Runoffs E Production 2011

Ken, Sorry to hear about the frame damage to your car. I want to thank you for helping us with the parts to try and eliminate the problem that we were having. It's to bad that the driver that caused your problem seems to have issues in every race. If you remember our race the first years @ RA he passed under yellow and was given a pass. The explanation that we were given at 9:30 that Sunday night was that the driver has been competing in the runoff's for 20 some years and wouldn't be fare to penalize for this infraction. I wonder in your race if the corner workers had reported the incident of trying to hold him from entering track until it was safe to race control. Clearly he didn't comply and ran you into the wall to avoid hitting him. Hope to see you soon at a race track. Tell Andy I have a beer for him.
 
Ok, ok. Time for me to give my two cents. Take it for what it's worth.

It was pouring ass rain and none of us were in the seat Sam was in. He spins trying to keep Coffey behind him. If you watch the tape he's looking back at turn 1 quickly as he should. Not at the corner workers down the way.
He grabs first gear and makes a split second decision, go or no go. Who would want to be sitting sideways at the exit of that turn? Not me.
Tries to move out of the way, whoops, maybe a bit more, damn it didn't work out. There's no way he wanted that to happen. Racing accident, stupid rain, what can you do.
Nobody wants to bring home a bent car from the runoffs, I know, I did it once.
Sam is a longtime production guy and has the utmost respect from me as a racer and good guy in general.

Two years ago we were racing in similar conditions. A few guys made the right tire choice on the grid. Most of the field was on slicks, some ran the entire race on slicks. This made for a situation where a minute difference in lap time existed. The slow cars should have been black flagged because of they're slow times, wayyyyy off the pace. The race leader comes upon one of these cars at a remarkable closing distance and passes one of these guys on slicks in the rain, accidentally under yellow. Why would you penalize the race winner for this? Only people in the race that day can fully appreciate the impact the rain coming out on the pace lap did to that race.

It sucks to go to the runoffs and have to race under unfavorable conditions, no doubt. Suck it up and come back next year.
See you then!
 
Jesse Prather":1kh4vyjc said:
He grabs first gear and makes a split second decision, go or no go. Who would want to be sitting sideways at the exit of that turn? Not me.
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I wouldn't want to be sitting in that position either...but reverse is always an option to clear yourself from the track too!

Kirk
 
Jesse is absolutely correct. Watch the video and time it from the moment the car stops. Sam looks and he moves. Split second decision. And reverse is not an option to get the car out of the way. You look and you go. No driver I know would back up. And to look at the corner worker, he would have had to look in the other direction away from traffic.

Unless you have run the Runoffs in the pouring rain, you haven't been there and have no idea what it's like. My first Runoffs at Road Atlanta was in the same kind of down pour. I ran the entire race and never once saw my crew standing above the pit straight trying to tell me to go faster since I was in 4th less than 5 seconds behind the leader. Would have made no difference had I looked up and saw them. I was going as fast as I could go and keep the car on the track.

Name calling and finger pointing does not accomplish anything especially on a public forum.

And as Forrest Gump said: That's all I have to say about that.
 
Guys theres no sense kicking this dead horse anymore. Sam feels terrible about what happened and obviously so do I. He apologized, I accepted, no hard feelings, done deal.
What we should spend time discussing is moving this race date up to the 1st of Sept. I'm game to race in any condidtions but why don't we improve the odds of good weather a little bit. Road America is about high speed straights and fast corners. 2 out of the three times we've raced there we are putting around at 80 mph with fogged windows and rags on sticks, it's ridiculous. It was so cold at the Prod Party people were crowding around a propane heater. I think there was even beer left over it was so cold. There's something definetly wrong with that equation...racers leaving a party that still has beer? Why don't we reschedule the last 1 or 2 August national races and get an earlier date.
Jesse, Jim you guys have pull with the Club, go to bat for us.
 
Not beating a dead horse at all and there was no finger pointing at anyone, sorry if anyone thinks that I came across that way - the two drivers that were involved in the incident and the corner workers that could see it in real time are the only people that know what could have happened.

I have been in that situation before and I have used reverse to clear myself...so I was just offering a nugget of thought for someone that finds themselves in the same situation in the future.

AND...I like Forrest! 8)

Kirk
 
Rescheduling the Run-offs at RA for the next 2 years is not likely, as the contract has been signed, as I understand it.

The weekend AFTER the Run-offs was beautiful and the next one is going to be just as good.

Part of fall in Wisconsin.

RJS
 
R. J. Sorensen":1z471904 said:
Rescheduling the Run-offs at RA for the next 2 years is not likely, as the contract has been signed, as I understand it.

The weekend AFTER the Run-offs was beautiful and the next one is going to be just as good.

Part of fall in Wisconsin.

RJS
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We can call the week of racing either the Winter Nationals or the Winter Runoffs.
 
….. “And to look at the corner worker, he would have had to look in the other direction away from traffic.” ….. GCR 6.8.3 Off-Course Excursions ….. whenever a driver leaves an artificiality marked course with all four (4) wheels, he shall re-enter the course at the same spot where he went off, and cannot simply re-enter further down the course, subject to the directions of the Corner Worker controlling re-entry ….. 6.8.4 Counter-Race Direction Driving ….. it is expressly forbidden to drive a car, at any time under any condition, in a direction opposite to that in which the event is being run ….. 6.8.5 Stopping on a Course ….. If a driver is forced to stop on a course he shall make every effort to place the car in such a position that it will not be a danger or obstruction to other competitors …..
 
It's been " chamber of commerce" weather since the race! Fall in Wisconsin is beautiful, but the EP weather gods haven't cooperated. Maybe we need to offer a sacrifice :ask:

Ken, just to clarify a small issue; the reason that we had beer left at the end of the prod party was not the temperature, it was the 10:00 curfew imposed to be kind to the hosts and their neighbors!
 
Smyczek":1mhvotk6 said:
Ken, just to clarify a small issue; the reason that we had beer left at the end of the prod party was not the temperature, it was the 10:00 curfew imposed to be kind to the hosts and their neighbors!
Click to expand...

Shucks, I thought it was because Kenny K. doesn't drink beer any longer. :shock: :? :roll:
 
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