AHRMA Fatality

[PJ]

I was saddened to hear about the death of Jim Swartout at the AHRMA Mid-Ohio event on Friday. He was a friend of a friend of mine.

It's a terrible reality that bad things can and do happen very quickly in motorcycle roadracing.

Godspeed Jim. And let's be careful out there...

[tigerblade]

Godspeed Jim.   :(

[Dawn]

It's always a tragedy when someone dies.  I was deeply saddened when I read this.  

I wonder if the AHRMA will require belly pans in the future......

Dawn   :-[

[clutch]

was it somthing mechanical?  I read here about a belly pan.  Terrible news and may God be with he and his family :(

[Dawn]

was it somthing mechanical?  I read here about a belly pan.

His engine failed on his CB350 and he went down in his own oil.  According the RRW, Mid-Ohio had a problem with a number of bikes oiling down the track this past weekend.

Dawn  

[stickman]

I heard his bike threw a rod, he crashed in his own oil and another racer ran him over. Very, very sad. :'(

http://venus.13x.com/roadracingworld/scripts/NewsInsert.asp?insert=6784

[racer865]

I was at mid ohio with ahrma and there was oil on the track almost constantly . The cornerworkers used enough oildry to clean the exxon valdez spill this weekend. The crash in question was oil related but the rider was stable at the track was transported to the hospital and was stable at the hospital he died of a massive heart attack while in the hospital not directly from injuries sustained in the crash.

[racer865]

I just read the RRW article and this is not what we were told in the tech shed at the track. My earlier post is what I heard. I don't knowwhich is true now. Either way AHRMA needs to mandate belly pans.

[MightyDuc Racing]

Terrible tradgedy.  At least if you have to go, go doing what you love.  R.I.P.  :'(

[Super Dave]

I race with AHRMA quite regularly.

Jim was riding a Yamaha twin, not a CB350.  I off handedly new Jim.

Will AHRMA require belly pans?

I don't know.

You need to understand that this is the only organization that really has real vintage motorcycles racing.  Some are real factory bikes from a particular era.

No one makes a belly pan for a 1969 CR750, let alone a 1976 CB400F,, or a 1979 KZ1000.  Put a belly pan on a CR750 and it won't turn because there is no room with the four into four pipes.  I have personally witnessed no more oil crashes with AHRMA than with CCS, AMA, etc.  

I believe that what happened was a tragedy, but I don't know if belly pans are the answer for AHRMA.  There is a "diaper system" that is available, and I have ridden on a bike with one.  Worked well, and that probably should be mandated.

[Eric Kelcher]

MB diaper system stopped being produced over 18 months ago.

Any other diapers out there?