You wimps and your roll cages and HANS devices...
04-13-2011, 02:20 PM
#1
Team Owner
Thread Starter
You wimps and your roll cages and HANS devices...
04-13-2011, 02:58 PM
#2
Team Owner
They died like flies back then. It looks so dumb now to do that. I can say when I raced offshore boats even just 20 years ago it was on par with the car video. You sat or stood and hung on to the wheel and prayed. I guess we didn't even do that because it was always going to happen to the other guy not me.
Water hitting you in the face at 80-120 mph tearing you out of the boat or stuffing you under the deck. Some helmets split right across the back from the force along with the guys skull. Unfortunately things happened many many times. Fellow racers were in the drivers meeting one day and a boat sticker the follow day at the World Championships. Happen most years someone or more than one bought the farm.
It even happen to some guys testing boats.
Yet it was only in the late 80's where things started to change not 60 or more years ago. Watching cars with a horse shoe tube shorter than their head you wonder what were they thing.
Water hitting you in the face at 80-120 mph tearing you out of the boat or stuffing you under the deck. Some helmets split right across the back from the force along with the guys skull. Unfortunately things happened many many times. Fellow racers were in the drivers meeting one day and a boat sticker the follow day at the World Championships. Happen most years someone or more than one bought the farm.
It even happen to some guys testing boats.Yet it was only in the late 80's where things started to change not 60 or more years ago. Watching cars with a horse shoe tube shorter than their head you wonder what were they thing.
04-13-2011, 03:29 PM
#4
Safety Car
04-13-2011, 03:35 PM
#5
Team Owner
We definately saw some deaths in the vid. I was coming back from a race in Boston with a boat. Stupid partner was driving about 80 with surge brakes downhill as the trailer starts to rip SUV back and forth on the road I told him to accelerate. I was in the rear seat lying down. He didn't and the Dodge Ram Charger rolled over three times. He passed the truck he wanted (a fellow competitor) They witnessed the whole thing unfold on I-95 in Conn. Luggage comes out the back window, chest of tools of which both opening & exploding on impact all over the highway. Third thing was my body at about 60 mph lucky for me it was just road rash on my side & back. The most astounding thing was the boat and trailer never flipped. It ended up ahead of the vehicle with three wraps on the safety chains. That is how we knew the vehicle rolled 3 times. Getting spit out was no fun and I realized I was on pavement so I just ran towards green instinctively. When I got to the side I checked my head first for blood. Lucky I was fine except for scrapes.
Some guys in the vid were very lucky too. Some not
They didn't even know what TV was back then never mind they would be on youtube.
04-13-2011, 03:37 PM
#6
Safety Car
We definately saw some deaths in the vid. I was coming back from a race in Boston with a boat. Stupid partner was driving about 80 with surge brakes downhill as the trailer starts to rip SUV back and forth on the road I told him to accelerate. I was in the rear seat lying down. He didn't and the Dodge Ram Charger rolled over three times. He passed the truck he wanted (a fellow competitor) They witnessed the whole thing unfold on I-95 in Conn. Luggage comes out the back window, chest of tools of which both opening & exploding on impact all over the highway. Third thing was my body at about 60 mph lucky for me it was just road rash on my side & back. The most astounding thing was the boat and trailer never flipped. It ended up ahead of the vehicle with three wraps on the safety chains. That is how we knew the vehicle rolled 3 times. Getting spit out was no fun and I realized I was on pavement so I just ran towards green instinctively. When I got to the side I checked my head first for blood. Lucky I was fine except for scrapes.
Some guys in the vid were very lucky too. Some not
They didn't even know what TV was back then never mind they would be on youtube.
04-13-2011, 04:22 PM
#7
Team Owner
I had to go back and tow the boat home the next day. I was going slow to say the least and not real comfortable
People or should I say entire family following were crying and yelling he's dead. They drove me home in the back (bed and cap) of their dooley with their son about 7 patting down the blood on me and saying "don't worry Mr. Man you will be OK" I was laughing so hard it hurt in the condition I was in.
It was one of my better days
I know I was lying down and then on the ground no memory of in between flying out the window or even hitting the ground. I felt pavement and knew to run!
People or should I say entire family following were crying and yelling he's dead. They drove me home in the back (bed and cap) of their dooley with their son about 7 patting down the blood on me and saying "don't worry Mr. Man you will be OK" I was laughing so hard it hurt in the condition I was in.It was one of my better days
I know I was lying down and then on the ground no memory of in between flying out the window or even hitting the ground. I felt pavement and knew to run!
04-13-2011, 05:13 PM
#8
Race Director
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W. Detroit Events Coordinator
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Doesn't look like they had a shortage of drivers either
04-13-2011, 05:16 PM
#9
Race Director
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Location: Plymouth MI Formerly Milford, MA MI
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W. Detroit Events Coordinator
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We definately saw some deaths in the vid. I was coming back from a race in Boston with a boat. Stupid partner was driving about 80 with surge brakes downhill as the trailer starts to rip SUV back and forth on the road I told him to accelerate. I was in the rear seat lying down. He didn't and the Dodge Ram Charger rolled over three times. He passed the truck he wanted (a fellow competitor) They witnessed the whole thing unfold on I-95 in Conn. Luggage comes out the back window, chest of tools of which both opening & exploding on impact all over the highway. Third thing was my body at about 60 mph lucky for me it was just road rash on my side & back. The most astounding thing was the boat and trailer never flipped. It ended up ahead of the vehicle with three wraps on the safety chains. That is how we knew the vehicle rolled 3 times. Getting spit out was no fun and I realized I was on pavement so I just ran towards green instinctively. When I got to the side I checked my head first for blood. Lucky I was fine except for scrapes.
Some guys in the vid were very lucky too. Some not
They didn't even know what TV was back then never mind they would be on youtube.
04-13-2011, 05:32 PM
#10
Former Vendor
I heard that a couple years ago at the track.
04-13-2011, 06:25 PM
#11
Team Owner
or did I get a bump
04-13-2011, 07:52 PM
#12
Racer
Like listening to the Apollo astronaut interviews, riding on the pointy end of 7.5 million lbs of thrust, 2 kiloton nuke bomb worth of fuel behind you, 1 in 3 chance you weren't coming back, and they had guys lined up a mile long that would ride that thing if you wouldn't. 
04-13-2011, 08:55 PM
#13
Le Mans Master
Like listening to the Apollo astronaut interviews, riding on the pointy end of 7.5 million lbs of thrust, 2 kiloton nuke bomb worth of fuel behind you, 1 in 3 chance you weren't coming back, and they had guys lined up a mile long that would ride that thing if you wouldn't. 
04-14-2011, 09:20 AM
#17
Le Mans Master
When I first started racing dirt track we drove a street car to the track, changed tires and wheels and raced. A neat invention was to tie a rope to the back of the seat to hold you in place. A lot of guys died or lost arms or were burnt to hell.
Anyone remember "Fireball Roberts" (Glenn Roberts)? He died in Charlotte after a crash at CMS and was burned almost over all of his body. He lived for about a month and died of fluid in his lungs from a cold.
AAHHH, the BAD OLD DAYS! We were all stupid but it was fun!
Take a look at my left arm and hand if you ever see me. It went out of a car at North Wilksboro and I am lucky to have it. My left hand has four plastic joints in it and my right foot has one!
Jim
Anyone remember "Fireball Roberts" (Glenn Roberts)? He died in Charlotte after a crash at CMS and was burned almost over all of his body. He lived for about a month and died of fluid in his lungs from a cold.
AAHHH, the BAD OLD DAYS! We were all stupid but it was fun!
Take a look at my left arm and hand if you ever see me. It went out of a car at North Wilksboro and I am lucky to have it. My left hand has four plastic joints in it and my right foot has one!
Jim
04-14-2011, 09:23 AM
#18
Safety Car
When I first started racing dirt track we drove a street car to the track, changed tires and wheels and raced. A neat invention was to tie a rope to the back of the seat to hold you in place. A lot of guys died or lost arms or were burnt to hell.
Anyone remember "Fireball Roberts" (Glenn Roberts)? He died in Charlotte after a crash at CMS and was burned almost over all of his body. He lived for about a month and died of fluid in his lungs from a cold.
AAHHH, the BAD OLD DAYS! We were all stupid but it was fun!
Take a look at my left arm and hand if you ever see me. It went out of a car at North Wilksboro and I am lucky to have it. My left hand has four plastic joints in it and my right foot has one!
Jim
Anyone remember "Fireball Roberts" (Glenn Roberts)? He died in Charlotte after a crash at CMS and was burned almost over all of his body. He lived for about a month and died of fluid in his lungs from a cold.
AAHHH, the BAD OLD DAYS! We were all stupid but it was fun!
Take a look at my left arm and hand if you ever see me. It went out of a car at North Wilksboro and I am lucky to have it. My left hand has four plastic joints in it and my right foot has one!
Jim
04-14-2011, 07:21 PM
#19
Melting Slicks
