OK, I quit. For now. But I've not had my question answered. Nor a response to
the time saving solution that was not requested of me but I offered free anyway
and doesn't add any trucks, trips over the wires, other equipment nor
personnel.
Skip
At 10:07 AM 10/2/01 -0700, you wrote:
>
> Skip,
>
> I'm just trying to explain what I have been told is our thinking in response
> to your concerns.
>
> As I mentioned ... the wire is on the left side of the course for the total
> 3.04 mile distance of the time traps. We avoid driving over it whenever
> possible
> At the critical spot on the course the safety crews are at the most 1,000
> feet from the vehicle as it is moving. Perhaps 12 seconds away at the most.
> They are moving too. The turn to the left signals a problem and alerts
> everyone.
> Normal turns, and there are many more of them, to the right do not go over
> the wire and require a more routine response. There is a trade off ... more
> runs with intact wire and no missed times or a few seconds in response to an
> undetermined spot. I maintain that the difference is so minimal that it is
> hard to quantify.
> Safety equipment on the left (mountain) side of the course would be at the
> most maybe five to ten seconds closer and they would be running across the
> course around 120 times to meet the conclusion of normal runs, they would be
> crossing the wires constantly and they would be crossing the dragged and
> marked course, thereby delaying the course clearance required for the next
> car to be sent.
> In the great majority of problems the safety people are there by the time the
> car stops moving. When they are not, the vehicle is so far from normal
> targeted stopping areas that you can't outguess the problem. Like the time
> Gary went over in front of the pits. All you can do is what we do, drive
> toward a spot or the moving car. When a car loses a chute they are obviously
> tipped off and start moving immediately. Not much more you can do unless
> you put up a big catch net and have everyone go there ... and if there is a
> problem as we saw the year the net was up, most drivers would miss that
> anyway because they are so busy with on board stopping procedures.
>
> So my best answers to your questions are;
>
> The real time response differential is so small as to be almost not a factor.
> The great preponderance of normal responses are on the right side of the
> course. We need someone there just in case of things like unnoticed alcohol
> fires, oil fires, that kind of problem.
> The wire is on the left and we want to avoid that whenever possible.
> The rare emergency exception is impossible to provide for without 3 or 4 more
> safety trucks.
> With people on both sides of the course we can be aware of problems as they
> are noticed.
> Turning to the left is the best signal of problems ... the a-typical position
> of the car triggers the response.
> We probably can't do better than we do now until we eliminate the wire and
> add other safety rovers at the far end. What we're doing now seems to work
> extremely well.
>
> The solution to your concerns would obviously be a 4th and 5th safety truck
> ... hard to come up with.
>
> Wes
>
>
> on 10/2/01 7:53 AM, Skip Higginbotham at saltrat@pro-blend.com wrote:
>>
>> Wes, List:
>> I am NOT trying to stir up trouble! I expressed my displeasure with a
>> procedure, did not criticize anybody
>> and won't criticize anybody about this. Later I asked a question........
>>
>> Just to belabor this a little bit more and to repeat my question which
>> remains unanswered amongst all the information provided......
>>
>> I am quite aware of the procedure as, if you will remember, I spent a couple
>> of years with the extraction equipment and some fire equipment in my truck
>> at the 4 mile serving the racers and both associations as a course
>> worker/emergency vehicle.
>>
>> My question still remains in my little mind if in nobody elses......If you
>> have the extraction equipment on the right side of the course, the Cold Fire
>> on the right side of the course, the ambulance on the right side of the
>> course and more fire extinguishing equipment on the right side of the course
>> down at the end, why in the world tell the racers to turn LEFT (AWAY FROM
>> SAFETY/RESCUE EQUIPMENT) when in trouble?
>>
>> Logic? It seems to me that this scenario just puts the emergency another few
>> of tenths of a mile (or so) away from the emergency equipment and that means
>> more TIME for the equipment to arrive at the scene. A few seconds could be
>> important!
>>
>> If asked to suggest another scenario, I would simply recommend that we just
>> move the safety crews/equipment to the left side of the course and the
>> course watchers to the right side so that the safety crews can get to a
>> problem faster because they are closer (on the same side of the course) when
>> the driver in trouble turns LEFT. Leave everything else alone! I would leave
>> positioning the safety folks at the far end of the course to their
>> discretion as, experience shows, there is no telling where a long course car
>> will end up if there is trouble.
>>
>> Hey, I'm not trying to pick on anybody....especially NOT the folks that make
>> it safe and possible for us to race. Just voicing my opinion and asking a
>> question which is what this site is for????? Sometimes it doesn't seem like
>> it!
>> Skip
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> At 06:41 AM 10/2/01 -0700, you wrote:
>> >----------
>> >From: wspotter <wester6935@home.com>
>> >Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2001 06:40:56 -0700
>> >To: Higginbotham Land Speed Racing <saltrat@pro-blend.com>
>> >Subject: Re: Procedures-Drivers-Logic-
>> >
>> >Ski, List.
>> >
>> >At the top end of the course, about eight miles from the start there is a
>> >barrel marking the end of the smooth salt. At that point everything runs
>> >together, return road, course, everything funnels down to a small area.
>> >It's my understanding that Tom touched that barrel. My point is that the
>> >safety crews are already on the move toward the end of the course as the
>> >faster cars come down the track. Turning to either side at that point
>> won't
>> >speed up the arrival of safety equipment by more than a few seconds. The
>> >course watchers have knives to cut safety harnesses and fire extinguishers
>> >as well as large crow bars to help with leverage for extraction if needed.
>> >They have to wait for the trained ambulance crew to extract a driver who is
>> >injured but they can do the basic things to prepare the scene for the
>> >arrival of those people. I'm just trying to help you understand the
>> >thinking and agonizing that goes into the placement of those people. Once
>> >the car turns to the right they relax some. If the car goes to the left
>> >they put on the speed, whether it is necessary or not it is a unique signal
>> >that there may be a problem.
>> >
>> >Tom was traveling at roughly 1/4 the maximum speed of the run when he had
>> >trouble. After traveling at the high speed the comment was made that he
>> >probably thought he was stopping at that speed. He was. I'm assuming he
>> >was on the brakes. The right people had him in their sight and were going
>> >toward him when he went over. It didn't matter which side of the course he
>> >was on at that point, there isn't much difference.
>> >
>> >If you were to propose another scenario, more on course, say at the three
>> >mile ... There are many shut-down's at that point by slower cars ... If one
>> >of them has a problem and turns left as requested, EVERYONE goes to them.
>> >If they turn to the right, there is one chase vehicle to meet them.
>> Simple,
>> >obvious signal. It seems to work well. AND, THERE ISN'T A VEHICLE RUNNING
>> >OVER THE WIRES EVERY RUN. The way we do it, someone contacts every car
>> >after every run. That's why I added the word logic to the heading on this
>> >thread.
>> >
>> >Wes
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >on 10/1/01 8:49 PM, Higginbotham Land Speed Racing at saltrat@pro-blend.com
>> >wrote:
>> >
>> >> Wes,
>> >> Tom turned right.......towards the rescue folks. He didn't turn left as
>> he
>> >> was told to if he was in trouble. So, I guess that he didn't think that
>> he
>> >> was in trouble?
>> >>
>> >> I guess that I have been misunderstood once again....I was under the
>> >> impression that the rescue gear was on the right side of the course at
>> WOS
>> >> and that the course watchers have only fire extinguishers. That is the
>> >> source of my comment that the car in trouble should go towards the rescue
>> >> equipment.....as Tom did....inadvertantly or ???
>> >>
>> >> I certainly did not criticize the folks down the course.....why are you
>> >> acting like I did? I also do not recommend that cars turn left normally
>> and
>> >> run over the timing wires.
>> >>
>> >> Again...why turn away from rescue gear if you are in trouble? Put the
>> >> rescue gear on the side of the course that you go to when in trouble!
>> Then
>> >> you have an improvement to the rescue system.
>> >>
>> >> Geez
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