X2

 

man this same old thing gets old after a while.

 

You are all correct and I am tired of it as well. Pat will just not let go and anything I'm involved with he believes is because I am out to get him. Better yet I own or influence everyone to go out and get him for me. I've been racing, cars, trucks, boats and motorcycles for along time and would like to see it continue into the future. Let's face it people that allow us to race are not doing it for the fun of it. They are there to make money and if something is going to cost them money they get rid of it. The tracks are not going to redo guard rails or change the layout of the track for heavy weight vehicles. So it's up to us to show them that were doing everything we can and if that means rules change then so be it. This whole discussion is going on to try and find common ground to support our case for allowing heavy weight vehicle the same place to race as all the other cars. NHRA nor IHRA currently have a diesel class. Anyone wonder why? If they thought it would make them money do you not think they would have set a class up for it by now.

 

DT, I dont know you, your background or anything about you, so please take this with a grain of salt (I might be full of it) but I disagree with at least part of your above statement.

Now if I am following the gist of this shitshow you and McRat are discussing, (someone-a governing body like DHRA) will decide to introduce and enforce either stricter rules OR change the ET that the rules come into force (12s - 11.5s). Why would this same governing body that sactions these races NOT enforce a barrier change at tracks across the country. You in particular keep using the MASS or WEIGHT of these trucks as the primary reason for them requiring more protection. Well anybody that has passed grade 9 physics also knows that force can be increased with SPEED as well. I think we can all agree that ALL vehicles that are drag racing today are running much higher speeds than ever before. It doesnt matter if its an alcohol car or a diesel truck. Records are being broken at tracks all across the coutry year after year. So if ALL vehicles are travelling with more FORCE then ALL of them are more dangerous. The valid points regarding trucks are that they combine BOTH weight and speed, but still run far slower than many other vehicles. I think a sanctioning body WOULD be very interested in looking at better barriers to avoid future accidents.

Now, you state that owners wont want to pay for these changes...well racers dont want to pay for changes like a cage either. The big difference here is that the track owners only make money by hosting events and filling seats. Now if there is going to be an accident of any kind, I would think that the risk of a waiver carrying driver is far outweighed by the potential lawsuit of 100 injured spectators.

Now, I want to bring up one other point as well. You mentioned heavy-weight vehicles above, and maybe the US is different than Canada, but I have attended drags since I was a little kid and there have always been heavy classes up here. Tow trucks, 1-tons, semis, you name it, people race it! Are you telling me that in the US there are none of these classes currently?

As far as NHRA NOT having a diesel class...I *think* there is a simple answer! Nobody has seriously raced diesels until recently! Why doesnt NHRA have an airplane class??? The Red Bull air race is one of the biggest air races in the world...makes tons of money but NHRA isnt into that! Airplanes are not considered hot rods and until lately neither have diesels.

Anyways, I dont mean for this to be a jab, just asking what I think are valid questions!
Thanks!

 

in January of 2005 US 19 Dragway in Albany GA had a Mustang launch OVER the double height gaurdrail that they use, clipped a light pole, and landed on the hood of a truck and narrowly missed a large group of people. the owner at the time John Baldwin (to cover his *** and to help contain accidents to the track) brought in concrete barriers like they use on the interstate during construction and lined the sides of the track all the way to the finishline before the next race weekend. he did it for safety, and there are a few other racers in ORSCA that refuse to race at a track that has metal gaurd rails like Albany has unless they have some sort of reinforcement behind them. if Breakaway had had these barriers in place and steel beams in the ground instead of those wooden post, that obviously didn't withstand the impact, this accident wouldn't have been so bad.....


well up until the last 5 years or so noone has been doing anything impressive with diesel motorsports. i see them having a diesel class once the diesel racers start dominating in the classes they can run in and NHRA and IHRA seperate them from the rest of the field.....

 

I will agree that the better barriers would be nice but again I do not think it going to happen and secondly the discussion were in is about the vehicles themselves and how to protect the driver. I believe its a one step at a time thing that they are looking at. As far as heavy weight racing here it's been more of a special event type race only for big rigs. They only run once in awhile and diesel pickups are now becoming more common place at the weekend test and tunes.
NHRA has only just allowed diesels to race in any class at all so it will be awhile before they allow a class all to there own and maybe just maybe that why it's been looked at now. I for sure do not have all the answers but do know when I see the writing on the wall that somethings going to be done. Getting some input from people of what can be done and what cannot be done is all this is about. Finding common ground to show things that can be done that would not effect the truck too much for it's daily use and yet show that were willing to look at change if necessary.
Let's face it 5 years ago there were not any 9 second full size pickup trucks running around that could be driven to and from the track but today there is a few. Tomorrow they will be more. A common time slip in 2004 was a 15 second pickup today its a 13 second pickup. There has always been faster trucks but the majority are still running slower than a 13 second 1/4 mile. Now what happens in 2 more years if times drop at the same pace and they become as popular as cars at the track?
People are asking and looking at what were all doing so we had better be willing to fit in and keep it safe. There are currently three groups running races across the US and maybe more in Canada but the sport is growing and I would like to see it continue.

 

All great points but I for one have to agree that if anyone mandated that I needed a cage to race then I just wouldnt go to those events...Now, its easy for me to say this since I dont drag race, and dont have a truck that would reach these times or even close!

I am still confused about one point though...Why all the concern if its truly from the track owners perspective about making it safer for the driver? Out of concern for human safety is one thing, but you have refferrred to the track owners and insurance companies leading me to believe that this is a legal issue should a driver be hurt or even killed. Dont all drivers sign a waiver, no liability form therefore removing both the track owner and insurance company from any legal ramifications?

 

Kinda....there can be negligence cases at times.

Reference Doug Wolfgang. Doug is a good man and damn near burned to death in a sprint car because of shitty at best fire protection at the track. He sued, won, and was branded by some in the racing community as a giant piece of crap for doing it.

However, many others praised him for having the ***** to say through his lawyers what racers had been thinking for a long time---in short, that many tracks don't give a F about the racers, only the asses in the seats buying the tickets.

How it relates directly to damage caused by a roll bar issue, I dunno. But tracks can be found liable in civil court even if the driver signs a waiver, depending on the severity of the situation.

Back on topic.....

 

Unfortunately thats true. Far too many tracks are worried about filling seats than the safety of the racers. We need to protect ourselves from such places but putting cages in 15 second trucks is just radical overkill.

 

and something to make the race tucks better is having a better set up for draggin, so hopefully you wont have to use/need the roll cage...

Back to topic though, that proposed theory about vehicles with a kinetic energy, if an 14000lb semi truck was to have say 550hp(which pretty much factory hp) that would require him to have at least a roll bar in his truck with the amount of kinetic energy he is making at the end of the track? make you scratch your head


Trying to make people who just want to run down that track a few times in their 13 truck alot more expensive than buying a tuner 10 times more expensive is just outrageous