Track Safety (more)

[Duane <drcollie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>When I first taught at club schools, everyone was on 165/13 XAS tires in
>their 2002s.  Spins and off-track excursions happened, but were seldom too
>serious.  Those days have gone, and another answer is needed.  That is why
>the BMW CCA has been talking to BMW NA about the possibility of getting
>skid cars for club instruction.  

>Keith Wollenberg

Keith,

I couldn't agree more.  This problem faced the airline industry for years.
How can you teach a pilot real-life emergency procedures without using up a
REAL airplane?  Then too, crashing in an airplane while learning these
emergency techniques was even more catastrophic than in cars as you would
imagine.  The answer was ultimately 'Simulators'.  And I think that's the
way the BMWCCA and every track should look to for the answer to this.

Simulators on a PC don't need much more maintenance than Scan Disk and DeFrag.
Simulators on a PC don't need liability insurance.
Simulators on a PC don't need a tow vehicle.  And so on and so on.

The technology is there or computer based simulators.  The hardware is
cheap enough now.  All that is needed is software designed specifically to
address these situations. No video games.... only track incidents.

Cars are getting REAL fast. Even Intermediate drivers are getting warp
speeds that a few years ago would have been pro racing speeds. And 95% of
the cars at these Driver's Schools don't have adequate safety equipment.
It's a matter of time before the serious injuries start or someone gets
killed. I'm even considering installing a NASCAR type cage in my car if I
keep this up. I no longer think a roll bar is adequate for the speeds we
are hitting on tracks like Summit Point.

One other note....since a skid car or a PC program is still a future
thought, why not have a simple mock-up with a couple of HOT WHEELS cars
made up so that a little classroom training can be simulated on a piece of
plywood. That would be cheap - and easy.

Duane Collie 

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