TWS Safety Petition

Originally posted by Alex:
There's a petition to improve safety conditions at TWS (this one specifically targets a regular accident spot). Please take the time to read through it and sign it! (I'm posting here because safety concerns all racers, and many come in from different regions).

http://www.petitiononline.com/tirewall/petition.html


Thanks,
Alex
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I find this a bit curious. How did this (these) accidents occur? Despite driving an ITS car, I've never had occasion to come anywhere near that wall at the exit of the esses. I certainly never use a line that leads up there. Even when passing people at the exit of the esses I usually don't end up there.

So again, I'm asking because I'm curious.


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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com
 
Originally posted by jhooten:
Link not working. What does the petition say?
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Basically that the outside wall on the banking needs to be protected by a tire barrier and some ways down the straight I might add.

I agree that the wall there is an unforgiving barrier, but I still would like to know how people are destroying cars on it. I mean, I think even if my steering/suspension broke on the entry to the front straight, I would still be able to burn most of the speed off before hitting the wall.

But, I am concerned about safety and have an open mind.


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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com
 
Personally I have seen three cars hit the wall entering the front straight at speed. Two of them (seperate incidents) were loss of control in the water that runs across the track at that point in heavy rain. I don't remember the cause of the other. One of the cars that hit in the rain was an ITS 280Z and it was totaled, the driver was pissed about loosing his car but the only injury suffered was to his pride.
 
I heard from a friend...That the conditions were very bad i.e....rain/sleet and you know it was cold! Out of 30 some odd that went out only 4 were able to make it in under there own power.

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[This message has been edited by m glassburner (edited February 23, 2004).]
 
Originally posted by m glassburner:
I heard from a friend...That the conditions were very bad i.e....rain/sleet and you know it was cold! Out of 30 some odd that went out only 4 were able to make it in under there own power. Possibly a bad decision by the officials!!
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Not to diss anyone involved in any incidents, but other than sleet, I still think safety is in the hands of the driver.

I raced at TWS last January in 40 degree rain. It was a white-knuckle event for sure. Of course I had fun. I started dead last due to no qualifying time. Passed half the field.
biggrin.gif



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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com
 
I'm totally with Geo on this one: It's completely up to the driver what he/she will accept in terms of safety. The officials open the track and ALLOW us to race - not FORCE us to do so.

If there's a corner that's too dangerous in my eyes, I won't race at that track. If I do choose to compete there, I won't whine if I break my car on something that I've driven past by choice.

K

EDIT - to be fair, my attitude has been influenced by a lot of time driving hillclimbs with huge exposures and riding in the right seat of a pro rally car.

[This message has been edited by Knestis (edited February 22, 2004).]
 
Originally posted by m glassburner:
I heard from a friend...That the conditions were very bad i.e....rain/sleet and you know it was cold! Out of 30 some odd that went out only 4 were able to make it in under there own power. Possibly a bad decision by the officials!!
Click to expand...

The petition came about from a couple of people hitting the wall at the January regional, not the double national last week. This is not a real common place to hit at TWS.

The only folks who didn't make it in last week were the ones who got stuck in the mud. The only really hard impact that I recall was the GT1 Mustang at turn 3.



[This message has been edited by Maddog (edited February 22, 2004).]
 
I went to the "Double Nationals" wow very cold thats all I have to say..... I drove 4 hours in the snow "in" Texas I might add,... to get there saturday afternoon....



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Chris Dehart
88 635csi
85 325e ITa (soon to be)
blustl(dot)com
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Maybe if they improved the drainage, it would reduce the chance of hydroplaning and the barriers would not be needed.

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"Bad" Al Bell
ITC #3 Datsun 510
DC Region MARRS Series
 
Originally posted by badal:
Maybe if they improved the drainage, it would reduce the chance of hydroplaning and the barriers would not be needed.
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I don't think the track is the problem, it's people who haven't learned where the apex is on the last combination of corners and who bounce off the curbs causing them to spin.
 
Originally posted by Maddog:
I don't think the track is the problem, it's people who haven't learned where the apex is on the last combination of corners and who bounce off the curbs causing them to spin.
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A couple of apex cones might be way to fix that problem. (no offense to anyone who races there, as I've never been there so can't speak from experience)
 
Originally posted by Nigel Stu:

A couple of apex cones might be way to fix that problem. (no offense to anyone who races there, as I've never been there so can't speak from experience)
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If you're thinking about cones for people to know where to drive, that's a non-starter. If you are thinking about cones to keep people from cutting the apex, it's not necessary as the curbs are high enough that they should be sufficient deterrent.

I've driven there. I just have never perceived any danger at this corner complex. I take that back, the one danger I see there is that the pit entrance is right after this and if you are pitting, you are a moving chicane. I got massively buzzed by a SRF and minorly by two other cars while stuck in 2nd gear during an enduro and it's the only time I ever felt any danger there. I'm not even sure I'd have felt danger if I had a full gearbox so I was going faster.


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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com
 
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