[Wichita-SCCA] New Dallas race track

[david guilliams]

As far as fire suits for Showroom stock,  there was a highway crash in KC that had cars catch fire just last week.  While they were non race cars, the fact that you have fuel and ignition source on a vehicle that could end up in a concrete wall is not a bad thing.  The 75 feet to a chain link fence is as much about property damage as safety,  but because they both fall under the same insurance policy I don't see them being changed.  Solo is promoted as a "safe" way to drive your car hard.  If someone drives through a fence and tears up their car, they are likely to be a newbie or an idiot, either of which is more likely to blame the club than their lack of judgment.
 
David Guilliams
Wichita Area Technical College
 
"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." Oscar Wilde



----- Original Message ----
From: Greg Laws <GLaws at cox.net>
To: Wichita Region SCCA. <Wichita-SCCA at wichitascca.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 10:23:02 AM
Subject: Re: [Wichita-SCCA] New Dallas race track


If you look at Hallet's schedule, the money is not in holding sanctioned events, it's catering to the enthusiast that wants to drive their car or motorcycle on a track without the hassle or expense.
 
Patrick
Interesting.  As a further note in that direction, a friend of mine from Florida says that he knows of at least one new and rather exclusive residential development being built around a private road course that winds through scenic hills.  The purpose-built road course is the attraction although the development also has its own private air field too.  It seems that the rich folks who buy high performance, world-class cars are becoming frustrated with the national speed limits and resulting hassles if they want to play with their toys at speed.  Makes sense.  I'll bet that they don't worry too much about having fire suits, helmets, or corner workers either.  That makes sense too.  
 
I think that one of SCCA's many problems is a pathological insistence upon safety overkill when dealing with stock automobiles or Karts..  Who needs the hassle?  Put on a helmet?  Sure, no problem.  Use the factory seat belts?  Of course.  Other than that however I'd let them go play as they wish.  When was the last time that a stock vehicle running at a race track caught on fire in such a way as to endanger the driver?  Fire suits in Showroom Stock?  Why?  An ambulance required for Solo events at Heartland?  Why?  Intrusive buffer distances required at a solo for safety such as 75' to a chain link fence?  Why?  Full fire suits for kids in 8 hp karts or adults in shifter karts when a leather jacket and gloves would do just fine?  Why?  
 
Modern cars and karts are vastly safer than ever before.  We should be able to cut ourselves a bit more slack because of that fact.
 
Enjoy,
Greg Laws


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