Shenandoah - safety is our responsibility

[mrfastguy]

I am disturbed many of my fellow racers have so easily jeopardized our personal safety to satisfy their shortsighted urge to race or to accumulate championship points.  I have raced with CCS since the 1980's and I haven't missed a CCS race weekend at Summit Pt in over 10 years..... until this past weekend.  

I believe the track at Shenandoah is WAY past any grey area regarding safety for motorcycle racing and I refuse to race on it.  (I have ridden on the track as a rider representative during CCS and WERA safety evaluations).  Our best opportunity as racers to take a stand and make a statement was this first event.  Now, the decision makers at CCS/Clear Channel have been given the message by those of you who raced last weekend, that we have no minimum standards for our safety.  

It's not about "being afraid" to ride on the new track.  We put ourselves at risk everywhere we race.  But when we race, we take reasonable precautions to minimize our risk.  We wear helmets and leathers.  We ensure our bikes are functioning properly with good brakes.  We ride competitively, but we ride in control so we don't jeopardize ourselves or our competitors.

To race on a track we know to be unsafe is like racing on a bike we know has a leaking oil seal that could fail.  Or a bike with a missing masterlink clip that can throw a chain.  Either one is a potentially catastrophic accident waiting to happen that can seriously hurt you, and those around you.

In our personal lives, in business, and in sports,  we are treated by others based on how we treat ourselves.  If you fool around on your spouse, if you don't honor your part of a contract, or if you cheat to win a game, you are showing you have no respect for yourself.  Others will see that and will also treat you with the same lack of respect.

We have to DEMAND from the race promoters certain minimum standards.  If we do not, the standards will inevitably decline. This applies to holding races at safe facilities, having enough corner workers and ambulances, fairly enforcing the rule book, accurately maintaining the point standings, and all the other essential functions of a racing organization.

I remember racing at tracks with no flush toilets, no hot showers, no electricity, dirt pit areas, 3 hour registration and tech inspection lines, 14 year old corner workers, no PA systems and other substandard conditions we now take for granted.
  
Send a message to CCS and the track owners that Shenandoah is not safe and we will not compromise our standards for $5.00 trophies or a few points.

I believe my fellow racers who participated this weekend have taken our sport a giant step backwards and I am disappointed.

[mrfastguy]

I forgot to sign my John Hancock....

MrFastGuy is Arthur Diaz CCS #1 and WERA #83.
(18 year CCS veteran and self appointed safety advocate)

[Ryan125]

Why do people judge something before they try it??? cause its soooo odd that we got threw a hole weekend on such a "dangerous" track with out anyone getting hurt. Is it cause people wernt trying??? no. I for one had fun!!! and I know that most people I talked to had fun as well!! You have to try it before you judge it!!!! But please dont try to encourage people to join on your bandwagon because thats the way you feel. Encourage people to make up their own minds AFTER they try it.
     As for the track its self. It has more grip than a rabid pit bull! lol. but really its insane how much you can load the front and not push it. I was even trailing it in to turns in the RAIN!!!
     But enough already... JUST TRY IT! do a track day, do the friday practice, do one sprint. And after that if you dont like it, dont ride it. Its not like now that this track is open all others will close. but if you want my 2 cents on the track, IT ROCKS!!!! hell I pre-registered, and once I did the practice I added races!!! I went all out in every race, just in case people watchin couldnt tell!!

[njracer]

THis is nothing new.  It's just like the TPM airfence we can use but CCS will not put up.  Same thing.  You bring up the airfence and they tell you it takes an army to put up, maintain and take down when the truth is it only takes a couple of people.

I decided to sit out this weekend to hear what people had to say.  I'm still waiting for some race reports but my guess is people are scared to voice their opinion.

Oh well....at least WERA was smart and changed the September race to the main track..I still don't understand why CCS didn;t jump all over that date.

njracer

[castle228]

Art, with all do respect....

I don't think ANYONE forced anyone, this past weekend, to come out and race. They made the decision on their own. Shenandoah seems to me (from a cornerworkers perspective) to be an extremely technical course. Yes, there's lots and lots and lots of jersey barriers, but the majority of those jersey barriers are covered by foam bails and/or airfence. And I'm not saying that the track completly and 100% safe....and, in the same sense, no track is 100% safe. There's always going to be incidents no matter what the situation or layout of the track.

I saw quite a few "get-offs" this weekend. Each of them was fairly low-speed and every rider got up and walked away. One rider did make impact with a foam bail on Friday and the ambulance was dispatched, but that rider got up and was not transported to the hospital. In fact, zero riders were transported. Can you tell me the last time zero riders were transported to a hospital during a weekend on the Summit Point circuit? I think it's been several years.

I'm not trying to say anyone is right or wrong for racing or not racing due to their personal opinion. Just stating what I observed and my .02.

[SVbadguy]

I had a great time racing this past weekend.  I found the track to be very fun and challenging.  This was the first Summit motorcycle event that I've been to this year, be it racing or cornerworking, that someone wasn't MEDIVACed must less even moderately injured.

The speeds are so slow that you'd be lucky if you even slid off the track.  A lap time of 1:39 equates to an average speed of just 58mph.  Lap record speed about 62mph average.

I found that I'm more cautious and leary on the main course.  There are more places on the main that I would not want to crash.  I felt just as comfortable as at Barber.  Much of that is due to the great and consistent traction and relative smoothness, things that can't be said about the main course.

[Thumper881]

 ??? Art,
 I understand your passion for the sport. I haven't been racing that long,but I have  endured all of those conditions. In some ways I believe this is still a fledgling sport in this country,and we take what we can get. On the other hand we have a wealth of experience in racing amongst our rank's to come up with a solution to this dilemma. Blaming people for wanting to race dispite the short comings of the new circuit is misdirected. We need to join together to keep improving what we have to work with. I don't see investor's lining up to build us new track's.I ask you as a( Champion )of our sport,to help us with these issues. I was there this weekend but I can't say I raced, but I rode the track enough to see that there was alot of room for improvement.I pray that those are made before someone get's hurt. My hat's off to all the talented rider's that braved the course this last weekend. They rode FAST,but mainly they rode SMART. We need your voice on our side. You know me. I love this sport as much as anyone. All I want is for it to grow. Maybe someday it will be as popular as (I dare to say) NASCAR. Feel free to respond,I value your opinion.
     Anybody else care to take a crack!!!

[Gixxerblade]

Nobody forces racers to ride the IOM TT but they come out anyway. I didn't make it this last weekend because I had to go to work on Monday and I didn't feel like riding 9/10th's the whole weekend. It was my choice. I felt the track was unsafe to a point and CHOSE not to ride. I don't think CCS is at fault for having an event at Shennie I think that it was our own personal choice to either race or not to race.

[eh427]

I raced at the track this weekend and I can say that I didn't feel comfortable going at a race pace bar to bar with someone. There are too many places to get hurt if something goes wrong. There aren't many safe passing zones and I think it would be a problem if more people showed up than what did, not to mention there might not be enough parking area in the pits. Therefore I just rode at 9/10th pace just to be safe. In general I thought the track layout was good and fun but alot has to be done to make it safer. I talked to Bill Scott, the owner, and expressed my opinion on what needed to be done.

[eh427]

Also, just because nobody got injured doesn't mean its a safe track. I think most people were riding smart. I would just hate to see somthing happen to someone like Vincent Haskovec before they decided to change it.

[gpstar1]

I really didn't like the track too much this weekend. There really isn't too many places to pass on the track, and I didn't like racing that close to the wall going through the chicane on the front streight. I really didn't feel comfortable on the track. The one thing it did have was grip, and alot of it, even in the rain. If I wasn't running for points I don't think I would run it again, but I had to race there being I missed the last 2 events.Don't get me wrong I had a great time this past weekend and there was some good racing, but I just had to hold back and I really couldn't give it my all on that track. I think if there is a bigger crowd there in October, there could be some problems.

[PJ721]

so for those that did race it this time...what are your thoughts if nothing is changed and it is run as is for the Oct event? will you go?