"Phil Ethier" <pethier@isd.net> wrote:
>
>Here is an event (which may not even have been run by a regular autocross
>club) which has by association given all of us a black
>eye as safety-ignorant idiots. So I get back on my soapbox
>again: If you are at an event, any event, my club included, and there is
>some safety problem, no matter how small, speak up. If they call you a
>crybaby, have a thick skin and explain
>your concerns. In the legal climate of this country, we are
>just one disaster away from losing the sport forever. And the problem is
>not going to stop at club lines.
OK, Phil, but what is the next step when they call you
a crybaby and return your entry fee??? In our region's geographic
footprint, we have just such a problem with a private club. I
won't mention names or anything, but here's a quote describing
their club and "autocross" from their web site:
We are a group of auto enthusiasts who enjoy testing the
limits of our cars and our driving skills, primarily
through our AUTOCROSS events. What distinguishes us is our
relaxed attitude and our fast and safe autocross courses.
We also host driving schools at Pocono Raceway. Track
dates for Lime Rock are in the works.
Cars compete within 7 classes designed to create a level
playing field. We offer: open courses (3rd gear);
practice laps & walk-throughs; special assistance for
novices; points for consistency; and more.
We believe in a great deal of grassroots input , and very
little club politics. Most of all we encourage our members
to have FUN.
I've never been to one of their events, but have heard from
a few of our region's safety stewards that their courses are
an accident waiting to happen and they (that club) doesn't want
to hear about anyone's concerns. AFAIK, they are the only club
using their site, so no other club will be directly impacted
when they finally have their incident and lose the site. Still,
they would be losing a site that we might some day like to
use, and the word would spread to other site owners (and
potential site owners) in the region.
On a brighter note, our local club is in discussion with
a potential site that would be capable of hosting national
events. In the initial meeting, the site manager was
impressed with the longevity of our club, our safety
steward program, the SCCA rulebook, our worker chief, waiver
system/site access control, and how well organized our events
are. Being able to sell ourselves as a club that's been around
for over 40 years is a big plus, especially when I'm sure the
site manager's pre-conceived notion before the meeting was that
we were just a bunch of yahoos that wanted to race in his
parking lot.....
-Arthur ("Don't call me a safety crybaby" edition.)
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