USERA Lime Rock Park Crash

[GregM]

Ken,
I wanted to know how your meeting went to find out what in the world happened in race 6 in the ESSES ? There is now some video posted on the YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1aag14i0A

I think there was a failure of the tow vehicle personel, the flaggers as well as race control to ensure the safety of the drivers on the track. I heard many reports from the spectators on the hill that observed the mess.

Luckily my father in law was not hurt and I hope everyone else is that were involved are ok as well. My car on the other hand after a few hours worth of work did make the second race but will require a tremendous amount of body work costing me tons. Our car got hit both sides in the rear quarter panels destroying the rear suspension components. The Puskar car was very badly damaged as well.

I have never witnessed an incident like this ever at Lime Rock.

The second race went well and it helped end the weekend on a higher note. Thank you for your efforts to put on the series and we will be back.

Greg

[Doc Bro]

Can't really tell from the video.....what happened??

R

[JLawton]

http://www.roadrace-autox.com/bbs/forums/t...osts=12&start=1

[Greg Amy]

And...

http://forum.specmiata.com/cgi-bin/ultimat...19;t=000238;p=0

[GregM]

http://www.roadrace-autox.com/bbs/forums/t...osts=12&start=1

Wow how the story changes.

[7racing]

Hmmm....interesting events.

Reading the two links posted, everyone is jumping on the corner workers/response vehicles/etc and saying that there were no yellow and/or debris flags at the incident. I wasn't there so can only go by the 1 video posted.

Watching the video, I saw some flag (it's hard to make out) at the station at the left hander while the wreckers and car was stuck (for two laps, I think).

Then the next lap, in the distance at the right hander, you see someone waving a flag while there is a cloud of smoke (keep looking on the right, there is a corner station there). The flaggers that are shown during the slow motion are standing BEYOND where the cars are wrecking. Why would they put up a yellow? And it looks like they are signaling as well. Not sure if they should've had a debris flag up for the straight.

A yellow at the station on the left at the tire wall would've done nothing.

Just my observations.

Glad to hear everyone was OK.

Jeremy

[Raceman77]

As one that was there as a crew chief. What I was told was where you see the tow truck trying to pull a SRF from the water was ok. The water was pretty deep and the driver said it was up to his waste in the car. The tow truck pulled the car out but into the racing line where all the water then came on to the track. After they were gone the workers probably could not see the water come out so they did not throw a flag . Which once the cars started threw forget it around they go. But with that much water coming out someone had to have seen it.

[BobsAuto]

Can't raise the video on youtube. Can someone repost the url?

[Ken Grammer]

I hope to post some thoughts on the incident soon. Perhaps as early as this afternoon.

[Ken Grammer]

More later...

[RKramden]

2) On the third lap of the video, you see station 2 showing a "vigurous" white flag.

3) I've looked and so have others and there just isn't a flag at station 4. The YouTube version is not as clear as the original, but we can't see a flag on either the original tape or the full length video of the three laps.
[/b]

I saw station 3 with a "vigurous" flag, but it may have been blue (some of them are light blue, and from the tape one cannot tell the color very well.) I couldn't see anything at station 2, as for the most part, they are not in the view of the camera.

Are we counting stations the same way? Station 1 used to be back where the Fire/Rescue building is now located. Station 2 is the enterence to Big Bend, and 3 is at the exit. 4 is the left hander, 5/5A the start of Noname and 6 no longer exists. 7 is the bottom of the hill, 8 is at the top. 9 is West Bend, 10 is just before the bridge, and 11 is the Diving Turn. 12 is just before pit in.

The tape does offer an interesting perspective on just how difficult it is to pick out the flags when going thru various corners as you are looking away from the station much of the time. I know that at 4, if you don't have the flag out when the driver is exiting three (0:27-0:29 in the tape), they won't see it, as they are looking past the turn in, then past the apex, and that is completely away from the station.