Author Topic: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be  (Read 59848 times)

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Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #180 on: December 18, 2017, 10:47:18 AM »
www.electrimotion.com

Go to their safety tab and check out the systems.

The systems they sell are automated, but it's my bet that they could be set up to be triggered manually or by an electric eye.

I watched the video as will - while the install is intended for dragstrip applications, they're battery operated and, I would think, could be easily made to work in temporary situation utilizing nothing more difficult than a pair of sawhorses.

I see where bikes should probably be excluded from ignition shut-down, but could easily integrate a dashlight warning triggered by the transmitter/receiver.

"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline thundersalt

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #181 on: December 18, 2017, 11:01:27 AM »
I can just see it now. You are well on your way to breaking your rival's record big time, and 1/4 mile before the finish line he presses the shut-down button he cloned. Oh too bad for you...equipment malfunction.

Don
I was thinking the same at first, but, the switch needs to be in the hands of SCTA pres and/or race director only. At elmo no one can tell your on a record run as no speeds are announced till after the run. Still not sure if I like the idea, if it can be hacked.....


As far as running east to west, I say no. We need to take control of the whole west end that we use (temp orange plastic fencing?), have more roving patrols (with light bars) and charge spectators and RV'ers at a gate. This will at least control spectators and traffic as noted by BLM
916 REMR
2017 AA/FRMR Bonneville Record holder 234.663
2018 AA/GRMR El Mirage Record holder 223.108
2020 AA/BGRMR Bonneville Record holder 252.438
2021 AA/BGRMR Bonneville Record holder 262.685
El Mirage 200 MPH Club
Drivers/Owners: Brian & Celia Dean

Offline Frankie7799

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #182 on: December 18, 2017, 11:12:11 AM »
NHRA has automatic cutoff devices on all the fuel and alcohol cars that will automatically kill the mag, shut the fuel off and throw the laundry out if it isn't all done by a certain point in the shutdown area. Not sure what that would do to a bike but for cars its a no brainer. Some crew chiefs have a remote control switch for their cars that if they see a hole out or something else a wry they can shut down the car from the starting line

Offline thundersalt

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #183 on: December 18, 2017, 11:58:40 AM »
NHRA has automatic cutoff devices on all the fuel and alcohol cars that will automatically kill the mag, shut the fuel off and throw the laundry out if it isn't all done by a certain point in the shutdown area. Not sure what that would do to a bike but for cars its a no brainer. Some crew chiefs have a remote control switch for their cars that if they see a hole out or something else a wry they can shut down the car from the starting line
And I have heard stories of big
TF multi car teams shutting one team member off early in favor of the other team member :-o
916 REMR
2017 AA/FRMR Bonneville Record holder 234.663
2018 AA/GRMR El Mirage Record holder 223.108
2020 AA/BGRMR Bonneville Record holder 252.438
2021 AA/BGRMR Bonneville Record holder 262.685
El Mirage 200 MPH Club
Drivers/Owners: Brian & Celia Dean

Offline RichFox

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #184 on: December 18, 2017, 12:57:59 PM »
May or may not be true. But I don't see how that has any application here.

Offline SPARKY

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #185 on: December 18, 2017, 01:10:08 PM »
We need to join CORVA as a chapter --requiring all racers to join and encourage all SCTA members to join---they have 50 year history of helping maintain access to public lands with OFF ROAD vehicles and bikes.
Miss LIBERTY,  changing T.K.I.  to noise, dust, rust, BLUE HATS & hopefully not scrap!!

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."   Helen Keller

We are going to explore the racing N words NITROUS & NITRO!

Offline thundersalt

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #186 on: December 18, 2017, 02:11:37 PM »
May or may not be true. But I don't see how that has any application here.
And that right there is a prime example of why I don't post much any more on this site :roll: .........Just adding to the conversation. Thanks for being the thread police.......
916 REMR
2017 AA/FRMR Bonneville Record holder 234.663
2018 AA/GRMR El Mirage Record holder 223.108
2020 AA/BGRMR Bonneville Record holder 252.438
2021 AA/BGRMR Bonneville Record holder 262.685
El Mirage 200 MPH Club
Drivers/Owners: Brian & Celia Dean

Offline jdincau

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #187 on: December 18, 2017, 02:23:06 PM »
It may be difficult to get a useable course going from east to west. In my years of course prep duty it seems that the part of the lake bed we currently use for the shut down area is bumpier, has more pot holes, has more potato chips and the top is looser than the area we are using to accelerate on now.
Unless it's crazy, ambitious and delusional, it's not worth our time!

Offline Milwaukee Midget

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #188 on: December 18, 2017, 03:42:30 PM »
NHRA has automatic cutoff devices on all the fuel and alcohol cars that will automatically kill the mag, shut the fuel off and throw the laundry out if it isn't all done by a certain point in the shutdown area. Not sure what that would do to a bike but for cars its a no brainer. Some crew chiefs have a remote control switch for their cars that if they see a hole out or something else a wry they can shut down the car from the starting line
And I have heard stories of big
TF multi car teams shutting one team member off early in favor of the other team member :-o

Rumors abound, but it has clearly happened.  I always go back to Ford at Le Mans in '66 with respect to stories like that.

The flip-side is the thought of other racers messing up a competitor's run with a modified garage door opener.

I think here, we're talking about an existential threat to the sport on the part of the BLM. 

Which is the bigger threat - the BLM shutting it down completely, or somebody building a transmitter capable of shutting down a competitor in an amateur sport with no prize money?

If this technology is available, and the BLM finds out about it, and the SCTA doesn't even look into it, the BLM could make a reasonably valid argument that the racers aren't taking their safety concerns seriously.

The same might be said for the insurance underwriters: 

"Hi, Lloyds of London?   Yes, I represent a group of people who drive really fast across the desert, but due to the landlord's discontent with our safety procedures, we're now on probation with the Department of the Interior.  Can you help us?"

I think overseeing cheating is something SCTA can do, and should be held to task for.  Fighting the Feds and being the apologist for knuckleheads is a battle I don't think the SCTA can win. 
"Problems are almost always a sign of progress."  Harold Bettes
Well, I guess we're making a LOT of progress . . .  :roll:

Offline SPARKY

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #189 on: December 18, 2017, 07:30:45 PM »
What is meant by"Short Coarsing"
Miss LIBERTY,  changing T.K.I.  to noise, dust, rust, BLUE HATS & hopefully not scrap!!

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."   Helen Keller

We are going to explore the racing N words NITROUS & NITRO!

Offline SPARKY

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #190 on: December 18, 2017, 08:23:37 PM »
FH-J   I notice you have not posted any since SB attached the letter from the BLM---any of your predetermined answers you would like to withdraw?

A CATCH NET is the only thing that may let us race for the foreseeable future. It has the lowest chance of failure, which means it gives us the best chance to continue racing!!!

Big PYLONS on each side of the finish line, that you see from the start line, and a big fine if you get in it, will help folks stay out of the CATCH NET.

LOTS of ways to fund this.
« Last Edit: December 18, 2017, 08:26:06 PM by SPARKY »
Miss LIBERTY,  changing T.K.I.  to noise, dust, rust, BLUE HATS & hopefully not scrap!!

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."   Helen Keller

We are going to explore the racing N words NITROUS & NITRO!

Offline jl222

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #191 on: December 18, 2017, 09:48:34 PM »
NHRA uses 3 things to stop cars:
Sand trap.
Catch net.
RF shut down and chute release. See electrimotion.com, Safety Products.
To me the RF is a minimum addition.  The cost isn't a show stopper. The net would be a bonus.
POPS
 
 
  Better have a fuel shutoff on Nitro cars, no ignition [ plugs could still be glowing] and full throttle fuel = still going, big bang or both.

  Motorcycle into catch net = injury and lawsuit.

                                  JL222
« Last Edit: December 18, 2017, 09:51:51 PM by jl222 »

Offline Vinsky

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #192 on: December 19, 2017, 12:15:06 AM »
Have any motorcycles ever 'gone out of bounds'?
John

Offline Guardrail

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #193 on: December 19, 2017, 09:35:59 AM »
 Out of all of you who are posting here, how many of you have had to stop a car(in bounds) at El Mirage with a malfunctioning chute?
We experienced that on our first run on Saturday in November and were able to stop without going out of bounds, and I'm no world class driver...
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Offline SPARKY

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Re: El Mirage – To Be or Not To Be
« Reply #194 on: December 19, 2017, 10:40:40 AM »
 :dhorse:
JL why do you assume that just because a rider or driver fails their first and most important  responsibility: bring a properly prepared vehicle for the course and conditions ---and operate it in a safe manner as course and conditions allow.

They are going to follow that mistake with another---make every rider go down and personally touch the net and sign a statement that they know where they are going to be stopped if they fail to stop themselves.

----You hit the catch net --you failed somewhere as a driver/rider or crew----lots and lots of folks have had issues and not gone out the back---the catch net is there to help you comply with the BLM restrictions---

I know of some who have and have never returned---because  they were invited to---oh by the way-- I have come close with my old car---built another and made sure I complied with every "suggestion" --we had well documented visibility issues---we changed the car in ways I really didn't want to but we addressed and solved the issues..

I want 12'-15' pylons and a catch net---because I want to be able to keep running at EL M---A CATCH NET catches the failures --and EXCUSES----so that we all can keep racing.

After reading that letter for the 3rd time---my suggestion is--- we all get our heads out of the sand whether it is in your cockpit or you have it suck in the sand behind some pucker bush---open our eyes---and deal with reality---we can have no more out the backs and continue to race at EL M that letter says as much!!
« Last Edit: December 19, 2017, 12:05:15 PM by SPARKY »
Miss LIBERTY,  changing T.K.I.  to noise, dust, rust, BLUE HATS & hopefully not scrap!!

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."   Helen Keller

We are going to explore the racing N words NITROUS & NITRO!