I was the asst. chief safety steward at this event, and not one person
approached me about any problems with course speed, or problems with design,
or any other safety related item. Not even ONE of the 271 competitors. If
someone is convinced that this course was unsafe in any way, competitor or
spectator, they should have said something to Howard, John, other safety
stewards, or myself. The only changes to anything that I am aware of was
the spectator areas on Sunday, and John initiated those changes. Again,
upper limits may have been explored by a very few drivers, but none were
exploited, nor was safety for anyone, including course workers, drivers, or
spectators, ever compromised. If someone can prove anything different to
me, I will turn in my long held safety steward license...I have no business
holding one if I cannot make sound judgement ragarding event safety...
Phil O.
----- Original Message -----
From: <jwalter@ptra.com>
To: <autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2001 7:55 PM
Subject: Ft. Worth for my last time, yes you're welcome.
> No safety steward in attendance, not even the member of the SSC, stopped
> the event. That is what is required. If there is a concern by a SSS or a
> member of the SSC at ANY event they are required to voice it, and should.
> At a Tour, where there was probably 10 SSS's in attendance, we could have
> had a meeting and discussed any issue. I don't think that happened, not
> because of failure to attend to our responsibilities but because there
> really weren't any real issues. If later on they decided to take a
> position that the event was not in compliance, then shame on them. That
> person failed to perform their duty properly, if that is the case. I'll
> have to have that individual call me and tell me they did for me to
> believe they have reversed their on site position after scrutiny from non
> participants working off hearsay. I hope that call doesn't come.
>
> While working course, I heard many cars on the rev limiter in 2nd, most
> participants never shifted to 3rd during the heat I was on course as a
> worker (SS, GS, ES, BS, CS, ASP). We even talked about it at the worker
> station, people just running up on the rev limiter and letting it pop for
> two gates sometimes.
>
> Seat of the pants reflections on, "Oh gosh we were going fast." or "The
> car was sliding all over the place." have no place in discussions of rules
> compliance or safety. If anything, those participants should be placed on
> probation until their skills improve. If the SSC wishes to impose speed
> constraints, then do so. Institute a mechanism for compliance that
> eliminates any subjectivity (not speedometer based), and be prepared for
> court action that is to follow. Because I assure you, that if you place
> an artificial barrier (box or lane change for the sole purpose of forcing
> the competitor to do something not normal (read done in the past) you have
> opened yourself and every member of the club to punitive legal relief. A
> "Chicago Box", decreasing distance slalom, decreasing radius turn to a
> stop area is begging for a lawsuit. I'll be a witness for self protective
> purposes and turn in everyone that has posted for them as primary
> contributors to the wilful neglect. And finally: 8^)
>
> James Rogerson
> [FP #125] - Techless Racing
> jwalter@ptra.com
> "Nails are glue, hypothetically speaking" - Lou Fertile
> "Men that like golf are unhappy at home and incapable of having a
> meaningful relationship with women" - Joseph Heller
> "The people who vote decide nothing. The people who count the vote decide
> everything."
> - Josef Stalin.
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