must.... try.... not.... to.... get.... involved....
Ok, first and only comment on this issue.
At 09:07 AM 5/18/00, Peter Mottaz wrote:
>I agree and that is why we have the safety stewards approve the courses we
>run on - which includes the power to exclude karts from an event that may
>pose a special hazard to karts specifically. You and I also have the
>power/responsibility to bring up any safety concerns we may find to the
>event chair or safety steward. This is an organization made up of fallable
>people - it is our responsibility as an organization to minimize (note:
>not eliminate) the risk caused by our "short-sightedness."
I just have a question...
Who amongst us would run their car (probably pretty expensive) on a lot or
on a course in a situation where it was deemed unsafe for karts but safe
for cars??
Seems if there's that much risk for karts, I wouldn't want to risk it in
anything else. Some of you have a lot more wrapped up in your autocross
cars (and sometimes they're your daily drivers). If light poles are close
enough for a kart to hit and a kart has a shorter stopping distance than a
car that seems like an awful big gamble!
But then maybe I'm just a wuss... I don't like running on the asphalt parts
of the Mather site (for those who know)... and I know for a fact they're
not rulebook legal.
--Darren
p.s. There's a guy who sprint races karts with us locally that is in a
wheelchair. He has a tall, double support, single roll hoop cage and a
harness on his kart. I personally think it's a moving death trap and
wouldn't bolt myself into it if somebody held a gun to my head. I also
hate wearing the incorrectly angled seatbelts on the toy karts at "The
Inside Track" in Stockton... if they were any faster than they are (5hp
propane hondas) I would choose not to participate. Yes, you may get hurt
if you come out of a kart, but to me that's acceptable risk (remember Adam
Petty?). Some people like the CageKarts, roll bars, etc. and accept the
risks associated with that in exchange for reducing other risks. I don't
hold that against them.
p.p.s. Hit lots of cones in my kart, never even so much as lifted a
wheel. I've also seen numerous cars get up on 2 wheels. Or head off
course towards crowds (once a Vette was heading right at me, the other was
at an event I chaired on a course I designed that I felt was safe). I
feel _much_ safer in a kart.
p.p.p.s. Insurance and site loss is an issue, so far I don't think we (the
karts) have contributed to any additional insurance cost for the rest of
you and no sites have been lost so far. If there's other evidence, then by
all means let's consider it.
p.p.p.p.s. I'm for including as many classes as possible, and allowing as
many as possible to compete in nationals, provided there is enough
interest. 10-15 is not an unreasonable number for the lesser subscribed
classes (AM springs to mind)
p.p.p.p.p.s. I'll continue to run my kart at local events as time permits,
and I will definitely be at the ProFinale and Nationals...
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