Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 20:06:32 EDT
From: allen t skillicorn <loudes13@juno.com>
I was at the event. The course was too fast by SCCA sII rules. What
really contributed to the problems, wasn't the speed, but the site. My
DS '88 CRX was in third most of the course. As I drove home checked how
fast I was going, about 75 mph at 5500 rpm in third, and this is a slow
car! As I walked the course I cried about how this course would kill me
in the index championship. The ironic part was that I already thought
the site was bad/slightly dangerous. >>
<<>
<< I like fast courses, I
like risky stuff, but when you play you pay, and in this sue happy world,
this type of negligence leaves many a door wide open. This will benefit
us in chicago in the long run, lessons have been learned. Newbies will
be scared away for a while, but new newbies will replace them -
eventually. I'm sure safety stewards will realize that reports aren't
fun, and things will be reformed. My only fear ( other than the flaming
kind ) is that the next couple events will be first gear, let stay 400'
from anything. skidpads. i honestly feel sorry for the course designers,
both design rookies. I remeber my first design, and the 13 hours of
people complaining about how bad it sucked. No one person is at blame,
I'm glad Rolf wasn't hurt.>>
Very well written Allen, I was glad to see someone think it through before
pointing fingers. I also have designed just one course and took alot of crap
for it. Also had club official change my course without my knowing and was
upset at the effect it had. True it had problems, but changes without telling
the designer (event chair) was wrong. That was a couple years ago, and I
think they learned as well as I have. The lot I had to work with was huge but
in poor condition, and we had to design around pot holes and light poles. To
keep speeds in check we had a few interesting turns, and tried to make sure
there was plenty of run off, and in the end, almost no one needed 3rd gear. I
am in no hurry to design another course, and I feel for the people who
designed the Rt. 66 course, their initial design would have been beter, but
the way they made it meet the gate width rules opened it up too much. Like
Allen said, lessons have been learned. How much effect oit will have on the
next few events is hard to say. We normally have alot more room to work with.
3/8's mile long roads, only 25 feet wide are not well suited to an autocross.
Several club members have brought up the idea of asking if the track could
pave in the area between the roads for one of the sections. It is expensive,
but when you look at the volume of pavement at the site, it is a small tokem
of the area used for parking trailers for the drag racers. The only problem
is they make 10 times as much letting guys come and drag race, as they do
letting us use half the lot. They couldn't care less if we leave and never
come back.
Gary M.
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