Bobby C. As stated and it is not April 1st. First time I have this amount of interaction at the track also. Yes cars were not allowed to run that were not in compliance, but CDOC is right there so they could just go spend more money.

BTW, I don't the trooper did anything wrong. He simply was doing the job he was instructed to do.

 

Was there any pre-event warning given to participants about enforcing a 2-year policy on restraints?

 

Why is a state trooper even checking for safety gear at a race track?

I can understand police presence interms of crowd control. You may 1 officer with crowds over XXX number, but why is a state tropper worred about seat belts on track car?

Makes me happy I am no where near that place.

 

The issue we are discussing obviously isn't a case where you need to show up with your lawyer.

Lawyers must be more expensive up there if they charge $1K to fight a traffic violation. Down here it's $150-300. And, as has been mentioned, multiple folks could go in together on a lawyer to fight this BS. $300 would be worth it to be to attempt to get this BS dealt with. Nothing ever changes if folks just keeping bending over and taking it.

 

Nobody understands the power of a good old fashioned boycott these days, especially in the road racing community. Most club racers just go with the flow and let themselves be kicked around. There could be a shady vendor, track, or sanctioning body, where some will be wise and refuse to do business with them, but countless others will hear all about that and still send their money that way because they think it's a good deal or whatever. It's a combination of people's own cheapness (low cost is incorrectly perceived as a good deal; the Walmart / Harbor Freight effect), "that wont happen to me", and some mob mentality when they see others continuing to do business with them.

The average Frenchman has more of a backbone than the typical club racer. I encourage everyone to prove me wrong on that, but I already know that wont happen. If you don't stand up for yourself and exercise your rights as a consumer, as citizen, or whatever, you're just asking to be taken advantage of.

 

^^ Weston, the bottom line is Money. The state trooper was writing tickets to generate revenue. What we don't know is if he was mandated to "earn his keep" for having a creampuff job of hanging out at the track.

Eventhough the trooper has a right to be there because of state funding of the track or whatever law is on the books, if enough people would refuse to go to this track and it effects their bottom line, then things will change. Trust me on this.

 

Maybe the right way to handle this is to get rid of the volunteer tech line, since we are already paying people via taxation to do the tech for us.

Then... if they don't check every car, sue for discrimination.

 

I read this ENTIRE thread TWICE, and am still confused.

please correct me if I misunderstand:
1) The State of NJ made a decison to not allow SFI belts over 2 yrs old, in DE (the 2nd December after the mfg date stamp) (but) FIA belts are good for 5 yrs.


2) the state trooper is enforcing that rule? (plus the pit/paddoc lane speeds).

3) the state police is deciding/approving a track as safe, not safe.

is that about it?

(if so, the only thing thats changed, is the lower life of sfi belts, and ANY inspection of belts in a DE.... and the slower speeds in pit/paddock, and the track approval)

its the SFI belts thats shocking... I thought SFI belts were good for 5 yrs, NO?

 

Somebody needs to esclate this up to PCA, POC, and the speedway for furtrher clarification. They have Lawyers on retainers that could help on this issue. AND BOYCOTT the racetrack until an agreement is reached for reasonable agreement.

Spending $300 every couple of years for harnesses is wrong.

Maybe offer to train the Trooper assigned to the track as a scrunteer and put his donut eating *** to work. EDCUATE the dumb****s. If the FIA says 5 years, and their cars go faster and have more G-forces than a DE participant, then I would fight this.

As for the Lawyer fighting the tickets, get a group deal. Lawyers can and do work for groups for a deal. Plus I can not think that there was not a lawyer was present that day any AIRC racers help each other.

 

Unbelievable.

In any event, i'm not a traffic lawyer, but doesn't law enforcement need probable cause to search a car for a seatbelt violation? By signing the NJMP "waiver," did the DE participant waive his 4th amendment rights?

It just seems so outrageous.

 

Nope. SFI changed their position to 2 year life a while ago. Sanctioning bodies were pretty much forced to go along, otherwise they open themselves to major liability.

 

Totally agree with all points.

Some others have mentioned traffic court. My guess is the workings of this vary from state to state. I have no idea what NJ does. For example, in MA first you have a "magistrate hearing" (I kid you not) and then possibly a court date if deemed appropriate.

 

This is not a rumor. NJ State Police do have a satellite office on site (located at turn one) at NJMP. They also use NJMP for a fair amount of trooper driver training.

 

Blinding white light anger. Truly the inmates are running the asylum...

Please take back our government before it's too late. Vote them all out and let all levels of government know we want the bureaucrats reigned in. The power to make law needs to reside in our hands....

 

Don't blame NJ so much as NJMP. Before the track opened they all realized that the NJ laws regulating race tracks did not fit road racing circuits, because there weren't any in NJ. So the NJMP organizers helped NJ write the law. They didn't do a great job with it, but I'm sure any of you who have taken the time to read the NJMP rules/NJ law posted on the NJMP weg site will recognize most of them. At least those of you who race will. The law covers NJMP so, private property or not, NJMP and its users are subject to the law. Racing, and race tracks, are regulated in NJ.

Issuing tickets for non-compliance is a new one to me, though. Were they also ticketing people for not wearing seat belts in the paddock? How about helmets for those on motor bikes?