Chuck Branscomb wrote:
Excellent words Donnie. I guess with age (I'm 48 ) and a background in mechanical engineering, I've always evaluated worker placements at autocross events from a different angle. For example, at Greenville workers were placed in the middle of the course with cars going by (rather closely) on BOTH sides, and with two cars on course there were times when it wasn't possible to easily watch just one car. That was an example of a very dangerous station since if you had to run, you might run into the path of another car...the type of thing when the club officers are in court and the attorney is grilling them with "what were you thinking?" type of stuff, there really won't be an answer.
From what I've seen over the years, almost nobody expects or plans for the worst case outcome. One tends to get drawn into a sense of "normal" after watching hundreds of runs with cars more or less on line. These worst case event potentials are much higher than the old days given the suspension setups and more importantly TIRES we have now. Few have respect for how long it will take to dissipate the energy in a car that looses it or has a mechanical failure. When you're working the course and have one of those coming at you, it is VERY hard to judge accurately which way to run (and if it’s a 95th percentile driver, he'll probably object fixate on you and "try not to hit you" which of course will lead him right over your tail).
[/soapbox off]
Chuck
Chuck,
The decision in Greenville we considered a reasonable risk. There shouldn't have been situations when the two cars were approaching the worker station truly simulataneously at least that was the plan, I wasn't watching the whole time though.
I guess I may have been desensitized a bit by running VMP events. In my decade of autocross its one of the only places I've feared for my life as a course worker. They usually set up all the worker stations down the middle of the lot at the light poles there. And the course goes by both directions and is usually very fast. When you have Mike Johson in a C5 Z06 going by in one direction at 75+ and Rod McGeorge approaching the other direction at 60+ in a C6 Z06 it can tend to raise the pulse rate a little.
Oh, and these cars are significantly closer than they were to the worker station in Greenville. Sometimes as closer than 25 yds. You do have a light pole there, for "protection" but as narrow as the base is, its really unclear if that helps or hurts, just seems to throw some randomness and unpredictability into the situation more than anything as its hard to say which direction the light pole will deflect the car. Since there is a car speeding by the other direction, it kinda limits the direction one can run too. Both cars spin out at once, and your just the meat in a Corvette sandwich.
Not that unsafe practices at VMP excuse unsafe practices at THSCC events though. As AXVP this year, I leave an "open door" policy on safety. If you are being asked to do something you feel is unsafe, feel free to bring it up with me. I promise to give your concern serious consideration, but reserve the right to just tell you to shove off.
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