Airfence in my future?

[ziptied]

First a word of thanks to all concerned regarding my wife Patty who was injured in practice before her rookie race last May. The racing community at Loudon are great people that we are happy to have met and we look forward to seeing everyone in the spring. Patty is having another surgery tomorrow to again try to release a stuck shoulder resulting from a broken clavicle and has basically been out of action since May.

After the races on 8/30 I walked the track with a buddy of mine to trace his crash earlier in the day from turn 9 down to a jersey barrier to the right of the existing airfence. In front of the barrier was a row of very tired looking old tires, some just one row high, which his bike had slid over. His bike had sustained the kind of damage you might expect from meeting a wall; destroyed rear rim, subframe, exhaust, etc. He himself had fortunately come to a stop in the tires. Still, it was a sobering moment for me-do I really want to do this? Race other motorcycle riders around an off-camber downhill curve with a concrete wall at the bottom? But wait-a bike crashing and ending up here is a fluke, right?

Some fluke. In race 6 the following Sunday, in the rain, 8 riders went down out of 17. I do believe that on one lap every yellow flag on the track was waiving. One was for a rider down in that same spot on turn 9 - again into the wall past the airfence.

So, what is the history? Who provides the existing fence? Why aren't more sections deployed? Why do most of the runoff areas look like a real bad place to crash a bike? With the cost of rims, subframes and the like it can't be cost.

I'm going Motard for Loudon, less kinetic energy. It could be I'm fooling myself.

[Pittenger5]

1. So, what is the history?
2. Who provides the existing fence?
3. Why aren't more sections deployed?
4. Why do most of the runoff areas look like a real bad place to crash a bike?
5. With the cost of rims, subframes and the like it can't be cost.

1. racers crash
2. AFF and private donations
3. $$$
4. Its loudon
5. It is cost.

[SVRACER01]

they are all bad spots to go down in. the impeding wall in T2, the wall in T3, the giant rocks and wall in T6, bushes and wall in T9, the wall in T10, the wall in T12.
racing is an inherent risk, NHMS seems to have a lot of them though. the air fence situation gets better each year.

[Awesome]

Turn 9 isn't off camber.

Is this another 'I'm a new racer, let's change the way things are done' thread?

[KB]

Where is T17?? Airfence in 9? You mean the gravel pit, or the airfence at the apex of 10?

I'm confused. Is this even loudon?

KB

[burnham]

Hi Pete. I'll get in touch with you tomorrow to see how Patty's doing.

[Doc]

Just don't crash.

[a13x]

Hey Ziptied.

You bring valid points to the table and questions no one should feel foolish for asking. I've asked them myself in the past.

Best thing to do is talk to Jerry Wood at the first weekend and see how you can help out.

Unfortunately many of the big risks at Loudon come from it's build and that's not changing unless we get a new track. The walls aren't going anywhere and it's the reason the AMA stopped coming back in 2002. Airfence and the like comes from private donations and the Airfence Action Fund (Doc donated $500 to it just last week, bravo Doc). Every year more gets added but at a place like Loudon.. there is never enough. The RRW Fund for instance can be found here: http://actionfund.roadracingworld.com/

Personally I've toyed with the idea of just getting a gang of guys together after the races (6-12 ppl, whatever and who ever) and going out to T6 and stuff and removing some of the big rocks and boulders. Just to pass the time and clear out some stuff. Granted it's NH and they will always come back (the rocks) but at least it'd be pro-active.

Like I said, talk or email Jerry and if he's not around find Eric Wood. Otherwise welcome to the motard gang and look forward to seeing you out there.

[a13x]

Where is T17?? Airfence in 9? You mean the gravel pit, or the airfence at the apex of 10?

I'm confused. Is this even loudon?

He said '8 out of 17 riders went down in the rain that race blah blah blah' you dummy, not 8 riders went down in Turn 17

He's talking about if you crash past the apex of T9 you basically slide down the hill into the Wall to the right of the apex of T10. I've thought about how unpleasant that would be maaaany times.

[obsolete]

Since I plan on starting to do track days this year I think I'll help out. I've never been to NHMS but if there are hazards that can be removed with some hard work than I'm all for it.

I use to help run a race series in NM where we pretty much had to buy VHT, prep the lanes and clean the grounds ourselves if we wanted it to be a great event. It's a great feeling to help better a place that so many enjoy.

Alex, if you wanna get some people together I'm all for it.

[a13x]

Since I plan on starting to do track days this year I think I'll help out. I've never been to NHMS but if there are hazards that can be removed with some hard work than I'm all for it.

I use to help run a race series in NM where we pretty much had to buy VHT, prep the lanes and clean the grounds ourselves if we wanted it to be a great event. It's a great feeling to help better a place that so many enjoy.

Alex, if you wanna get some people together I'm all for it.

I hear ya.

On one hand I'm of the mindset that I pay good money to race at a venue and that venue should do certain things to take care of their customer. But on the other hand I can face the facts and being pro-active about your sport and club isn't a bad thing. Similar to your story I recall MANY times walking Downhill race courses or walking the Motocross track and doing the same thing... picking up rocks as you walked and moving big nasty bitches off the track.

I'll pass the idea by Jerry and the guys in April and see what we can do.

-alex

[BMFR6]

hey alex, haven't they attempted (and still do at the start of each season) removing rocks in 6? fuggin NH rock growing dirt.

i almost wonder if it would be worth it to try and cover it with some gravel.

[Fitz]

Racing is inherently dangerous. That being said, anything I can do to help make it safer while keeping costs down I will. Alex, let me know if you get a crew together; even if it's not on a race weekend.

Fitz

[a13x]

hey alex, haven't they attempted (and still do at the start of each season) removing rocks in 6? fuggin NH rock growing dirt.

i almost wonder if it would be worth it to try and cover it with some gravel.

Yea I dunno, maybe they do/have and I never noticed. Personally I figure with all the knucklehead racers that are into Construction it shouldn't be too hard to get a nice "Gravel Pile" going... get enough in the pile and dump that shit into T6! haha.

[Doc]

I am in to help move rocks.


We can drink beer whild diong this right?

Can we spraypaint "Doc" on the new airfence I donated for?

[Pittenger5]

Can we ducttape Doc to the new airfence I donated for?

Fixed

Im in for some cleaning.

[BMFR6]

Yea I dunno, maybe they do/have and I never noticed. Personally I figure with all the knucklehead racers that are into Construction it shouldn't be too hard to get a nice "Gravel Pile" going... get enough in the pile and dump that shit into T6! haha.

i think that was exactly the conversation over at NEAR a while back. scrounging up some dump trucks etc.

[KB]

He said '8 out of 17 riders went down in the rain that race blah blah blah' you dummy, not 8 riders went down in Turn 17

He's talking about if you crash past the apex of T9 you basically slide down the hill into the Wall to the right of the apex of T10. I've thought about how unpleasant that would be maaaany times.

Thanks for the clarafication. I am dumb.

I don't want to see the gravel in 9. I believe Jay has.

KB

[wookie]

Hey Pete. Sorry to hear Patty is still huring from her crash.

You are going motard next year? Is this some sort of virus going around?

I hope to do at least one race weekend at Loudon and I was looking forward to running against you in the HW races.

BTW - you make some good points. I wonder what the total cost would be to significantly improve the conditions at Loudon?

[Doc]

Duct tape works. Wanna Help Richie?

[Omahastylin16]

id be happy to help too

[ziptied]

Thanks for clarifying the airfence/runoff situation.
I would volunteer to move rocks, I have access to a small dump truck that would help. I'm sure there would be enough volunteers to make quite a difference.
Good to know about the airfence fund, and big thanks to Doc and all others who have donated.
Kevin-how are you doing, Pard'ner? I'm thinking that Motard is more appropriate for Loudon than HWSS, and maybe less expensive. Plus the fact that is a blast to ride (around the block anyway). It would be great for you to make it up for some racing this season.
-Pete

[Paul_E_D]

Believe me, you guys aren't the first to try this. THere have been big rock moving parties in the past. By all means do it agian, but don't expect to have much impact on the safety of the track. heavy rains will wash away any surface layer you put down outside of 9. Guess what will resurface... rocks.

Outside of six could be improved a little, but IMO you will need to remove at least 6 inches of material from the entire trap, and replace it with pea gravel type stuff.

Just pitching rocks doesn't work because erosion just brings more to the surface.

BTW, crashing outside of 9 really sucks, but nowhere near as bad as 8.

In general, The runoff is insufficient only if you go straight off instead of turning in. You can avoid catastrophe 99 percent of the time by getting the bike turned before giving up/crashing. Making good decisions in the braking zones is critical at Loudon.

my 3 cents.

[Awesome]

Same thing happens with the rain in turn 6, they've filled it in a number of times.

[brewmaster]

I am in to help move rocks.


We can drink beer whild diong this right?

I can bring the motivational beer to help get this done. Anything we can do to improve our chances in a crash is always good. We are a bunch of addicted freaks who become a big dis-functional family 8 weekends a year. Working together we can help to make this obsession of ours safer.