Shenandoah - safety is our responsibility

[mrfastguy]

Thank you everybody for the quick and thoughtful replies.  While I am always right about everything, all the time....just ask any of my ex-girlfriends :), I can appreciate the right of other riders to race on Shenandoah if they feel it is safe to do so.  Most riders have not had the opportunity to test the track for themselves prior to this weekend so they could not make their own evaluation until now.  


While the track's tight nature and low average speed probably contributed to the reduced seriousness of the crashes that did happen, I still see the potential of very serious collisions between riders and concrete.  Because we were fortunate to not have a serious incident this weekend, it is dangerous to conclude the track is OK.  Because you are fortunate to not have a serious incident after getting drunk in a bar and driving home, it is dangerous to conclude it is OK to drink and drive.

I don't advocate anyone forcing anyone to race or not to race.  But for those of us who believe the track is unsafe, we ARE being forced to choose between racing on an unsafe track and pursuing championship points in the Mid-Atlantic region.  >:( THIS IS THE PROBLEM.  If there were no points at Shenendoah races "forcing" racers to choose between points and safety, then I wouldn't have a problem.   Well... that's not entirely true.  I would have a problem because I would be gravely concerned about my friends/competitors who did choose to race there.

I think we have a responsibility to ourselves and each other to reflect long and hard over the safety conditions at Shenandoah, and to collectively make a decision ourselves.  The worst thing we can do is just blindly accept things.  

[PJ721]

Yes, I WILL BE THERE. I need all the points i can get to win the AM Thunderbike championship. Just have to get enough points to get in front of the current points leader.  ;)

hey I think that would be me  :D
so Chris how'd you do? I'm Guessing that I'll have to run the October event - unless you aren't going to VIR that is  ;D

[Thumper881]

Paul, What happened ?? I saw Eric.
 Sounds like he's gunnin for ya!!

[badmonkey]

Hey guys look at the results they are now posted, turnout was pathetic . No wonder people had a great time . 6-8 bike grids wtf . How can you call that racing. So as long as there are under 10 bikes on the grid the track is safe. What a joke...
I guess the turnout shows you how safe people feel about the track.

[PJ721]

Paul, What happened ?? I saw Eric.
 Sounds like he's gunnin for ya!!

wasnt too sure about running the new track...and with doing Roebling and Barber and a week in the Outer Banks in between + work - was just really burnt out  :P

[gpstar1]

hey I think that would be me  :D
so Chris how'd you do? I'm Guessing that I'll have to run the October event - unless you aren't going to VIR that is  ;D

I did pretty well there, the grids were very small, but I was doing battel with 178 Joe Caulghy.We were doing lap times of 1:38 / 1:39 I will be at VIR and the double points event at SP.  Don't really want to run that TT course again, but gotta do what I gotta do.

[CCS]

Rain all day Saturday had as much to do with small grids as anything else. It is the same problem at the Summit Circuit, it rains and 50% of the field becomes no-shows. If it is forecasted to rain over the weekend, turnout drops by 30%-50% so weather is still a huge factor regardless of the track you race on.

There is not a track in this country that has enough run-off to accommodate a complete brake failure at the end of its fastest section. Period.

Fastest speed attained at Shenandoah was 115 mph on the bridge straight where the largest amount of run-off is located. (About the same amount of run-off as there is in turn 3 on the main course.)  Second fastest area was on the front straight coming up to the "Sponge-Bob" chicane at 105 where there is no wall to hit if you blow it going in. Apex speed of the front straight chicane was 35 mph, coming out at 40-45 and reaching the fourth fastest area, turn one at 80 mph. (Turn one at Shenandoah has more run-off than turn 4 at the main track and a slower entrance speed.)

Roger Edmondson said it best, "Zeal without knowledge is a dangerous thing." Those who rode there under race conditions have the knowledge necessary to make a decision. Those who did not ride must rely on the knowledge obtained by others, either way the decision is up to each individual rider and all we can hope for is that your decision is based on correct information, not speculation from those who did not experience the track with its chicanes and safety measures in place.

[Thumper881]

Are you guy's happy now :o You just woke up the sleeping giant ::)

[badmonkey]

I've seen bigger grids at roebling in the rain.

[PJ721]

Are you guy's happy now :o You just woke up the sleeping giant ::)

oh like you've never done that before!  ;D

[Thumper881]

Who me?? I'm the quiet one ;)

[PJ721]

yea ok  ::)