Forum: Oklahomatidbits.com General Forum (go)
Moderators:  /  David Smith Jr

On the heels of the death of New Mexico sport-mod driver Ryan Bards' death a couple of weeks ago, this topic got me thinking today. My son and I met some people for this MWC baseball fund raiser and took us to Pauls Valley. A little stop in Davis and a chat with Travis Pinrod really got my attention.

He is having another Eddie Martin seminar and a shock setup class on January 5 and one of the main topics from Eddie is driver safety. The modified driver was a stud in New Mexico and was state champ in the sport-mods. The guy virtually burned to death (90% burns on his body) because he couldn't get out of the car in a timely fashion.

Do you drivers know how long it would take you to get out of your car in case of a fire? Do you use plastic fuel lines to get by cheap or just cut back on safety all together? Forgot where I saw the post but somebody turned their car upside down, put on their full drivers suit and climbed in the car. They then put themselves in a situation to see just how long it took for him to escape the car. In modifieds, they say there are three ways you should be able to get out. Do you know these three ways and have you tried yourself to see how long it takes?

I like 9/10ths of you drivers and as I stated before, there are alot of young men out there racing and making their fathers proud. Is enough thought taken into driver safety with you?

I don't feel like I am over reacting on this and yes, it could have been a freakish deal but nonetheless it did happen and somebody lost a son, a grandson a husband or a boyfriend. Don't say it can't happen because as you know you always expect the unexpected.

Would like a civilized conversation on this and if one or two people stop and think and when they do their winter maintence and upgrades, maybe they will think a little strongly about this. Remember, fire isn't prejudice, it can happen in any class of car.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

David - thats real good issue to bring attention too. More racers - and indiv. in all sports - need to heed the dangers of what they do and protect themselves to the very fullest - as expensive as it is to be competitive now - might as well throw down the extra dough to keep your wife a wife and not a widow. Kudos David for bringin that up. Matter of fact - I bet there is good stuff related to this topic all over the web......we should all look for it and post it if it is relative.

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

David, why wasn't the track fire fighting equipment and personnel able to extinguish the blaze? Maybe the driver was unconscious or as in the Wolfgang case unable to help himself. I'm not at all a proponent of government regulations involvement in motorsports, however the sport should take a proactive position regarding life safety and adopt those methods and means that government would use if they were to get involved. An example would be; A written procedure based on type of fuel, the volume of fuel and the worst case scenario if it all was released and ignited instantly. There are experts in this field that can calculate these possibilities and determine, type of firefighting

chemicals, equipment and personnel procedures to combat the fire. I believe that every track owner has an obligation

to assure that they have, regardless of cost, the latest state of the art equipment and

procedures to assure that the worst case fire can be dealt with. You can arm the driver

with all of the latest on board fire safety equipment available but if he is unable to help himself

he is at the mercy of the track safety crew.

I really feel they should make fire supressment systems mandatory in all classes. My dad had one in our car in 1976. Of course I never had one so I can't really harp on it, but it is a good idea. I don't know what it costs but I can promise you it is cheaper than 1 night in a burn ward. I also see guys walking around with fire suits that look like they could burst into flames on their own. I use to buy a new suit every year. Cheap insurance. Fire was always my number 1 fear. Just some thoughts. Good subject Dave.

Cody always wears the best eqiupment that we can buy. I agree that some firesuits that I see some people wear looks like they could burst into flames at any moment. I feel that Cody is safer in our race car than driving out on the highways.

I know there are alot of drivers who have the best that money can buy but does anybody take the time to suit up, get in their racecar (strapped in) and then time themselves to see how long it takes to get out of the car - at each possible escape route? I know it would be a hassle but even turn your car upside down or on its side and go through that scenerio to see how long it takes? Are you sure you can unbuckle and unstrap your safety devices and there is no malfunction in what you have? You can have all the fire safety crew you want but nobody can get there quick enough if a car bursts into flames.

People should have took notice about fifteen years ago when that happened to "Wolfie" but seems a new generation of drivers are hear now and maybe the don't know the dangers this sport can cause if your not prepared. Unfortunately, it took the death of a driver for this topic to be brought up again.

David Smith Jr.
www.oklahomatidbits.com

But!, does the track have the best of equipment with trained personnel to keep Cody safe? Sometime back in the 60's, I was at the old Thunderbird Speedway in Muskogee when a hobbystock car became engulfed in flames, probably a ruptured fuel tank. Very fortunately the driver was able to get out of the burning car at about the same time the fire crew arrived.
They expended every extinguisher they had along with help from pit crews that had other ones, all to no avail. What seemed like hours, but probably only 10 minutes, the Muskogee fire department showed up with their rig and the fire was instantly put out. That car burned to total destruction!! The rolecage looked like a pretzel. All could have been avoided with the proper equipment and training.

All American Motorsports Announcement.
11/18/07

All American Motorsports of Lewisville, Texas is reacting to the recent developments of safety awareness levels. This comes after the loss of Ryan Bard of Farmington New Mexico losing his life in a tradgic racing incident in the recent past. This also comes after the development of a few NEW safety related products being produced for the racing community.

Douglas Rollo and All American Motorsports will take part in the up and coming 18th Annual Texas Racers Auction and Trade show on Friday, December 14th and Saturday, December 15th, 2007 at Dallas Market Hall in Dallas Texas.

( The rest of this announcement is at www.track-announcer.com .)

Doug Rollo

Its sometimes a chance that the car owners and drivers take. Have you ever seen a driver not run because they (track) doesn't have the proper safety equipment. Do you ever check to see if there are any drunk drivers on the road or how fast help can get to you before you go to your local Wal-mart. Life is full of chances and you try to have the best equipment that you possibly can. Some things you can't control. A track can have the best safety equipment but if they do not know how to use it, it will be useless. Like I said before I feel Cody is safer on the race track than driving down the highway

I totally agree with you David about practising. My cousins sister made him practice until she was satisfied that he knew where the all the latches where and was able to get out in a timely manner.

It's not only the drivers that need to practice. Track officials need to also. How many times have you seen a car at the track flame up and the track officials are either slow to respond or only one person bothers to runs out there to help? I don't care if the flames are small. We all know the fire has a mind of it's own and will do whatever it want's in a matter of a second.

It really comes down to a combination of things to be prepared. Practice for all drivers, crews, and officials, plus making sure all of your safety geear is in check.

Christina
Air Max HVAC Systems

They had an article in Dick Bergrens Speedway magazine about this a few months back. For all of you drivers that have the 3-2A/1 sfi certified that have no lining, you have approx. 3 secs. to get out of your car before you sustain 3rd degree burns! A double layered suitfiresuit 3-2A/5 sfi certified you'd have to get out in 9 secs. before this would happen. You can check your certification on the left sleeve of your driver suit.

That's a good point too Jeff. SFS, Brill, and most other tracks require suits, gloves, shoes, and helments. But how many drivers are going the extra distance with Nomex underwear, socks, headsocks, or helmet skirts? Not a whole lot from what you see around the pits. You see alot of 2 piece suits and t-shirts. A good suit is a good first line of defense in a fire. But it is not meant to work alone.

Was it ever determined what caused the Ryan Bard fire? Was it a fuel line rupture or the cap come off the cell?

Also, a good fire bottle system can be purchased from nearly any supplier for under $600. That's not too much money considering I paid more than that for my last helmet.

It's not HOW fast you go, but how you GO fast.

www.myspace.com/bucky65c