Autox driver takes out $1500 of timing equipment
#2
Le Mans Master
Ouch. I've come through the timing lights sideways twice (didn't even hit a cone the first time). Never close to the lights though. That would be a bad day. Luckily we usually place ours quite a ways out.
#5
Le Mans Master
my 1st event in the Z06 2 years ago ( on the GY tires ) I spun @ the finish and hit the timer... everyone was more worried about my car than the timer head ( and I was the opposite, thinking that I ruined the day's runs ).
#6
Melting Slicks
And that is a very good reason to have a STOP BOX !!!!
I noticed this would have been a "flying finish" box.
Why don't track/course designers make it a Stop Box?
Where you MUST come to a complete stop
(someone must remove a LARGE cone) for people to exit.
I've seen so much of this kind of thing happening, because people
feel they need to race through the lights, and then the stop box
is not long enough to accommodate aggressive braking.
Make a true stop box, and people will HAVE to control their driving
to cross the lights, and come to a controlled stop within the box.
Hitting any cone in the Stop Box should be a 5 second penalty.
After all, this IS about "Driver Training".
I noticed this would have been a "flying finish" box.
Why don't track/course designers make it a Stop Box?
Where you MUST come to a complete stop
(someone must remove a LARGE cone) for people to exit.
I've seen so much of this kind of thing happening, because people
feel they need to race through the lights, and then the stop box
is not long enough to accommodate aggressive braking.
Make a true stop box, and people will HAVE to control their driving
to cross the lights, and come to a controlled stop within the box.
Hitting any cone in the Stop Box should be a 5 second penalty.
After all, this IS about "Driver Training".
#7
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Oct 2003
Location: New Carlisle IN
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#8
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Oct 2003
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And that is a very good reason to have a STOP BOX !!!!
I noticed this would have been a "flying finish" box.
Why don't track/course designers make it a Stop Box?
Where you MUST come to a complete stop
(someone must remove a LARGE cone) for people to exit.
I've seen so much of this kind of thing happening, because people
feel they need to race through the lights, and then the stop box
is not long enough to accommodate aggressive braking.
Make a true stop box, and people will HAVE to control their driving
to cross the lights, and come to a controlled stop within the box.
Hitting any cone in the Stop Box should be a 5 second penalty.
After all, this IS about "Driver Training".
I noticed this would have been a "flying finish" box.
Why don't track/course designers make it a Stop Box?
Where you MUST come to a complete stop
(someone must remove a LARGE cone) for people to exit.
I've seen so much of this kind of thing happening, because people
feel they need to race through the lights, and then the stop box
is not long enough to accommodate aggressive braking.
Make a true stop box, and people will HAVE to control their driving
to cross the lights, and come to a controlled stop within the box.
Hitting any cone in the Stop Box should be a 5 second penalty.
After all, this IS about "Driver Training".
My dad has is own equipement for timing and do alot of the indiana region NCCC events. In about 15 years of timing, we have only had the lights hit a few times. Luckly every time it was the reflector. We carry backups of both lights, reflectors, and cables just incase.
Last year we had a guy driving a camaro loose it and take out the reflector box. Plastic pieces were every where! Unfortunatly the worst we ever had was the next day we had a guy in a yellow C6 loose it and hit our trailer. In the process he ran over the cords going to the lights and tore those up. The only good part about it was it was at the end of the day and not too many people lost out on runs. I was on the starting line waiting to go out when it happened.
#9
Drifting
That beats what I saw happen ~ 5 years ago in phoenix. **** poor course design had a high speed sweeper right before the exit lights. And the timing trailer was parked close to the lights. You know how people hang out around the trailer? Yeah, well, a helo flew in to get one of them. I heard he lost the leg. No real surprise there, it was crunched between an S2000's RF fender and the tongue of the trailer.
I don't mess with autox now, and just HPDE and make sure my people are safe (behind walls, etc).
I don't mess with autox now, and just HPDE and make sure my people are safe (behind walls, etc).
#11
Team Owner
And that is a very good reason to have a STOP BOX !!!!
I noticed this would have been a "flying finish" box.
Why don't track/course designers make it a Stop Box?
Where you MUST come to a complete stop
(someone must remove a LARGE cone) for people to exit.
I've seen so much of this kind of thing happening, because people
feel they need to race through the lights, and then the stop box
is not long enough to accommodate aggressive braking.
Make a true stop box, and people will HAVE to control their driving
to cross the lights, and come to a controlled stop within the box.
Hitting any cone in the Stop Box should be a 5 second penalty.
After all, this IS about "Driver Training".
I noticed this would have been a "flying finish" box.
Why don't track/course designers make it a Stop Box?
Where you MUST come to a complete stop
(someone must remove a LARGE cone) for people to exit.
I've seen so much of this kind of thing happening, because people
feel they need to race through the lights, and then the stop box
is not long enough to accommodate aggressive braking.
Make a true stop box, and people will HAVE to control their driving
to cross the lights, and come to a controlled stop within the box.
Hitting any cone in the Stop Box should be a 5 second penalty.
After all, this IS about "Driver Training".
There is a cone in the middle of the lane that a worker must remove before the car can proceed at 5 MPH out of the lane. Any cone hit after going through the lights is an automatic DNF.
Hitting the lights is a DNF and the driver pays for any costs to repair/replace the equipment.
#13
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Jun 2002
Location: Charleston South Carolina
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Just put the timing gear 10 feet off the cones, both left and right.
Putting them next to the finish cones is just asking for it. Cones get hit so if you put the gear by the cones then it's going to get hit too.
This looks like poor design. Plenty of room to move the timing gear away from the cones on that runway.
Look at the first two videos in my sig to see where they are placed at National events.
Putting them next to the finish cones is just asking for it. Cones get hit so if you put the gear by the cones then it's going to get hit too.
This looks like poor design. Plenty of room to move the timing gear away from the cones on that runway.
Look at the first two videos in my sig to see where they are placed at National events.
Last edited by TedDBere; 08-12-2010 at 10:17 AM.
#14
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Oct 2007
Location: Akron Ohio
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2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11
It is actually put on by a new club called Vettesports hosted by a buddy of ours. Go to Vettesports.com for details. I will be there the 22nd if you want to come.
#15
As one who has spun out at the finish I can feel for the guy. For reasons mentioned a stop box isn't the right answer for a lot of courses. You don't see them used at divisionals, nationals, or pro-solo's. I am surprised at the price, I have been told the components are significantly less expensive, at least the ones we use in Cal Club. The other side of the coin is we have spares for every component, multiple spares for many. Looking at the video the course wasnt difficult, but the guy wasn't reckless, sounds like he had a passenger, stuff happens in racing. There was one comment about not doing autox and only HPDE, but I have seen as many people hurt and cars damaged at driving events as autox, so I am not sure the comparision holds. Safety is the #1 topic in my region, I assume it is in most.
The advantage HPDE is that you get more than 3 minutes for your hard days work. 10-15 minutes if it's a practice event.
Thanks for the post, good discussion.
The advantage HPDE is that you get more than 3 minutes for your hard days work. 10-15 minutes if it's a practice event.
Thanks for the post, good discussion.
#18
Burning Brakes
Very common course design fail. Drivers should not be held accountable for that.
As mentioned set timers away from the finish cones. My personal beef is courses that have sharp transitions near the finish. Course designers will argue they are trying to slow the cars down at the finish. I say set the finish far enough back to give plenty of braking room AFTER the finish and have the last transition far enough away from it to allow the cars to be on the gas and going straight at the finish timer.
I've even heard of timing trailers hit with this kind of foul up.
As mentioned set timers away from the finish cones. My personal beef is courses that have sharp transitions near the finish. Course designers will argue they are trying to slow the cars down at the finish. I say set the finish far enough back to give plenty of braking room AFTER the finish and have the last transition far enough away from it to allow the cars to be on the gas and going straight at the finish timer.
I've even heard of timing trailers hit with this kind of foul up.
#19
Pro
Member Since: Jun 2008
Location: Philly region SCCA
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Just put the timing gear 10 feet off the cones, both left and right.
Putting them next to the finish cones is just asking for it. Cones get hit so if you put the gear by the cones then it's going to get hit too.
This looks like poor design. Plenty of room to move the timing gear away from the cones on that runway.
Look at the first two videos in my sig to see where they are placed at National events.
Putting them next to the finish cones is just asking for it. Cones get hit so if you put the gear by the cones then it's going to get hit too.
This looks like poor design. Plenty of room to move the timing gear away from the cones on that runway.
Look at the first two videos in my sig to see where they are placed at National events.
#20
Burning Brakes