RXDOC

I have been attending DE's for the past 2 years, as my skill level increases and the faster I go, I wonder about my safety on the track. I have been approaching 140+MPH on the track. What if something happens at that speed? I have a 6-point harness and rollbar.
I was even considering purchasing a track car. Now in light of Ben's horrible accident in his CGT, I wonder if I should be on the track, ever! I am your average DE participant, with very average skills and aptitude. I am never going to be an accomplished racer. I am a professional in my early 40's with two young children and a wife that depend on me. I was so looking forward to the RoadAtlanta DE next week. Now I have serious doubts about it. Maybe I should just sell my TT and buy a nice S-Class Mercedes and enjoy whatever time I have left with my wife and kids. How safe is our hobby?

M758

I can't really say anything profound, but people lose their lives all the time on the street too. It happens.

Just last weekend a two people lost their lives on the freeway here in Phoenix. There was a traffic jam and they slowed down (possibly stopped). Well a driving a bit behind was not paying attention and word was he slamed into they at 55 mph. The two passengers in the back of the car/suv (full size SUV I think) that got hit died. Not sure if it was during or before the fire.

Given the speeds of cars in most DE & club racing fatalities are rare. This mostly due to good safety procedures to prevent incidents and good saftey equipement to deal with incidents. Most of the time incidents are a result of poor judgement and failure to heed saftey guidelines at some level. As with most severe incidents it takes multiple failures from various items that all combine in wrong way to cause something bad to occur.

I have been following this situation mostly from wanting to know what were the actual failures be them driver error, track layout, or just bad luck. I have driven the full version of California Speedway in March and probably will drive there again and I would like understand the contribting causes. Reports on what happend have been quite varried so far, but it seems the it is becoming more clear.

Hopefully all of us that do drive can take away some important lessons from this horrbile situation.

PT

As Joe said, you can get killed driving on a freeway, or for that matter, walking on a side walk.
What we do on the track is no question dangerous. But driving at way less than your own 10/10s and triple checking that you dont have mechanical problem on the car goes a long way to improving safety.
And, as I tell students, think of it as driving on just any other road... just a little faster but still well within your own comfort zone & skill level. And the better deal is: you know for a fact that there's no idiot driving in the wrong direction

BluemaxxRacing

In a nutshell, this sport is not for everyone.

Bull

RXDOC,

I have found over the years that as long as I take every proven step available to make certain my car, safety equipment and skills are as good as i can get that day, I feel fairly "safe" on the track. The minute I feel anyone of those things are not at their best, I park the car. Obviously, no gaurantees, but I try to work the odds.

Oh, and I always try to be certain that I am worth more to my wife than the value of all insurance, lest I have to sleep with one eye open!

TT Surgeon

RX, I think you just gotta be careful and know your limitations. When your numbers' up it's up, no matter what you're doing.

Edward

Living life is a risk. All the things we enjoy involve risk (like that juicy RibEye steak). Perhaps the better question is how to calculate and reduce our exposure to risk, and come out ahead enjoying life, instead of denying ourselves life's pleasures simply becasue we fear mortality. Sorry to get philosophical but as it had already been said, commuting on public roads carries more risk than many of "normal" activities, so let us put our sport into perspective. We "buckle up" to reduce our exposure to untimely death or injury. Likewise there is much we can do in terms of safety equipment AND good sense in judgment to reduce our risk on track days. My heartfelt condolensces to the two gents who perished, and to their families. From what I understand, the those they left behind will feel the loss immensely ...truly tragic. Traffic incidences are the #1 cause of death in the US. Yet we continue to drive. So let us proceed with the understanding that life, while fragile, is precious and should be enjoyed AND shared. Thanks for indulging ...I am feeling especially vulnerable at the loss of fellow motorsports junkies.

Edward

Bill L Seifert

RXDOC

The people in the CGT aren't the first people to die on a track, and they sure won't be the last. In DE's you don't have to go fast, I instructed in a DE last weekend, and there were some pretty slow people, but they were still having fun. Everyone has to make their own decisions. I just hope the powers at be don't try to make the decision for us.

Bill Seifert

1087 944S Race Car

George from MD

In my second year of doing DEs I had some of the same doubts- sometimes I would get scared, drive poorly and even spun a few times as a result. But there was something about it I also loved- feeling at one with the car, knowing I'd just done a set to the best of my ability, passed my mates, whatever. My desire to have fun and master it as best I could overcame my fears.

The point really is to have fun and learn- and if you're scared of dying while you're out there you obviously aren't having any fun and can't be learning much.

So I guess my advice echoes the above- drive below your limits, relax, and enjoy the sport, the cars and the people. If you can't do that find a sport or hobby you do enjoy. Besides we're all gonna die someday no matter what we do.

Tom W

RXDOC: As the others have said, nothing is truly safe. Where your comfort factor lies is up to you. My wife and I have had the discussion about safety a few times. I bought a track car after a couple mountain bike accidents resulted in broken bones. She and I decided that a car with a cage and full safety equipment was a good idea. She insisted that I add a full fire suppression system and for Christmas last year I got a HANS and a cool suit.

We have been having a renewed discussion because I'm now an instructor - and that means getting into cars with a big unknown behind the wheel and only a 3-point belt where the HANS can't be worn. She's concerned that all the money spent on safety and my training to drive better has just been rendered moot. She and I continue to evaluate the risks and benefit of the sport, something we should all do. (Risk here is assessed in emotional terms as there are no real numbers that apply.)

RJay

I recall last November each time I was approaching the crest of the hill on the back straight at VIR at 145+, I'd look at the corner worker in the tower to check if he was looking down track. I wanted to make sure he was paying attention, I wasn't just going to go flyng over that hill blind. Point being that I wasn't just looking for flags, and even though it was extremely unlikely that there was anything on the other side, I had thought about the situation deeply enough and as a result I had improved the odds a bit further in my favor. Safety isn't just about having H&Ns or cages or belts or seats or suits or fire suppression systems. The most important safety device sits on your shoulders. A lot about staying safe revolves around doing some thinking about what can happen, where it might happen and what you're going to do about it. Surprise is the enemy and I think sadly in this case it had tragic consequences.

As I've gotten faster, I've started taking lots of notes about each track I've visited. I never go to a track without either reviewing all my notes or in the case of a new track without watching many hours of internet video. I make sure I can drive it in my head before I've ever been there. This regimen has made me faster, safer and more confident. As a youth, I had the misfortune to hear the sound of crunching metal several times. I have no desire to court any further experience in that arena, particulary at race track speeds, so I do as much homework as I can before I ever arrive at the track.

The statistical reality is that getting to and from DE events is where you are in the most peril. I'd say that if one is willing to put in the prep time, drive within one's personal confidence level and take equipment and preparation seriously, the risk is worth the reward. To my knowlege there has only been one death ever in PCA DE events, which certainly means that it is within the realm of possibilty, but not something that will prevent me from going despite my devotion to my wife and seven year old son.

ltc

Tom,
The R3 H&N restraint may become a popular H&N with instructors who ride in cars which are not prepared (seats and harnesses), as the R3 is worn and not dependent on harnesses.
http://www.lfttech.com/
http://www.clracing.com/clracing/r3.htm

kurt M

RJay is spot on. I know the eye color of the guy or gal in that flag station and teach my students to observe the activity of the flaggers and trust them.

Drive with your head. Use good well thought out equipment. Keep you equipment is good form and you will be in better condition when the S*** hits the fan.

As truly tragic as the death of Ben and his passenger is it is also a very unusual event. We don't hear about all the folks that slowly die from smoking, heart attacks, regular one or two car crashes, or any of the other common place human ends like just getting old. We do hear about the unusual or frightening. An airplane crash is an example, folks that have a fear of flying have no fear of driving a clapped out, bald tire, haven't checked the breaks in years pile O crap to the airport. We fear snakes, planes and sharks but we are killed by what is common around us. Smoke, food and booze.

Think of this aspect. By driving in DE and learning high performance car control skills you will be far better prepared to avoid or lessen the damage from an accident in the real world of the street. The drunk that swerves in front of you while driving the family home from the movie just might be avoided by you with your improved skills. This is something that will benefit you and your family. We go to high school, learn to drive then and then go on to higher learning but don't continue to improve our driving skills after high school. We become MBAs and PHDs driving around at a high school level. Teach your son the reasons and good habits of concentration while driving and maintaining equipment. Someday he might avoid an untimely demise from the advanced skills and knowledge you can impart to him that most other fathers cannot. Take him to the track so he will learn cars and driving from you and not from a testosterone addled teenager friend when he is of driving age.

I have 2 kids and I have a photo of them both in my cars, street and track. Just a glance and I am reminded of the important things in life.

TT Gasman

The recent tragedy in California hits home the the need for maximum safety equipment in my car. I run it in the white run group and I don't think I'll be going out again until I have upgraded the safety equipment substantially.

Adam Richman

RXDoc, I think you ask the right questions and as I read your post, I assumed there were children or a spouse that you were being mindful of. I think there is a tendency on web message boards for folks to look at the whole of auto-events as competition irrespective of it being in competition. Guys that auto-x do so against a clock or are doing it against another individual in their class perhaps. Same goes for Solo I events. Racing ... well that's obvious that its competition. But in open track and DE's - I tend to read much (maybe reading into it too much as well) of folks competing w/ their peers for who's done the most events, who took the shortest time to move up groups, who was soonest to instruct, who's hit the highest speed on a straight, who's turning the fastest lap time, who's doing it on the cheapest budget, who's spending the most, who's doing the most for a car they drive to the track, and so on and so forth. ...

But you ARE a 40-something year old professional w/ two kids and a wife .... find a way out of the competitive nature of it, take the car capable of Trans-Am car speeds off the track, pass on the tracks that have the most obvious danger areas (RA and LMS are two in your neck of the woods I would NOT run w/out a lot of safety equipment even on street tires). divorce yourself from thinking you have to drive a particular car to have fun ... there's so much you can do to have fun and put safety at the forefront when you realize you have choices.

I personally chose to race a CRX - I did it because it was a great car for its racing class but also, I can house a tremendous amount of cage for its speeds and size, I can be feet away from said cage, I can much more afford to do any and all prevent maintenance without a shrug compared to the 944S and I personally don't have any hangups on being in a Honda vs. my Porsche (which btw, I bought SPECIFICALLY to track LOL). I am not saying "go buy a Honda" or go race spec Miata (and if you are a bigger guy, I'd actually advise against the latter). There are a TON of options from VW's Golfs to Nissan SERs, from 944 8v to 325s to 2nd gen RX7s - go to the Pro IT this weekend at Road Atlanta (should be practice/qualifying/race both days) and look at the ITB/A/S cars out there and ask yourself if any of them light a spark. If we were just drinking a couple of beers, shooting the bull, that's exactly what I'd say to a friend w/ the same question.

The loss at Fontana is horrifying and very saddening. I feel for anyone remotely involved in that event - it must leave an indellible mark. But I do wonder how much somethings like this can be mitigated in that situation by lowering the speeds. When you cannot achieve the same speeds, you cannot hit an object with as much force. And when the tool you use at the track is simply and solely dedicated to JUST that purpose and no other, you can spare no expense and put no restriction on how safe you make it (or how ugly it is ).

I think w/ the folks you have in your back yard (OPM, Robinson Racing and Kirk in Al.) you can have something akin to an IT car in safety. Something you can feel you have absolutely put your best foot forward in attempts to keep yourself safe (even if its solely for DE's and you NEVER intend to race). And something that G-d forbid if anything were to happen, you would have done everything to lower your chances down to the category of being hit by a bus or falling in a hole.

Best of luck and obviously very sorry about the event in California that brings this to mind.