Perhaps all racers involved in the sport should consider their entry into any event just as if they were an overseas racer (let's say UK) taking part in a single vehicle speed record attempt, on private time, with just a safety crew and ambulance on standby.
What I mean is that for some US racers that is what you are already doing. Leaving loved ones at home, travelling thousands of miles to a hostile environment, to be helped by volunteer people, attempting to travel fast. For this pre-planning for the worst is necessary.
For the (I was going to name them) team our adminstration created two ring binder A4 sized folders and these were known about and available to certain senior team members when at the attempt course. These peoples duties were unlikely to place them in a personal life threatening position/role when the vehicle was running. But we had more than one so even that risk was dealt with.
Each and every team member agreed to supply a photograph along with their medical details on any pre-existing conditions and prescribed drugs being taken (I do not know what else is on a US medical form but use that), as well as the name(s), contact telephone numbers, for next of kin (or people who had to be informed). This was not just for the person most exposed to risk - the driver. These pages were kept in the folder. Who might have had to make the telephone call(s) was decided before the attempt took place and we did have phones that could make that international call.
I would suggest that one of the senior team members not closely involved in the bid is always selected to attend to a drivers spouse/partner/close friend, should the worst happen. We did, with back up - hence I chose not to name the team.
Thankfully with all this preparation, no one has needed comforting and no call was ever made.
As was written before, the sanctioning body may take control of the vehicle or a law officer or a coroner could do the same, but at some stage the team would need to know how to get the vehicle back to some selected location - the details of how to go about it go into the folder.
Whilst many in this sport have to race on their own resources ............. I have found that major sponsors will have produced a book where they list the actions they will take should the person they sponsor be injured or worse and how any media contacts are dealt with.
The event organisers - if the event is actually of that type and not private - will probably have something planned and prepared to deal with requests from news personnel. With modern, almost instantaneous communication with the 'outside' world (through so called social networking), anyone with a camera phone and cell could let news reach the farthest corner of the planet within minutes (no longer hours), so the team have to be prepared for that too. Speed may have to be of the essence, so once again plan for that and if necessary some of the folder details may have to be pre-loaded into a cell phone, rather than just be available on the pages. [Yes, that was done for one of the attempts].
For those wishing to have any further information I can be reached in person thanks to Landracing.com.
Malcolm Pittwood
Speed record attempt organiser / Record Team administrator.
