oil down

[racer x]

What about leaving a glove or something to mark your spot in line and puttering down the track on the race bike? Would that get out of hand and cause accidents and traffic problems ?
  And Ya that was me point a few posts ago. When there are cars going to the spill Pick up volunteers if you have a empty seat. I have also been at the start and not known about the oil down at all

[Glen]

Thats why SCTA uses a CB radio so all of the racers know whats going on.

[DahMurf]

Thats why SCTA uses a CB radio so all of the racers know whats going on.

They won't let me race with a CB on my busa! 

[RansomT]

What about leaving a glove or something to mark your spot in line and puttering down the track on the race bike? Would that get out of hand and cause accidents and traffic problems ?
  And Ya that was me point a few posts ago. When there are cars going to the spill Pick up volunteers if you have a empty seat. I have also been at the start and not known about the oil down at all

and that reflects the situation that some of us are in .... we are a race crew of 1.  When I am at Maxton, I am either getting ready for a run, in prestage or stage lanes, or helping some else get ready.  I like to help when possible, but it does get difficult being in more than one place at a time.

[racer x]

WOW this has gotten to be a lively winter time topic.
OK  So this would be the chain of events.
   Engine goes boom
  And short shutdown sees smoke and oil on the track .
 They radio to the start line and tower that there is oil down.
Maybe people in a couple cars give a "toot toot" on there horns .
 Everyone starts toward the spill and get into cars or ride on bikes over and clean it up 
Maybe if you spill oil you can bring a bag or two of kitty litter to replace the stuff used .
 And wrap up the engine in a diaper next time.
 

[relaxedfit]

How about a concrete bucket and a short (8' or so) flag pole with some signal flag to put up at the start line when the course is shut down for clean-up?

[jreken]

The horn is only for emergencies to notify fire and rescue. Flags can't be seen over long distances. When I've been working the computer in the tower and there is an oil down Joe meets Keith on the track then radios me to make the CB announcement."Attention in the Pits"  "Attention in the pits"  "We need bodies on the track ...blah blah..  blah blah ..blah blah!!!  I can't be more specific.  Maybe I could blow a bugle like the Chinese communists did in 1950 Korea? ( just being stupid Chinese communists, Love ya!!!)  I would think the CB radios are the best way. I've ridden through the pits many times and Not heard the chatter of radios in many areas. Radio Shack sells a radio, antennae and external speaker for less that $100. Turn on and tune in racers!!! The CB is the best way. (my computer is going to fail and my TV explode I just know it!!!!!)

Se  Y u  F om  t e To w r  ( h s it I k ew it!)

J hn

[Seldom Seen Slim]

ECTA usually has a radio/speaker/battery stationed at the staging line -- so announcements made on the system are available there.  but -- it's one radio, not a big PA system -- so it isn't easy to hear it more than a few yards from the radio.  And unlike at Bonneville -- there isn't a rule to have a CB in each support vehicle so we can't rely on hearing the news from the CB in the truck right in front/behind us in line.  And since ECTA allows us to ride our race vehicles to the line from the pits -- many times there aren't many CBs down at the line - further making it difficult to hear announcements made on the radio.  Heck - support vehicles are not allowed in the staging lines unless said vehicle requires a push start - and there aren't many of them.  So - we don't have much CB coverage at the line. 

Now - maybe if the funds were there a new arrangement could be installed -- either a handful of CB/speakers set up every 10 yards or something so all at staging could hear, or a high-tech digital readout that could be remote/programmed from the tower and readable by those in staging --  "Oildown at the middle of short shut-down.  Everyone is requested to report to shuffle duty PRONTO!"  I don't see that one being set up until a few big dollars roll in some day soon, darn it.

Ergo I say unto all of you -- yup, in staging at Maxton there's no easy way to know if there's been a shutdown due to oil or an incident or anything.  Until someone comes up with a workable solution to the problem - there isn't going to be a good solution to the problem.

Hunh?

[relaxedfit]

OK, the flag idea was just for the folks waiting in staging area, usually looking toward the front of the no longer moving line. Starters stick the pole in the bucket before going to help shuffle. You can "hear" a flag over any engine noise and just maybe somebody with a car or push vehicle w/ a cb could help recruit dancers back in the pits. But it's all good, I'll be there anyway.

[RidgeRunner]

     My high frequency hearing has been gone for over twenty years but somehow I always hear Al when he says they need us down course:-D......and heed his requests.........

                                   Ed

[racer x]

I was thinking of car horns. Not the big horn from the tower . I never want to hear that one .

[White Monster]

This is very interesting from a racer's perspective and has provided some insight to possible improvements we can make, to decrease the time it takes to complete the cleanup and get back to racing.

Firstly, from the Starter's perspective, when an oil down occurs, I almost always see the smoke before anyone else.  The first thing that happens, is the tower either calls out Emergency Rescue or not, depending on which side of the track the competitor pulls off to.  Sometimes, the racer is not even aware that there has been a problem with their vehicle and continues all the way down the track and pulls around into either short or long shutdown.  I have seen several occasions where the Rescue trucks chased a vehicle all the way down the track, into shutdown and sometimes even back along the return road.

Once it has been determined that there is not an emergency situation, Joe Timney, Keith Turk or Joe Roberts will inspect the track to determine if oil is down on the track.  If oil is identified, the Tower will make an announcement over the Volunteer closed band radios, followed by a public announcement over the CB radio (channel 1) for assistance.

At this point, one of the Starting Line or Safety Inspector volunteers walks down Staging row, yelling that there has been an oil down and we need help with the Kitty Litter Shuffle cleanup.  Al, myself and all other volunteers get their vehicles and loads up with helpers until they are full and then proceeds down to the affected area.

I personally have made most of the racer's and crews aware of the condition and requested help, only to get blank stares or having backs shown to me.  I say to them "Oh well, nobody is racing until it is cleaned up and the more people helping, the quicker we get done".  We usually get people to help from the Starting Line, Staging rows, but from my experience it is usually less than half the people standing there waiting.

What else can we do to make as many people aware of the need for help, short of actually engaging every single person in Staging into a specifically directed conversation ?

Don't get me wrong, I know lots of you people do help, but it always seems like it is the same ones over and over again.  I continue to be baffled and don't understand why everyone does not come help.

 

[racer x]

Thanks Steve .
The goal of this thread was to help raise the awareness.That it will get cleaned up quicker if everyone knows what is going on and what needs to happen before we go back to racing . It dose not happen very often and dose not really take long to get cleaned up. But as you said there is room for improvement.

[LSR Mike]

To give a bit of understanding to this, At El Mirage and Bonneville, no driving to the Start line, gotta have a Support Vehicle, It's got a CB in it, you hear Everything (when turned on). At Maxton, you can drive the race vehicle to the start line, the bikes rarely have a support vehicle, a lot of the cars are solo also. those that do have support, usually park the vehicle on the side of the access road, pre-stage is relatively short and it is frowned upon to have the support vehicle behind the race vehicle in line.

This leaves everyone to cluster around the CB up by the Starting line, and is why the competitors down the line are relatively clueless to course condition and status.

[roadracer]

Looks like this thread is the talk of the off season.  Oil downs are never fun and the clean up is always time consuming.  My worry with the oil down is the fire or a crash that can be associated.  Oil on the motorcycle tire is intresting to say the least.  That's why I have a 6 quart containment lower on the 636.  I know it doesn't catch it all, but hopefully it keeps the tires clean.  Have a new containment lower in work for the 250 also.  Now running naked is another story.  I'm not saying mandate anything.  It's just what I choose to do.  I've hit the deck too many time roadracing.  Getting a bit old for that.