Teaching people about what an Impact Zone is?

[lokisdog]

So the BW race was run very well as whole, but I want to ask CCS to make a better effort at educating riders to move themselves AND their bikes out of the impact zone if they crash.

Two incidents stood out as very bad, one during the Sportbike race when 3 riders crashed in turn 1 at the beginning of the race. One rider moved but left his bike, the other two riders stood around with their bikes all laying directly in the impact zone at the end of the straightaway.

The worst was the idiot in the MW GP race who crashed on the last turn before the straight on lap one. He not only stayed in the impact zone, he stood his bike up and then sat on it the rest of the race. If someone had lost it and headed towards him he would have had no where to go. Someone outbraking themselves could have easily target fixated on him and t-boned him. Not a pretty picture for either rider.

While it is sometimes not possible to move the bike, whenever it is the rider or a corner worker should make every effort to get it out of the way. Even if they don't care about themsleves, they should do it for the rest of us who may suffer when our harmless lowside takes us directly into them and their downed bike, making it a much more severe crash than it needed to be.

CCS officials, please make an effort to ensure this kind of stupidity doesn't happen anymore.

Thanks

- Eric Arnold
#235 AM Pac Region

[Decreasing_Dave]

Deep breaths Eric...first in....then out.....now repeat

 ;D

[MightyDuc Racing]

That reminds me of a funny one.  When I blew my motor back in March, I was sitting for the majority of the practice.  Watched a green t-shirt crash in T7, for the second day in a row, then proceed to walk around in the impact zone looking for parts until I finally yelled at him and told him to move.  The corner-workers looked at me like I was nuts...then there was a collective light bulb that popped over all of their heads at once and they all gave me the DOH! look...lol.  Sometimes in the heat of the moment, people just forget to think, I guess.  I personally don't stay in the zone cuz I don't feel like adding insult to injury by being hit again.  I did, however, stand in the impact zone in the water at Moroso with my bike until the field came by and I could push it across the track to dry land, but for only about a minute or so since I was the first bike through.  Looking back..not safe, but I was in knee deep water...what could I do...LOL.

[dwilson]

When I went down at Summit Point in May (my only "real" crash) I stood a bit off the track looking at my newly wrecked bike.  The corner worker started yelling over to me to get to the corner worker station.  I guess they're well trained there.  I've noticed they always get downed riders away from the track.  
Just another reason I like Summit  ;D

[coyn586]

....If a bike, rider goes off and his her bike is either on the track, or IN an impact zone..  they should red-flag the thing..  

Having a rider in the impact zone is not only a danger to that rider, but a danger to all the other riders out there.  I also don't think a rider who crashes in an impact area should move their crashed motorcycle..  Picking the thing up off the ground merely creates a bigger target for someone to fixate on...  Geez!  If you crash..  GTF away from the thing..  get as far away from it as you possibly can!
  

[MightyDuc Racing]

Sorry, if my bike's rideable and safe, I'm getting back on it and finishing the race.  If it's laying on the track on the race line, that's different.  In defense of the cornerworkers in my story, the newbie was on the other side of the track from them, and didn't seem too bright...lol.  His bike was not in the impact zone, as he crashed cuz he was offline really bad, but he actually walked INTO the zone to look for parts from the crash from the day before...lol.

[coyn586]

Sorry, if my bike's rideable and safe, I'm getting back on it and finishing the race.

If you crash..  how can you tell if its safe..  it may be rideable, but not safe..  something you can't see with that casual glimpse may be wrong..  This is why WSMC does not allow you to pick up the bike and finish after a crash..  

[TreyBone]

I will say

CORNERWORKERS IN THE SOUTHEAST AND MID-ATLANTIC REGIONS KICK ASS....

W

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

 If you crash..  GTF away from the thing..  get as far away from it as you possibly can!
  

I take it you never cornerworked before?

[twg]

CMRA corner workers get the bike(s) away from the impact zone.  Corner workers at professional racing events clear the impact zone.  Why don't some CCS corner workers do it?  Red flags are not always required (unless the bike and/or rider are on the racing line); however, waving yellows are, aren't they?  Then doesn't that eliminate passing in that turn or area?  The bottom line is that the bike and rider should be moved from an impact zone as soon a possible keeping safety of the riders and crew in mind.

[coyn586]

I take it you never cornerworked before?

why don't you ask CCS riders Brian #1, Corey #2, Dave #909, Little-Nicky #505 if I've cornerworked before!

are you saying riders that have crashed and are in an impact zone should stay where they are, and try and stand their bikes up, and possibly get back on the track??    I must ask you what you asked me..  Have you cornerworked before?  

[prov431]

I'll say one thing, when I cornerwork, usually as a runner, it is my job to get the RIDER, then the BIKE out of harms way (impact zone) I won't even think about doing this if I can't do it safely (as in, I'm not getting my butt run over)
I make every attempt once I'm at the scene to move everything along as quickly as possible too, but as I'm sure you're aware, when a bike goes down, it's usually missing levers or wheels are bent. The damn things require super human strength to move at times.
I'm done now, and yes, Mid-Atlantic workers kick ass.