Bay Area AX's: this saturday, GGR AX#5 @ Alameda Options

[nebreitling]

get your cars ready now and come out to play!

http://www.pca-ggr.org/archive.html#msg436

who's in?

demick? howard? grant? trekkor? birgit? andrew? steve? gwen? ANDY (back from vacation?)? jenny (tranny?)? anthony? greg? mueller (bring the tail dragger?)? albert? chris? randal? ken? rob?

let's make a showing...

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beerchug.gif) n

[grantsfo]

A couple of suggestions to improve course worker safety.

At Marina last time an expereinced instructor selected the course worker locations and reviewed safety issues with each worker. At Alameda often inexpereinced particpants will walk onto the course without a clue to where dangerous places are on a paticular course. While not a safety issue I'd also like rules around how DNF is called when somone goes off course seems to always be confusion over that issue. Also all senarios where a red flag should be used such as car leaking oil, part hanging off. At the last GGR AX a car had a headlight hanging by the wires and I had to call on the radio to get the other course workers to red flag the driver. I was at the opposite end of the course and this car had past several course workers with the light dangling. Maybe a seperate course worker meeting is the way to go?

Maybe dont go with hot turnovers and do set expectation that course workers need to be in place ASAP? If a course worker hasnt checked in within 5 minutes of the conclusion of a run group maybe their times shouldnt count? Three cars at 20 second intervals can be dangerous at Alameda. Especially on the later parts of the course where fast cars are catching slow cars.

I agree with Randal starter postion should be handled by an expereinced person. How many times have we seen a stock 912 or 914 go out with a very fast modified car behind only given 20 seconds. If that slower car has a cone strike your asking for the course worker to make a decision to run to a cone with a fast approaching car. There seems to be a focus on getting as many runs as possible as opposed to being completely safe with spacing.

As far as instructors go. Why not just have an instructor badge? Pretty simple way to validate everything is kosher. If we could lose insurance for these events becuase of noninstructor ride alongs then I think we should have more formal ways to validate instructor runs and actually enforce the rule.

I want to make it clear GGR events are good AX's and well run. Great competition and they have gone on without incident so far. I just dont think safety can be overstated.

Nathan, I think it would be a good idea to send this thread and I have no objections. We all benefit from making safety a key focus at these events. I really havent spoken up until now as I was one of those clueless course workers not too long ago. With a little expereince under my belt and my increased particpation in these events I'm just more aware of the potential issues.