[Wichita-SCCA] Auto-x finish gone wrong

James Harrison jimh_mic at msn.com
Wed Apr 25 13:20:39 EDT 2007 

Someone in the Corvette Forum who said he was there, says this video is of 
the course after the accident when it was changed. We might never know what 
happened but I bet the next few courses we see all have lots of runoff.


>From: Webmaster <webmaster at wichitascca.org>
>Reply-To: "Wichita Region SCCA." <wichita-scca at wichitascca.org>
>To: "Wichita Region SCCA." <wichita-scca at wichitascca.org>
>Subject: Re: [Wichita-SCCA] Auto-x finish gone wrong
>Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:46:11 -0500
>
>I watched video 3 over and over, and I think the lights were AFTER the 
>turn, originally.  You can kind of see the boxes right after the turn.  And 
>the car doesn't slow down for the turn, because it's o
>still part of the course.  The 4th video, that shows the car slower at the 
>end, is how they changed the course (moved the exit closer to the camera, 
>and put the turn after the lights.  With this much space, it's how it 
>should have been designed in the first place.  That original run off would 
>have bothered me, and I'm a Safety Noobie.
>
>Guy Roberts Webmaster at wichitascca.org #41 - 1994 Polo Green Corvette
>
>
>
>James Harrison wrote:
>>As I remember the Riverfest/WSU site it had curbs all around and the 
>>spectators were at least 50 ft away. That would be 25 feet from the course 
>>to the curb and another 50 to the spectators.
>>
>>The films from the crash site look as though a car would need to go 
>>through the lights, then make a sharp right turn followed by another 50 
>>feet or so of distance. All I can figure out is the Driver made the turn 
>>after the finish then got on the gas again. I don't know how one would 
>>design against such a situation. Accidents are going to happen at Solo 
>>events from time to time. There are no guarantees that your car won't be 
>>damaged either by driving into something yourself or by someone driving 
>>into it like Nats a couple of years ago and two A stock females. The 
>>driver of the affending car was an SCCA official if memory is correct. We 
>>are all responcible for setting up as safe a course as possible and making 
>>sure Cars stay away from each other whilst making a course that is fun and 
>>challeging.  I just pray no one ever gets hurt on my watch.
>>
>>Jim
>>
>>
>>
>>>From: "Greg Laws" <GLaws at cox.net>
>>>Reply-To: "Wichita Region SCCA." <wichita-scca at wichitascca.org>
>>>To: "Wichita Region SCCA." <wichita-scca at wichitascca.org>
>>>Subject: Re: [Wichita-SCCA] Auto-x finish gone wrong
>>>Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:05:47 -0500
>>>
>>>Absolutely true.  And that's why the Riverfest event should never have 
>>>been
>>>staged -- not because accidents can happen anywhere but because at that
>>>event any accident in any portion of the course had a good chance of 
>>>hitting
>>>spectators.
>>>
>>>In the case of the current event under discussion the possibility for
>>>accident existed throughout the course just as you say.  However at this
>>>event the only area where an accident might involve people was at the
>>>shutdown where the design required driving straight into the paddock.  
>>>The
>>>whole incident would have been avoided if the shutdown had instead been
>>>directed down track and then made a u-turn to come back to the exit gate. 
>>>  A
>>>confused driver or a car with no brakes would then have had plenty of 
>>>time
>>>to get things under control without endangering cars or people.
>>>
>>>Greg Laws
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "Sam & Greg" <samandgreg at netins.net>
>>>To: "Wichita Region SCCA." <wichita-scca at wichitascca.org>
>>>Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:31 AM
>>>Subject: Re: [Wichita-SCCA] Auto-x finish gone wrong
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Greg:
>>>>
>>>>Don't forget.  The driver error or vehicle failure you talk about can
>>>>happen anywhere, not just at the finish.
>>>>
>>>>Greg S.
>>>>
>>>>At 10:04 AM 4/24/2007, you wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>>From: "James Harrison" <jimh_mic at msn.com>
>>>>>To: <wichita-scca at wichitascca.org>
>>>>>Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 11:28 PM
>>>>>Subject: Re: [Wichita-SCCA] Auto-x finish gone wrong
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>HAve you all looked at these vidoes?
>>>>>>http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3197431&page=4
>>>>>>If I'm looking correctly the finish is before the last turn? I don't
>>>>>>understand how this happened.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>Thanks Jim.  Seeing the four videos of the event helped sort it out in
>>>my
>>>
>>>>>mind.  None of the videos included the actual accident but each of the
>>>>>four
>>>>>shows a different portion of the course and one can piece the course
>>>>>design
>>>>>together.
>>>>>
>>>>>First off, this is a crappy surface and wet to boot but that didn't
>>>effect
>>>
>>>>>the cause of the accident.  The finish lights seemed to be well back
>>>from
>>>
>>>>>the end of the coned course just as they should have been.  Shortly
>>>after
>>>
>>>>>the finish lights, the course turned left in a smooth radius due to
>>>space
>>>
>>>>>limitations so I imagine that the drivers would tend to continue around
>>>>>the
>>>>>corner at speed (roughly mid-2nd gear) and then slow down within the
>>>>>following straight.  This straight section was pointed at the exit gate
>>>>>and
>>>>>the distance was fairly short but we in the Wichita Region have had
>>>>>numerous
>>>>>events with shutdown as short or shorter, speeds as high or higher.  At
>>>>>the
>>>>>exit gate there was a tee intersection with an access road going to the
>>>>>left
>>>>>and right.  The paddock cars were parked along far side of the access
>>>>>road.
>>>>>It was clearly quite easy to slow down to a stop at the exit gate, and
>>>>>then
>>>>>turn right or left onto the access road as desired.  After seeing the
>>>>>video
>>>>>several times I can't honestly say that it would have set off any alarm
>>>>>bells in my mind if I had been there.  It wasn't the best but one makes
>>>do
>>>
>>>>>with what one has and stopping before the exit gate would have been 
>>>>>well
>>>>>within the capability of any competent driver in any mechanically solid
>>>>>car
>>>>>regardless of speed on course.
>>>>>
>>>>>Where the design of the shutdown got into trouble was that it didn't
>>>allow
>>>
>>>>>for the "what if" question.  What if the driver is not competent and
>>>>>fumbles
>>>>>the clutch/brake pedal?  What if we have a car that experiences sudden
>>>>>brake
>>>>>failure?  Where is he going to end up if that happens?  The answer with
>>>>>this
>>>>>shutdown design is that a car would have nowhere to go but through the
>>>>>exit
>>>>>gate and straight across the access road into the cars and any people
>>>who
>>>
>>>>>might be around at the moment if either of those things happened ... 
>>>>>and
>>>>>one
>>>>>of them did.
>>>>>
>>>>>The accident, as I understand it, happened when the driver reached for
>>>the
>>>
>>>>>brake and got the clutch pedal in an unfamiliar car.  The car failed to
>>>>>stop
>>>>>and he went sailing through the exit gate to slam into the parked cars
>>>>>lined
>>>>>up along the access road, directly across from the access gate.  The
>>>only
>>>
>>>>>good thing is that the paddock cars probably protected the stadium
>>>>>bleachers
>>>>>
>>>> >from damage because that's where he would have ended up if they hadn't
>>>>
>>>>>been
>>>>>there.
>>>>>
>>>>>I want to be perfectly clear on the point that I now believe that this
>>>>>accident was caused by a combination of factors.  The major factor was
>>>>>that
>>>>>the driver fumbled the pedals and then panicked.  The lesser but still
>>>>>contribituting factor was that the design of the shutdown did not allow
>>>>>for
>>>>>this or a similar problem to occur while still keeping within a zone of
>>>>>safety.
>>>>>
>>>>>One Monday morning quarterback idea would have changed the course 
>>>>>design
>>>>>after the finish to include the original left turn but then quickly add
>>>a
>>>
>>>>>right turn to shoot the cars down track, followed by a U-turn back and
>>>>>only
>>>>>then to the exit gate.  I suspect that this or something similar is 
>>>>>what
>>>>>the
>>>>>event officials switched to after the collision.  CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT
>>>>>THEY
>>>>>CONTINUED THE EVENT AFTER THAT SMASH UP?  Unbelievable.  I would have
>>>shut
>>>
>>>>>it down and also would have gotten out cameras and video cameras to
>>>>>document
>>>>>everything.  Then witness statements and so on.  This one will end up 
>>>>>in
>>>>>the
>>>>>courts, guaranteed.
>>>>>
>>>>>Of course I can say this now but the truth is that I myself failed to
>>>shut
>>>
>>>>>down an event where I was chairman that, in looking back on it now,
>>>still
>>>
>>>>>sends shivers down my spine.  I even got the "Event of the Year" trophy
>>>>>for
>>>>>that event which was the Riverfest solo of 1986.  We were on Main 
>>>>>Street
>>>>>in
>>>>>downtown Wichita.  The street looked wide enough but turned out to be
>>>>>slick
>>>>>and treacherous with oil and road use.  There were two close calls.  
>>>>>One
>>>>>was
>>>>>where a sports racer lost fluid in his hydraulic clutch and couldn't
>>>>>disengage his clutch.  This became a problem because the cars were
>>>>>required
>>>>>to stop before proceeding into the alley that went to the bank's 
>>>>>parking
>>>>>garage.  The driver had to overpower the engine with his brakes and the
>>>>>sports racer came to a shuddering stop so violent that the front 
>>>>>portion
>>>>>of
>>>>>his hood (hinged at the front) flew open.  The scary part was that the
>>>>>corner worker stood directly in front of this car with his hand up
>>>during
>>>
>>>>>the entire incident even when the car ended up only three feet from his
>>>>>ankles!  That incident got my nerves on edge but no one was hurt and 
>>>>>the
>>>>>event went on.
>>>>>
>>>>>Where it really got hairy was when a girl in a ... Camaro? Mustang?
>>>>>something of that nature ... lost control in mid-track and looped the
>>>car.
>>>
>>>>>She ended up parked straight into the curb with the front bumper 
>>>>>hanging
>>>>>over the curb and the front wheels almost but not quite touching the
>>>curb.
>>>
>>>>>No harm, no foul you say?  True, but this was a Riverfest event and
>>>there
>>>
>>>>>were spectators lining the curbs on both sides of the street for four
>>>>>blocks.  We had flag lines to keep them back but that was the only
>>>>>protection there was.  The Greg Laws of thirty years ago just wasn't
>>>>>experienced enough to realize that the situation was a time bomb and
>>>never
>>>
>>>>>should have been staged in the first place.  The event continued.  All
>>>>>that
>>>>>I can say now is that I lucked out and that the folks in this collision
>>>>>situation didn't.
>>>>>
>>>>>Enjoy,
>>>>>Greg Laws
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>
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