Landracing Forum
Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => Bonneville General Chat => Topic started by: Rex Schimmer on September 12, 2017, 06:13:52 PM
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I was talking with a Bonneville friend and we got to wondering why the SCTA locates the pits so far away from the starting line?? This year when we towed the lakester to the short course from our pit area it was over 4 miles! and as you know if you were there it was damn rough. What is the reason that SCTA doesn't do like USFRA and put the pits close to the starting line? That is one of the reasons that we are considering running the WOS next year, you can walk from the pits to the starting line. Just wondering.
Rex
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From August 25 2017 BNI minutes:
3. 2017 SW WHAT WORKED: SPECTATOR AREA BY PITS WORKED BETTER W/EXTRA SIGNS & REBAR – SUGGESTION TO MOVE PITS
DOWN CLOSER TO STARTING LINE – MORE SECURITY @ PITS WORKED BETTER THAN PAST YEARS
Guess your not alone :-)
Chris
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Way back when there was only one course we used to pit by the start line but people bitched that they couldn't see any runs so it was moved to the middle of the course.
Sid.
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I was talking with a Bonneville friend and we got to wondering why the SCTA locates the pits so far away from the starting line?? This year when we towed the lakester to the short course from our pit area it was over 4 miles! and as you know if you were there it was Dodge rough. What is the reason that SCTA doesn't do like USFRA and put the pits close to the starting line? That is one of the reasons that we are considering running the WOS next year, you can walk from the pits to the starting line. Just wondering.
Rex
I can tell you how/why the pits were moved to the 3 mile. It was so the racers could see the event. The pits were near the starting line in the not so distant past.
As far as the rough ride to the starting line it will still be a rough ride back to the pits after a run if you move them to the starting area, at least for long course vehicles. Personally I enjoy watching the competitors go by when I'm at my pit but if enough racers want them back near the starting line I'm sure the SCTA will listen.
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I too have always liked the pits down track so you can see some runs and would hope they keep them where they are :-D.
Rex you will be on the long course and if there is more than one and you run the one by the pits it won't make any difference to you where the pits are as far as distance towed.
Sumner
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This was our first year racing, and there was one telling moment that I can report back to everyone.
After a couple days, someone came over to our pit because they saw I brought a welder along. They had broken an upper control arm for their Miata - a well made aftermarket race piece - clean in half! This happened part way between the long course start line and the short course start line. I saw at least one other vehicle with a similar issue, and we had an upper control arm bolt back out and bend - and it was a 5/8" grade 8 shank! Back to the Miata, the other upper control arm had also severely bent, so we repaired both and go them on the track, but they left soon after due to other issues. It seemed that was a common theme.
For those of you running only the long course, hopefully you had a chance to take a quick drive over to the short course this year to "experience" the road. Eliminating part of it later in the week was wonderful, for those of us towing every day, sometimes multiple times. That road caused more damage to more vehicles than any amount of racing could. I know there's not much that can be done about it, but it was pure hell. We parked our race truck at the short course and just left it there whenever we could.
I don't know that moving the pits is an option - viable or not - but anything that could be done to allow safer access to the start line would be hugely appreciated!!!
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I like the pits where there are. It isn't so great when things are super rough like they were this year but this year was more the exception than the standard I think (hope). Between being a starter and doing rookie orientation, I've driven down the access road from courses 1 & 2 to courses 3 & 4 a million times and never once has it been as bad as it was the first couple days of Speed Week. When things are normal, we push/tow at 55 mph with no problems.
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One thing I do know that if the pits had been located near the starting line my good friend, Chris Clay, would be alive today and Rick McCambridge and Eric Burns would not be facing a year of recovery.
Rex
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My first trip to speed week in 1989 the pits were located behind the starting lines. That was easy back then maybe at the most 120 vehicles were running. The two coarse's began at the same point they just Ved off from there.
With over 400 vehicles attending speed week now the location of the pits behind the starting lines would be extremely hard to fit. The poor road conditions to get to the short and rookie coarse sure did tear up a lot of equipment. After the initial long coarse was damaged and moved down a mile that long tow to the other coarse's became a little easier.
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Not only does every racer want to watch the action at the three mile, they all want front line viewing,,, hence the three mile long pits.
And for SCTA, we thank you for allowing us to sell on the 'line', but what we did notice was a big number of spectators asking if we sold souvenirs and we said no, that would be at the sales trailer at the pits.. they would look down at the three mile trip and said never mind, I would image they (SCTA)lost a bid of sales from having the trailer more racer centric, instead of spectator friendly.
And many might hate the spectators, but with out their gate fees and trinket buying, racing would be a lot more expensive
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I like being able to see the cars go by at speed. We used to use an enclosed trailer and tow the car on the end of a tow strap. SW 2005 was much rougher than this year so in 2006 the enclosed trailer stayed home and I use a open trailer. The only time the car is on the salt is on a run or to go to tech inspection. I miss having the enclosed trailer but WILL NEVER BEAT THE CAR OR PERSON IN THE SEAT AGAIN. If I ever cannot get by with the open trailer I will bring 2 trailers. What is the lesser of 2 evils each person will have to determine for themselves.
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I like being able to see the cars go by at speed. We used to use an enclosed trailer and tow the car on the end of a tow strap. SW 2005 was much rougher than this year so in 2006 the enclosed trailer stayed home and I use a open trailer. The only time the car is on the salt is on a run or to go to tech inspection. I miss having the enclosed trailer but WILL NEVER BEAT THE CAR OR PERSON IN THE SEAT AGAIN. If I ever cannot get by with the open trailer I will bring 2 trailers. What is the lesser of 2 evils each person will have to determine for themselves.
The fix for both is put your car on the salt trailer and haul it all in your enclosed trailer. :cheers:
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As a short course competitor, I want to add my vote for locating the pits nearer to the starting line. The nearly five mile pull was excessive and the roughness (especially on days one and two) was crazy. We had to limit our towing speed to ten MPH and dodge chuck holes in order to avoid damaging the car. During the week we saw at least five cars seriously damaged on the route to/from the short course. I completely understand the desire of competitors and crews to see the long course from pits, but in my opinion the damage and lost time spent dragging a car for 45 minutes to the short course starting line was just not worth that benefit.
Rick
P.S. Just so I'm not seen as a total ingrate, I did appreciate the efforts made to minimize the misery during the week! :-D
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Right, it was rough and crappy... but it's not normally like that. And in fact it didn't start out like that either. That's what it turned into. I'm thinking/hoping that this was a one off thing and that it won't be like that again in the future. Do they really need to move the pits after having a rough access road one time?
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They used to drag the roads in and out with a rubber tired small tractor. What happened to that?
I remember George Calloway operating one during the meets in the past.
Maybe there was one, but I never saw it, or any sign of dragging.
JL222
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When we drove to the short course after the drivers meeting it was not bad. By the time we returned to our pit and towed the street roadster to the short course the road was terrible. The salt was so thin that it broke up over the soft underlying mud resulting in 6 inch deep pot holes for about a mile. It got worse until the long course was moved down a mile and the really bad part of the road could be bypassed. After that it was still bumpy and pot holed but there were fewer mud holes.