[Wichita-SCCA] Auto-x finish gone wrong

[Greg Laws]

Yes.  The 1986 Riverfest event was the last of two street solo events staged 
by the Wichita Region and one of the last few street solos to ever be 
sanctioned by SCCA.  It was held on four blocks of Main Street, just north 
of Douglas.  At that event the spectators were on the sidewalks with 
flagging roped from light pole to light pole so there was maybe a foot of 
distance between the curb and the flagging.  Children could easily duck 
under the flagging of course.  There were a few sections where the course 
actually used the curbing as the outside edge of the course.  I know because 
I designed it.  With sidewalks full of families and with cars dancing at 
10/10ths close enough to reach out and touch ... well, you do the math. 
Looking back I seem to remember that, as the event went on, the sidewalks at 
the most obvious dangerous points tended to be spectator free, or mostly so. 
Perhaps the individuals in the crowd were more aware of their danger than we 
were!  This event was staged well before the advent of the Solo Safety 
Steward program of course.

We weren't the only stupid ones.  In the same era the new sport of tractor 
pulls killed several spectators at different times when things exploded and 
the crowds were too close.  Ditto with drag racing, NASCAR, and the rest. 
Most of the current safety regulations in organized automotive sports arose 
as a reaction to something bad that happened.  It is a shame that that's how 
things change but that's the way it works.  The trick for the rules makers 
is to retain the freedom and the thrill while avoiding the bad things.

To quote Bruce, "But we were young and stupid and thankfully we got away 
with it as it was fun."  All true but for me it has sadly been a case of too 
soon old, too late smart!

By the way, Bruce ... I've been racking my brain trying to remember who that 
very dedicated worker was; the fellow who almost got ran over by the sports 
racer.  I keep thinking that it might have been you but I believe that I've 
asked you about it before and you denied it.  Can anyone else who was there 
remember the fellow's identity?

Enjoy,
Greg Laws



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "bbetting" <bbetting at southwind.net>
To: "'Wichita Region SCCA.'" <wichita-scca at wichitascca.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 6:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Wichita-SCCA] Auto-x finish gone wrong


> Jim,
> Greg may have been talking about the first Riverfests autox was down
> town on the streets.  We then moved to Lawrence Dumott before we moved to
> WSU.  Greg is right looking back we had great exposure to have something
> very bad go wrong.  But we were young and stupid and thankfully we got 
> away
> with it as it was fun.
> Bruce (lost in Kansas) Bettinger
>
>
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