Benjamin D Thatcher wrote:
>
> Here we go again, people who weren't at the event jumping to huge
> conclusions about the safety of an event they know nothing about.
While that may happen, I've been careful to base my comments on what I
have been told. My point is that had there not been grass and concrete
at this site to hit, these MAY have been simple harmless spins. I do
not know this for fact, of course, (as you said, I was not there) but it
is a speculation based on common sense and experience.
>
> Sorry, folks. In spite of the relative safety of our sport, pucky does
> happen. We've been believing our own press about this being a totally
> safe sport. I'll say it again, if it was that safe we wouldn't need to
> wear helmets and safety belts.
I agree. I also am lead to beleive that Solo2 is held at sites that
allow basic mistakes to be made without risk of hitting solid objects.
This is how we learn, is it not? Did I mis-understand this somewhere in
my years of doing this? So if a novice does a simple spin and runs up
against a grassy ditch and culvert because the paved course is only 24'
wide, it's "pucky happens"? I run at a site very similar to what this
one sounds like, so I have a little first hand knowledge.
>
> Let's not assume that an event is unsafe because of one or two incidents.
> I'm a lot more concerned about personal injury than property damage. A
> crunched fender or a munched wheel and suspension from a curb are not
> causes for alarm.
We had a roll over at our site. I don't us this as fodder because it
had nothing to do with the specific layout of our site. It was just an
autocross incident that occasionally happens, and I accept that as part
of the risk of this sport. In this, I agree with you. Likewise, just
because there are a couple in incident at this site, I've not made any
assumptions on this alone. It's the nature of the incidents that
concern me, not that there *were* incidents.
What happened appears to be related at least partially to what kind of
surrounding conditions they were in, if I am reading it all correctly.
Alek also made a valid point of course about the drivers role in it. I
readily accept the risks of this sport, but I do not accept an
unreasonable amount of risk due to poor sites and / or planning.
"No one forced you to run" Yeah, I know. It's a free country, you make
your own choices, blah, blah, blah. The fact is you set up a season
points series, you require a minimum number of events to be attended,
and then you say you don't have to run if you don't want to. Sorry, it
just doesn't fly. What do you say to the guy who had a simple spin but
slid across the slippery grass into the pole..."Geez, I guess you
shoulda turned around and went home when you saw this course." Sorry to
run on about this, but my personal opinion is that we have a duty to
provide a reasonbly safe environment to learn to drive, and I feel
strongly that sites like this are inherently dangerous beyond the scope
of Solo2.
--
Patrick Washburn <washburn@dwave.net>
Wausau, WI Land of Cheese
95 DS Neon
Moooooooooo.
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