Driving Experience At Last Chance Weekend WGI

[Drew M]

This got me thinking... how cool would it be too have club racing with a passenger similar to co drivers in rally. I know I would pay to ride with a few p people...

Stephen

For some reason, I see the racing being a lot dirtier if passengers were involved.

[StephenB]

Haha, I still think co drivers in club racing is as safe or safer than in rally, much safer "barriers" in club racing!

But yea I get why this will never happen.. it is different than the norm


So back on topic, what are the details on this? I do have some crew guys that may rely be interested in doing this with my car.

[kcolbey]

I will try to add some more info. I talked with Ed the other day. The concept, not completed yet, is that Thursday night (or Friday morning) there will be a class like the normal driver's school. Friday morning (regardless) the practice session, driver's school and race experience will alternate sessions. The driver's school and race experience drivers will alternate in the classroom throughout the day. There will be, by the end of the day, a "grid" and race start. There will not be any posted times, and the grid may be arbitrary.
The driver does not need to have on track experience. The car does not need to be fully to the GCR (belts can be expired). The driver does not need a HANS. The driver needs all of the other things in the GCR however (like if the suit is a single layer, they need to have the nomex underwear).
Things that I don't know: when the supps will be ready. When the schedule I suggested above will be final. How much will it cost? Whether in-car timing equipment is allowed.

Lastly, my dad is probably going to do this. Anybody have a L or XL drivers suit floating around?

[Flyinglizard]

I have the info from Ed. If I get a link to the data or permission to post it, I will add a page on my site.

RE racing with passengers is a hoot! Ask Walsh about" My student can kick your students ass"
Later. MM

[Flyinglizard]

http://www.ogren-engineering.com/clu...x-by-scca.html

All the data..
I am not sure if the CRX counts as a race school or novice book time. .. as they run separate groups. Look interesting tho and may lead to more new faces.

How to spread the word? Later, MM

[lawtonglenn]

.

I'm sorry, I just don't get it

How is this different than letting a bunch of 15 year olds loose on the roads without
bothering to get a license, as long as they "pinkie promise" not to crash?
And since we believe your promise 100%, you won't need that pesky safety equipment (HNR)
that we require of everyone else that has (or is trying to get) a license.

OTOH, they will be going into classroom various times, and presumably some of the
ontrack sessions will have no passing laps and carefully controlled passing laps, and
be carefully monitored, before they get a gridded start ... so how is this even
different than the driving school?

I guess since they don't have to get a physical beforehand, and don't have to wear a
Hans device, and can have 6 year old expired belts (which the sanctioning bodies have
told us have the structural integrity of tissue paper) they can do the same things
as the students in the next room, but not get credit for it towards a license?

So....if they are willing to expose themselves to conditions with less safety equipment
(and the doctor's blessing) than we require from everyone else, we are then willing to
allow them to increase our organizational risk of litigation, even though we know that
they have no on track experience?..I can just see the guy in the black robe now, asking:

"so Mr Defendant, what you are telling me is that you knew the Plaintiff had no experience,
and you know that beginners in your sport have more incidents than experienced racers?"

"Yes, your Honor..."

"And your analysis of the risks involved have resulted in the requirements of a medical
professional signed physical exam, a Head and Neck Restraint, and a Safety Harness
certified to be within its useful life, for all of the other participants in your events?"

"Yes, your Honor..."

"But you decided to allow the Plaintiff, who had no experience, was in your own words more
likely to have an on-track incident, and due to his lack of experience was less able to
understand the risks beforehand, to sign a waiver of these requirements that you impose
upon licensed racers, and carefully inspect to ensure their compliance?

"Yes, your Honor..."

"Now if you can tell us, does your normal racing program have detailed and carefully worded
specifications for roll cages? ... and does your tech staff carefully and methodically inspect
newly presented rollcages to ensure they are compliant to these?

"Yes, your Honor..."

"and yet you decided that the Plaintiff's health and well-being wasn't worth protecting
with the same level of roll cage safety technology? Do you have a (racial/cultural/gender/age)
[circle one] bias against the Plaintiff that we should know about?

"No your Honor, no bias, and we did not exempt them from the roll cage rules, please look
at the bottom of the form, where we say that the only exceptions are 9.3.19.G and 9.3.20.C:..."

"Perhaps, but in the middle of the form you list the Roll Cage Rules under the exceptions clause:
All vehicles must meet the safety and equipment requirements of GCR 9.3.except:
so therefore, it it correct to say that it is ambiguous whether the roll cage rules apply or are excepted?"

"Yes, your Honor..."

If anyone can better explain the concept for me, I'd certainly appreciate it.

.

[dickita15]

Easy Glenn,
This is a pilot program and I am grateful for the folks at the Glen for stepping up and trying this out. We need to run some of these to learn how to do them better and having first class regions and tracks buy in will give us good feedback.
The issue we are trying to address is that many groups, vintage and crap cans and such have a lot less hoops to deal with than at least the perception in SCCA.
The Competition Driving Experience is limited to the lowers third or so of SCCA’s performance envelope. It uses the 13/13 rules in contact and has a chief instructor like a PDX to track and coach competitors. In exchange for those limitations the insurance companies and the risk management people have said we can have easier to comply with standards.
This makes it possible for someone who has a GCR Safe car and personal gear available to self-certify the medical like the FAA does at their lowest level, buy a weekend membership and see what this racing thing is all about. This may be a path to club racing for some or it might be a perfect end destination for others. Either is fine.
Those of us who are at the track all the time may not realize the 50% of all SCCA licensed drivers run two weekends or less a year. How long are those guys willing to go thru all the paperwork to keep current? Maybe if they could run some event where the paperwork was easier even if the racing was more gentlemanly they would be more likely to tie up a bay in their garage with that old race car.