One quick rant about SW.

[manifest]

Being a life long drag racer I knew what to expect in the pits this year at Bonneville even though it was my first time running a car.  It was a hassle to constantly keep my foot on the brake while getting towed back to our pit so that I wouldn't tag the tow truck.  And how about the pits not having any order to them?  Is it that hard to park in a line and and not have crew vehicles parked in the middle of the aisle.  Up towards the 2club tent there were cars parked every which way and had the entrance/exit to the pits bottle necked like crazy.  We had someone park a rental SUV directly behind our car and neighbors trailer and just left it there running.  No one in sight that would claim the car so we moved it, should have put it in drive and let it disappear over the horizon.  I realize the pits are huge and it would be a huge task to keep all non race related vehicles out but common sense and some courtesy would go a long way. 

Also on my mind... Safety is a huge part of any racing which everyone can agree on.  Land speed racing especially at Bonneville is even more crucial because of the distance between cars crews and safety personell.  So why is there no better way to communicate.  Many times over the week I would hear someone ask permission to cross a course or go to a stopped vehicle on the course and not get any answer from race officials.  Would it be that hard to have a channel for each course and have the speeds and any situation broadcast for that course only instead of having all three on one channel and hearing the guys in the tower talk about getting wheels powder coated or whats for supper.  I know I would much rather get an update on our car as it makes a pass than hear what car is getting ready to make a pass down the 5mile course and how big there motor is.

My opinion
Zach

[cheeto racer]

yes full time pit patroll gets my vote good idea not bad coming from someone who drives a Ford LOL  ok a fast Ford

Funny Mike. Not so fast this year. The Fairlane has identity issues, it thinks it's a roadster.

no roadsters go round and round.. fairlaines. go back and forth back and forth....

[Randall Parker]

Spectators will always be part of racing.  "Courteous" reminders of pit protocol make everyone's experience pleasant and memorable.  You will never be able to eliminate new racer spectators from getting in the way.  It is really our problem to look out for them because we are the veteran racer and we know they will always want to get close to the action and see the cars.  Be courteous, the public's opinion is a powerful tool and we do not want it turned against us.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Realistically, the one place in LSR where a spectator is likely to be hurt is in the pits.  Given what's happened at Lucerne, it might become necessary to patrol the pits, especially if the BLM decides to stick their nose into it. 

related link - http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,8491.0.html

The downside is that SCTA-BNI is a volunteer organization with only so many hands-on-deck.  To have to pony up some cash for security is just one more financial constraint that will get passed down to the racers and the participants.  Still, it would be better to be proactive on this issue than to have a "solution" foisted upon us.

[RichFox]

Seems as though if it's the "Fans" who are causing the problem then it should be the fans who pay for extra patrols. If it comes to that. Pit passes not related to an entry might have to go up in price.

[woz]

As a multi-time visitor to SW I have a few thoughts on the pit congestion & traffic situations.  The biggest issue in my mind for fans is the ability to "get around" the venue.  We enjoy spending time at the starting line, some at the impound / Red Flame / pit areas and most of the time at the 1.5 to 2 mile marks.  I have always thought that some sort of shuttle(s) that would constantly move spectators from the starting line to the pit area would be a cool idea.  You would pay a one time fee, perhaps get a wristband and have the ability to hop on or off as you wish - they could be on a 30 minute or so cycle.  I saw a few car trailers being towed with a bunch of seats on them - that sort of thing but on a grander and more professional scale is what I envision.  I know there are insurance issues and such but an enterprising person (or the organization) could maybe come up with something that would solve some traffic problems and generate some revenue at the same time.  Some folks miss alot by being unable to move about if they don't have something motorized. 

Woz

[oldrodder]

As a very long time racer and fairly new LSR spectator I can agree with most of the posts above.  Hate to think how many times I had to stand on the brakes of my drag car to miss some kid on a mini bike.  However, many racers and thier crew have to share the blame.  I was on my quad, large and bright red, doing about 5 mph when a black Charger squeezed between me and the pit vehicles on my right.  Only inches between me and the car!  Then this idiot moved left and made a right turn in front of me.  When he got out of his car at a well known team pit he was wearing a drivers suit.  In my younger days I would have kicked his ass.
 

[Glen]

Complaints and suggestions regarding Bonneville should be sent to the www.scta-bni.org web site. It's OK to vent on this web but anything official should be directed to them to assure the BNI board is aware of this. Only they can makes changes.

I would bet that most of the offenders were not readers on landracing.com  We have discussed the matter of pit and road to the starting line for years. I think we should add HAMB and landspeed racing to our list to try and get the word out for next year.

Tell your friends as well.

[speediesparks]

  I have to agree with some of the problems,the one that got me, was the five cars on the combo course return road picking up a car that had just finished running,four of the cars didn't have the orange sticker in the window. Make for a very busy return road. I think many people don't have a clue after buying  a day pass or event pass.How about handing out a printed map about where they can and can't go..It would seem very easy to do and wouldn't add a huge cost.I really had a great time at Speedweek this year,but with all the people running around on Saturday,getting there on Sunday is looking a lot better.

[jl222]

Being a life long drag racer I knew what to expect in the pits this year at Bonneville even though it was my first time running a car.  It was a hassle to constantly keep my foot on the brake while getting towed back to our pit so that I wouldn't tag the tow truck.  And how about the pits not having any order to them?  Is it that hard to park in a line and and not have crew vehicles parked in the middle of the aisle.  Up towards the 2club tent there were cars parked every which way and had the entrance/exit to the pits bottle necked like crazy.  We had someone park a rental SUV directly behind our car and neighbors trailer and just left it there running.  No one in sight that would claim the car so we moved it, should have put it in drive and let it disappear over the horizon.  I realize the pits are huge and it would be a huge task to keep all non race related vehicles out but common sense and some courtesy would go a long way. 

Also on my mind... Safety is a huge part of any racing which everyone can agree on.  Land speed racing especially at Bonneville is even more crucial because of the distance between cars crews and safety personell.  So why is there no better way to communicate.  Many times over the week I would hear someone ask permission to cross a course or go to a stopped vehicle on the course and not get any answer from race officials.  Would it be that hard to have a channel for each course and have the speeds and any situation broadcast for that course only instead of having all three on one channel and hearing the guys in the tower talk about getting wheels powder coated or whats for supper.  I know I would much rather get an update on our car as it makes a pass than hear what car is getting ready to make a pass down the 5mile course and how big there motor is.

My opinion
Zach

 As far as order and parking of pit vehicles, this year [ for some reason,does any one know] the assigned pit area per entry was less than half as deep as in other years resulting in crew cars parking in the middle of the aisle.

              JL222

[Jonny Hotnuts]

Dont get me wrong...I love the spectators and I try and take the time to talk to everyone even if I am busy and very involved with something.

I had the same though as Woz, a little train that continually circled a loop around the pits may really help, lets face it....its hard to walk for very long in the heat and sun.
(finding a suitable tram and someone to drive it may prove to be a SOB however)


Another alternative is to charge 25$ for vehicle pit pass....for every motorized vehicle....quad, HD, dirt bike car...whatever.
If someone is caught without the pass....kick them off the salt for a day or pony 50$.

All proceeds could be donated to STS or LR.com.....

~JH

[Richard 2]

Johnny, You got it right. Besides it's in the rule book no drivers under sixteen on pit bikes etc...
and its a problem when your facing 5 oncoming cars on the return road 2 or 3 without orange stickers.

[biglady112]

We were pitted pretty far down on the west side of the pits. We had three vehicles in our pit. I was like the daytona 500 on the west side all week. From the planes touching and going, the mustang doing 130mph+, various other cars doing their own course runs, all the drag racing and bs with atv vehicles, it was pretty dangerous on the west side of the pits. We came over the radio a few times to get someone down there, but no one ever responded.

We were in the big brown and cream school bus and we made 9 runs last week. I had to lay on the horn EVERY time we were approaching the start line. The bus is our motor home, but is is also our shop/support vehicle/push vehicle. When I would honk even other racers would look at me like I was being rediculous and moved at their leisure. Towards the end of the week, I just started moving forward rather than give them a courteous few seconds to move. Kind of a pain in the ass when your driver is in a car for up to 45 minutes sometimes in a five layer 20 suit. Oh, not to mention the dirty looks I got from people when I did move the bus who were using it as shade. It was like I was the devil. When it should have been our car or another racer(which we did do a few times) in the shade of the bus.

[DCarr511]

Just to add my .02 .... its hard enough to get people to work the course as it is let alone ask for more people to put in their time.

[biglady112]

Also, the guy the owned the old yellow "S'cool" bus came begging for an extension cord while we were parked behind the Knight's Inn. The next morning we went looking for him and he was no where to be found. He took the cord and did not return it.