Some thoughts before I fall asleep. I've noticed some things at this meet that are troubling to me. I know that all sanctioning bodies do their very best to keep racers safe and I've known for a long time that racing is a dangerous sport. I don't want to come across as critical of any organization or regulations, but I'd like to offer some food for thought...that's probably been thought of many times before...but I'll bring it up anyway.
First, two serious fires occurred, both of them after very hurried turnarounds to get back on the course within the FIA's one hour time limit. Neither (if I observed correctly...and I was at the scene of both of 'em) team had a chance to fire the motors and test for leaks or any other problems. My question is, "why does the FIA require a 1 hour turnaround while FIM has a two hour limit?" I know that was discussed here earlier, but it's still troublesome to me. I have no way of knowing if the longer time (same as SCTA's impound rule) would have prevented these fires from happening or not...but when I've seen cars leaving impound in the morning for SCTA/USFRA record returns, there generally isn't the rush that I observed prior to the runs that ended in fires. I have no idea how effective SCTA and USAC and/or other governing bodies would be in trying to appeal for an FIA rule change. Seems like a pretty daunting task to me, but one that might be worth a try. And if it's been tried before...well, I dunno. Maybe it's worth another try and maybe...well, I'll leave it at that.
Second, the flammable coolant is just scary as hell. If I read things correctly in earlier posts (I tried to find 'em but I'm way too tired to go back over the whole thing again) this might be banned in future meets/rules. Great. I hope all concerned see this the same way. But it also brought to mind the question other items involved in Lynn Goodfellow's injuries. Like the melting visor that he covered with his hands...which took the brunt of the flame. I know that if I were more familiar with SCTA's regulations I could probably answer this one myself, but I'll ask anyway. Is the visor material specified in the rulebook? I'd think that it would be along with the helmet specs, but again, it's something that came to mind. Same thing with the gloves. Again, I realize that they have different requirements than other parts of a driver's suit...in particular, flexibility. But is this an issue that needs to be examined?
I'm not sure if this next one is even valid, since I don't have much information to go on about Leo Hess's crash. But wind has been an ongoing topic and I know that around the time of the crash, the wind seemed unpredictable at best, gusty at worst. Is it the driver/rider's call about marginal wind speed? I know that there are limits for holding the course closed over certain speeds, but it seems to me that different types of race vehicles have differing levels of sensitivity to wind, particularly side winds and/or gusts. I'm wondering aloud what the bottom line is for making the decision to start a run.
I'm laying my ignorance out here in hopes that it won't be seen as criticism or anything negative. I guess I just needed to get this stuff off my chest.
I'm praying for Lynn and Leo and for a safe and fast day on Friday. I'd love to be able to report happy things like broken records and safe runs.
RtR