Really bad news at HyperFest
06-12-2014, 05:44 PM
#106
What tracks still have trees you can run into? Not enough has been done to improve driver safety at SP since I first raced there in the 70's. And the cars have only gotten faster.
Unfortunately tracks like SP have all the leverage as there is a waiting list of clubs to get track days every year. One club balks at a booking for safety reasons and there are two more clubs ready to take their date. These events are money makers for the clubs, so they get booked regardless.
A few years back I was briefly part of an effort to organize drivers to form a coalition to force changes to unsafe conditions at tracks, Organizing drivers is like herding cats, damn near impossible. The effort faded fast.
Drivers are getting hurt or worse, cars are being destroyed, and it is not necessary. Twenty years ago when F1 drivers were getting killed every year, with the force of a handful of drivers, they banded together to force organizers and track owners to make tracks safe. Today, a death in F1 is rare and all because F1 demands tracks be built with safety in mind.
And yes then there's the many incidents at SP caused by deer crossing the track, something SP has become noted for. Hyperfest 2012: "Some guy hit a deer" (c) - YouTube .
And how about the dirt banks that either catapult a car into the woods or flip the a race car over. Why does that continue?
The design and condition of the terrain surrounding the SP track when a car goes off the hard surface is appalling. I have raced the track for 40 years, raced here with my Dad and later with my son, love the main circuit, consider it my home track, but the circuits should have been made more safe many seasons ago. My opinion as a driver, race organizer, and parent.
Unfortunately tracks like SP have all the leverage as there is a waiting list of clubs to get track days every year. One club balks at a booking for safety reasons and there are two more clubs ready to take their date. These events are money makers for the clubs, so they get booked regardless.
A few years back I was briefly part of an effort to organize drivers to form a coalition to force changes to unsafe conditions at tracks, Organizing drivers is like herding cats, damn near impossible. The effort faded fast.
Drivers are getting hurt or worse, cars are being destroyed, and it is not necessary. Twenty years ago when F1 drivers were getting killed every year, with the force of a handful of drivers, they banded together to force organizers and track owners to make tracks safe. Today, a death in F1 is rare and all because F1 demands tracks be built with safety in mind.
And yes then there's the many incidents at SP caused by deer crossing the track, something SP has become noted for. Hyperfest 2012: "Some guy hit a deer" (c) - YouTube .
And how about the dirt banks that either catapult a car into the woods or flip the a race car over. Why does that continue?
The design and condition of the terrain surrounding the SP track when a car goes off the hard surface is appalling. I have raced the track for 40 years, raced here with my Dad and later with my son, love the main circuit, consider it my home track, but the circuits should have been made more safe many seasons ago. My opinion as a driver, race organizer, and parent.
I believe the risks of damage to the vehicle are much greater than other tracks, and the risk of personal injury is even higher in an incident than many other tracks.
I hope they will address some of the safety concerns which have been brought out in these posts. There is a reason there are no pro-races at Summit Point or CMP.
It is a tragedy and want to express my sympathies to the family of the instructor and I want to say hi and best wishes for a speedy recovery to my old HC pal Todd Reid.
