Turn 1a

[Gecko]

Like I said earlier... offer some feedback to him. We sure dont need anymore people jumping on the ANTI- (whatever) bandwagon. They are doing alot of new stuff right this year... lets try to be positive and see what the next event brings.

Well Said....if we ask and it doesn't get attend to then BITCH, but untill then we should bring up these issues and problems in a more mature way...and let the powers to be fix them as they should.

Hmm, maybe you missed this earlier statement:

I talked with the track both last October and this weekend about the line....

So isn’t that what we are doing? It was mentioned last October, wasn’t addressed, and now we are bitching about it. The problem is, sometimes when it comes to NHMS they seem to be reactive rather than proactive.

The point Scotty makes is well taken:

As I told Tom . . . and I quote "I could give 2 shits about guys driving little legends cars with a roll cage. Motorcycles racers have a piece of leather between us and the ground. Our safety needs to be considered first."

To anyone who promotes and hosts motorcycle events (either track days or racing) this should be axiomatic. The fact that this was raised last October and not addressed is disconcerting (especially since the opening event was scheduled earlier than usual this year). In this sport, if you wait until after something happens to take action, somebody’s eventually going to get hurt badly or worse. This time somebody did get hurt, but thankfully Mr. Schultz's ribs will heal. This is why it’s so important to have track management/operators that are proactively concerned with our safety rather than reactive.

I'm not jumping on any "ANTI- (whatever) bandwagon." I'm not NHMS bashing. I love this track; I defend this track when others speak poorly of it. My hope is, however, that this serves as a lesson for the "new" management and demonstrates how something as simple as the placement of a line can have a needlessly devastating effect on individuals and their equipment in our sport. We're not on four wheels with a roll-cage surrounding us. So the next time Eric or Scotty or [fill in the name] says that something needs to be addressed . . . address it . . . please.

Now, don't even get me started on those sealer snakes....
.

[CBR929RE]

so what was the count for thursday-sunday, 4 broken ribs, 2 broken hand/wrist bones and a broken neck vertebrae. those numbers right?

I don't think the line will be a problem next round simply because it'll be warmer but I still hope they come up with a real solution.

[Woodcraft]

I work for an Abrasives Company and can donate any size Grit that can be mixed into the paint and will provide more grip than just regular paint any day...I am sure it won't solve the problem 100% but will make it a NON-Slip area for sure... PM me if interested

Please call Tom Blanchette with this information. Knowing the mandate from SMI to have the stripe where it is, there are only two real solutions in my mind. (1) Blast the inside feet of the stripe away and then lay down tape for the cars so it looks pretty for them or (2) Use high quality traction paint and call it done. Looking at it, #2 is the obviously better answer and if you can help that process please do so.

I talked to Tom about this over the weekend, both during and after the event. He understands what needs to be done but now has to source the right paint. If you can help that process, please call him today or email tblanchette@nhms.com

[TTD]

given Eric's comments above... we should be blasting away the portion we ride on right now.

If we get the grip paint in time... we put that down.

If we don't, we use white tape for Saturday nights' races. (do it right and I bet no one would ever know)

[Pigman]

Eric....email sent, see what shakes

[yammy644]

I would definitely agree more with blasting away the paint across our line and using tape to extend the line to the curb so the Legends cars can have the whole line in their photos, especially since the they don't even come close to the 1A curbing. I just feel that even with sand or grit in the paint, you are still compromising traction mid corner. I also hope that they can heat up the cracksealing through turn nine and scrape off the band of excess on top of the asphalt. Just filling the cracks with to the surface would have been sufficient to seal the cracks from water intrusion, rather than applying an overband which could flex as the weather heats up and the sun beats down on it...

[fastfreddy333]

I am glad to read that 1a will be addresed in some way..i very rarely crash but did on the Thur. open practice there and weather it was the white line(i dont believe it was) or oil put down in my session (i do believe it was) or other factors, in my opinion there MUST be AIRFENCE there..NOT rock hard tires full of water!!
I am extreamly fortunate my injuries were not worse but sliding head first into those tires resulted in a compression fracture in C1 and "nerve impingment" in C4 and C6.
I hope there were no serious injuries last weekend and hope a "fix" is found but strongly believe there should be airfence there and not tires regardless of the cause for riders tossing it in 1a.

[CBR929RE]

I agree that there should be airfence there and also in T3.

I'm still glad you weren't hurt worse. When I was told of your injuries I nearly shit myself.

[Rada]

Does anyone know what it cost for a section of air fence?

[TTD]

If memory serves me... I thought it was around $1500 for 6 or 8 feet?

[CBR929RE]

If memory serves me... I thought it was around $1500 for 6 or 8 feet?

so what you're saying is Some Mother Incharge needs to open the purse up a little bit.

[Doc]

You can donate to the Air fence fund...

[Rada]

You can donate to the Air fence fund...

How does one do this? I don't race. But I would like the added protection at a track day.

[fastfreddy333]

If memory serves me... I thought it was around $1500 for 6 or 8 feet?

In that case guestimated medical bills thus far (not my out of pocket cost) would have purchased aprox. 4 sections of airfence

[OreoGaborio]

You can donate to the Air fence fund...

YUp.... and then the track needs to buy it with its own money, then APPLY for reimbursement through the Airfence fund and hope it's approved.

[smokinjoe]

To my knowledge the FIM uses paint that contains or is mixed with sand to add grip. I didnt crash in 1a but was 20" behind BJ when he did without warning. Really slowed me down in that turn.
Those slippery rubber snakes in t9 are awful. If they get hot it gets even worse since they sort of soften up & get gooey. To cars maybe no big deal but on a bike it seems unacceptable.
Although I guess its better than triple tuff block chicanes in T1. But why have the track get worse?

[CBR929RE]

In that case guestimated medical bills thus far (not my out of pocket cost) would have purchased aprox. 4 sections of airfence

so you're saying we should all try to convince our insurance providers that its cheaper to just buy us each a section of air fence

[Doc]

YUp.... and then the track needs to buy it with its own money, then APPLY for reimbursement through the Airfence fund and hope it's approved.

Then why don't we start a local "Air Fence Fund?"

If I would have known that LRRS was not going to directly get my money for Air Fence I wouldn't have donated what I have so far.

[butcher bergs]

What's a local Airfence Fund going to do for an organization that can't or won't take a motorcycle racer's concern(s) into consideration first and BEFORE making decisions?

EDIT: I typed more but the question makes my point.

[Rada]

Then why don't we start a local "Air Fence Fund?"

If I would have know that LRRS was not going to directly get my money for Air Fence I wouldn't have donated what I have so far.

I would want to know for sure that the moneys that I donate would go toward buying fence for LRRS and any of the bikes running the track.

If it came down to it I would rather buy a section and put my company name on it.

Ultimately this would be a drop in the bucket for SMI to spring for enough to cover T1a and T3.

[butcher bergs]

I would want to know for sure that the moneys that I donate would go toward buying fence for LRRS and any of the bikes running the track.

If it came down to it I would rather buy a section and put my company name on it.

Ultimately this would be a drop in the bucket for SMI to spring for enough to cover T1a and T3.

It would have to be a privately funded, privately purchased and privately donated situation. Ultimately you would have to buy sections yourself and donate them to the track if you wanted to avoid the high probability of composing some kind of binding contract as to where the "Local Airfence Fund" money would be allocated should a straight up money donation be considered.


Keep in mind that, instead of spending money on air fence, there's a new circle track.

[csmutty]

Keep in mind that, instead of spending money on air fence, there's a new circle track.

There's a new circle track?

If you are making reference to the 1/4 mile oval that's a bullshit argument. I bet that circle track cost almost nothing to make and brings in a decent amount of revenue. People have to remember that the track is a business and can't cater to everyone's individual needs. If the track could just throw money at every series that runs there the it would not exist and probably wouldn't be profitable. For the little revenue that LRRS racing brings to the table I am surprised that we are getting as much as we are.

[SVRACER01]

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[Slowpoke387]

I think those airfence sections are around $2300 each. Couldn't we do a couple of raffles or airfence auctions? I think the track owners wouldn't allow it there but I'm sure if the banquet seems to get organized every year, we could put something together in the name of safety. If the track won't/can't do it, I think there are enough LRRS racers who are concerned enough to get involved, no? Maybe an annual airfence fundraiser?

[csmutty]

Does airfence ever go bad or expire?