Abel? a grass fire or something cuz I know someone ran to the embankment and discharged an extiguisher.

[EV]

matt moved faster then I have ever seen, even when free food was announced.
Actually, EV what was up across from Abel? a grass fire or something cuz I know someone ran to the embankment and discharged an extiguisher.
[/b]

That was a partial bottle we used on the Camaro. We blow the rest of the bottle so it doesn't get mistaken for a full one. Besides, it gets people looking

Unfortunately, this is all too possible. A driver/litigation atty from another group who I shall not name came into the stands across from 8 saying repeatedly "who saw what happened?"
[/b]

I wish I would have seen that.... GRRRRRRR Come visit me at the next event (or PM)

[mgyip]

Unfortunately, this is all too possible. A driver/litigation atty from another group who I shall not name came into the stands across from 8 saying repeatedly "who saw what happened?"[/b]

Ironically the driver of the Mercedes is also an attorney which leads me to a lawyer joke...

Why don't sharks eat each other in a feeding frenzy?

Professional courtesy.

[ajmr2]

Damn lawyers. Stuff happens at speed, we all know that. I assume they'll put something down there, but I'd be concerned about what would happen to the driver in the same situation if he ran head on into a concrete wall! I mean, we've got to be going 60 or 70 at turn in of 7, no? Maybe they could angle the wall a bit so it wouldn't be a 90 degree impact. Or some kind of a catch fence. I'm not a big fan of gravel traps, but they do work as long as you go straight into them...

[EV]

Damn lawyers. Stuff happens at speed, we all know that. I assume they'll put something down there, but I'd be concerned about what would happen to the driver in the same situation if he ran head on into a concrete wall! I mean, we've got to be going 60 or 70 at turn in of 7, no? Maybe they could angle the wall a bit so it wouldn't be a 90 degree impact. Or some kind of a catch fence. I'm not a big fan of gravel traps, but they do work as long as you go straight into them...
[/b]

This is my 7th season with EV. I have never see a car go straight at that section of track, they almost always (I used to be able to say always) go into that wall sideways.

I don't know how they could angle a wall there different than it is right now. A concrete wall with double or triple tires would work quite well there. You carry more speed coming out of 10 than through there. I have seen plenty of folks hook and hit pit wall over the years, all have walked away.

[JamesB]

I have ducked to miss the debris when I worked pit so I am aware of the turn 10, but they do tend to dissapate speed during the whole spin and cross.

This weekend was two of the off chances happening in the same weekend. The chance of someone going strait through turn 7 and the chances of someone actually landing up on the burm out of the chute near the turn 5 tub.

[Gregg]

Now here's something to ponder...

During our first of two pace laps for race group 6 I looked over at those bleachers (mainly 'cuz I was a little freaked out watching Rob's car go flying and seeing the structure displaced) and saw how they had been marked w/ "caution tape." What I found disturbing is that, when I started shifting my focus back towards the track berm, there seemed to be 20+ people leaning against the fence in the same general area that "Bo" Koch visited earlier in the day.

That freaked me out.

Anyways, Bill (er...EV), do you know if the T6b/T7 flagger stand was empty due to low flagger turnout? It looked like one of the vehicles coming out of Baker was pretty close to getting clipped by an at-speed race car.

[EV]

Now here's something to ponder...

During our first of two pace laps for race group 6 I looked over at those bleachers (mainly 'cuz I was a little freaked out watching Rob's car go flying and seeing the structure displaced) and saw how they had been marked w/ "caution tape." What I found disturbing is that, when I started shifting my focus back towards the track berm, there seemed to be 20+ people leaning against the fence in the same general area that "Bo" Koch visited earlier in the day.

That freaked me out.

Anyways, Bill (er...EV), do you know if the T6b/T7 flagger stand was empty due to low flagger turnout? It looked like one of the vehicles coming out of Baker was pretty close to getting clipped by an at-speed race car.
[/b]

Flagger turnout wasn't that low, station 11 was manned with a radio, so that being the first station to be manned with only a point person, we must not have been too low on flaggers. Stations 7 was manned, but I didn't see a red flag. Perhaps the shock of the incident delayed it's display. Don't count on my witness to that though, I was focused on getting across track myself.

[ajmr2]

The guys and gals in the corners absolutely amaze me. They spend the whole day, rain or shine, brutal heat or sideways rain, observing our races without getting involved in the races themselves. They watch for contact, bad judgement, fluids and/or pieces coming off of our cars, hoods unlatched, tires going flat, waiving us back out when it's safe to do so, even if we REALLY CAN'T WAIT, and on and on. I've personally experienced all of these issues myself. They're the very best in the business and I just want to take a moment to salute every one of them. No matter what happens on the track, we couldn't even think about going racing without your presence and vigilance.

[Gregg]

Absolutely!

[lateapex911]

I'll third that!

[jjjanos]

Weekend was fantastic thanks to the hard work of the Turn One Performance team. Thanks Roger!

MARRS 7 was a great race for me. Got a terrible start and then had to fight my way from DFL in the ITC field. Got hung up by a couple of RX7 that wanted to race and saw my ITC race vanish in front of me, but got by them, hunted down the ailing ITC cars in front of me and finished 6th in class. Saw Roger in the Carousel on the first lap and never saw the rest of the team the race.

Spoke with the RX7 drivers and asked them to PLEASE let me by on Monday if they weren't near another RX7. Both were VERY nice about it and both checked up to let me get past during the next race. Kudos to both of you.

MARRS 8 was a great one-half a race for me. Lowered my best time by one-half a second and hung onto the back of the second tier of ITC cars - I even got to see the class leaders catch the back of the RX7 field. Then I ran out of talent under braking at T1 and took to the escape road. All hope of saving the race went out when I foolishly dropped a wheel on the outside of the Carousel... d'oh. At that point the fire was out of the driver and I was in the middle of the RX7 field. I didn't want to ruin their races, so when they caught me, I let them past. Got to see Roger zip past me and later saw the fight for 2nd through 5th... were the heck did MS get that speed?

As for the grandstand thing... in the past, BSR responds very quickly to things like this. My gut reaction is that there will be major changes to that section of the course before we see the track at the end of the month.

[dave parker]

Guys
I am sure that Summit Point management will do something to prevent a car getting into that spot in T7 again, and I am sure that there will be a bunch of whinning from people about what they do. Remember how people complained about the "great wall" in T4 when it was first built?

As usual the Double is a great event marred by sketchy moves and poor decisions usually made by "license keepers" who after spending the whole summer on the couch eating Funyuns decide that they need two races in one weekend to keep their license current. But I still had fun, and managed to bring home two third place trophies and no new dents in the car.

I saw the SSM roll in T4 on Monday. He (Bill Windsor SSM#83) spun further up the hill towards and got off in the wet grass on drivers left and went up the dirt embankment before the aformentioned "great wall" from there he launched upward and rolled end over end once and landed on his wheels. I don't know if he had help as I could not see that far up the hil. Luckily, he seems to be ok.

Remember kids, car racing is a dangerous game not only for the participants. I tell every new guest that I bring to the track "If you can see the cars on the track, they can get to where you are. Pay attention."
My advice and worth exactly what it just cost you.

See you all at MARRS 9.

Cheers
"dangerous" dave parker

[ggnagy]

Now here's something to ponder...

During our first of two pace laps for race group 6 I looked over at those bleachers (mainly 'cuz I was a little freaked out watching Rob's car go flying and seeing the structure displaced) and saw how they had been marked w/ "caution tape." What I found disturbing is that, when I started shifting my focus back towards the track berm, there seemed to be 20+ people leaning against the fence in the same general area that "Bo" Koch visited earlier in the day.

That freaked me out.

Anyways, Bill (er...EV), do you know if the T6b/T7 flagger stand was empty due to low flagger turnout? It looked like one of the vehicles coming out of Baker was pretty close to getting clipped by an at-speed race car.
[/b]

From my perspective, I could not see 7 very well, but 5 and 8 had flag out for a bit when vehicles went cross track at baker. There was almost 2 or 3 more incidents at 8 with drivers not seeing the red flag but the 4 or 5 cars stopped on track. Afterwards, control acknowledged that there were many incidents of drivers going through several turns before obeying the red flag.

Did anyone ever find out why the BG driver refused to get out of the car?

[ggnagy]

That was a partial bottle we used on the Camaro. We blow the rest of the bottle so it doesn't get mistaken for a full one. Besides, it gets people looking
I wish I would have seen that.... GRRRRRRR Come visit me at the next event (or PM)
[/b]

After this past weekend I would prefer to NOT visit you guys again, or should I say, have you guys visit me.


I'll send pm, but I know you read other boards and probably know who I mean.

[Wreckerboy]

The guys and gals in the corners absolutely amaze me. They spend the whole day, rain or shine, brutal heat or sideways rain, observing our races without getting involved in the races themselves. They watch for contact, bad judgement, fluids and/or pieces coming off of our cars, hoods unlatched, tires going flat, waiving us back out when it's safe to do so, even if we REALLY CAN'T WAIT, and on and on. I've personally experienced all of these issues myself. They're the very best in the business and I just want to take a moment to salute every one of them. No matter what happens on the track, we couldn't even think about going racing without your presence and vigilance.

[/b]

...someplace, somewhere, Matt Weisberg just had a major coronary.

[JamesB]

FYI results are up

http://www.offtotheraces.net/marrs7.html

http://www.offtotheraces.net/marrs78,2006.html