Helmets on the starting line now? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Toejam
- Start date
The Little Lizard
Nitro Member
No! However I'm surprised it's taken so long for this to come up. NASCAR has required this for along time up on the starting grid and in the pit box. NHRA seems to like to follow NASCAR's lead-makes sense it's safer and someone can makelots of money selling helmets to all the crew members all over the U.S. and maybe the world $$
FABMAN
Nitro Member
I can see maybe the person backing up car. The Nascar rule was long overdue, the over the wall gang are actually servicing the race car while other race cars are coming in pits as well lots going on there. In drag racing the crew is watching the reaction of driver and car, if you require crew to have helmets then the starter Nhra crews would have to wear them too, I don't see that much danger there. But walking across street is dangerous so where do start or stop.
topfuelgeorge
Nitro Member
NHRA officials at Phoenix race this weekend that ride scooters thru pits all had helmets on looked like modified bike helmet
Nick Name
Nitro Member
There you go!!
.
Nitro Member
I can't find anything about this on any of the usual forums. Any idea who it was or any links?
Ugly one
Nitro Member
At some point in the very near future everyone in the pits that's driving, riding or just a passenger will be required to wear helmets. Insurance will also have to be provided by all raceteams that intend to use a pit bike, quad, golf cart or other mode of fun at the races.
We live in a "I'm going to sue because I did something stupid, so someone else must be responsible for my stupidity" world.
We live in a "I'm going to sue because I did something stupid, so someone else must be responsible for my stupidity" world.
Huge
Nitro Member
t
Don't forget about the beer drinkers in the stands that keep falling down the stairs. I bet the guy they carried off on a strecher on Sun at Pomona wished he would have had one on.
Randy
Nitro Member
Hey Kevin...NHRA has required liability insurance on golf carts and scooters for years.
Many years ago Tom Lemon was towing back to his pit at Pomona and some idiot fan jumped in between his truck and his funny car and laid down getting ready for the funny car to run over him. The guys saw it happen and hit the brakes before the funny car hit the idiot. The guy just got up and walked off. You can't blame him, though. He's just trying to earn a living and get his "fair share" like anyone else would do.
clwill
Nitro Member
I apologize, as can so often happen, it was initially mis-reported on one of the forums and later clarified. Here is what I understand now happened:
This person was brushed by the car while doing the "matador" and laughed it off. That was the source of the initial report. However, the real incident followed when the car stalled after backing up. He opened the door to assist the driver in the restart. The car's neutral safety switch was either inoperable or non-existent and the car lurched in reverse on the attempt to restart it. Since was standing in the open door, he got plowed to the ground. Apparently he was OK, or as was reported "had no injuries a couple of beers wouldn't fix".
Again, I apologize for reporting before I had all the facts.
.
Nitro Member
No problem. Sounds like stupidity either way. I'm waiting to read news articles after a bunch of clowns at a small tire race are mowed down in the starting line area after a car goes out of control and comes at them.
vegasnitro
Nitro Member
I think anyone on the starting line should wear a helmet if they are lined up against Jay Payne and Shelley Anderson LOL.
clwill
Nitro Member
Or one of those 3500hp turbo machines grenades with the entire crowd inches away...
Dale E was steadfast in his refusal to wear a HANS. Which if worn, would probably have saved his life.
Wasn't it just a few years a go a car did somehow come back up track to the starting line and hit and kill someone, the drivers son IIRC, at a private test?
Around that same time, maybe it was at Indy, a funny car throttle inadvertently "whacked" when the team lifted the body and the car lurched, one crew member was thrown into the air, and was lucky to get out of the adventure with a broken tooth?
Didn't a pro crew member lose a leg due to a 4 wheeler accident in the pits?
Easy to complain about stupidity and people not taking responsibility or looking to cash in on injury either accidental or devised, but humans do make mistakes (part of the entire deal) and the devices they build fail or misbehave unexpectedly sometimes with violent consequences.
What's the risk tolerance? Over time, it's dropped lower and lower. Maybe it isn't a 'shirt sleeve' environment out there anymore.
Wasn't it just a few years a go a car did somehow come back up track to the starting line and hit and kill someone, the drivers son IIRC, at a private test?
Around that same time, maybe it was at Indy, a funny car throttle inadvertently "whacked" when the team lifted the body and the car lurched, one crew member was thrown into the air, and was lucky to get out of the adventure with a broken tooth?
Didn't a pro crew member lose a leg due to a 4 wheeler accident in the pits?
Easy to complain about stupidity and people not taking responsibility or looking to cash in on injury either accidental or devised, but humans do make mistakes (part of the entire deal) and the devices they build fail or misbehave unexpectedly sometimes with violent consequences.
What's the risk tolerance? Over time, it's dropped lower and lower. Maybe it isn't a 'shirt sleeve' environment out there anymore.
z28
Nitro Member
I was in the stands years ago when a FC was backing up and the throttle hung. If folks would have been standing behind the starting line like they do today it wouldn't have been pretty. I wouldn't have a problem with helmets or restricting starting line access.
