On Monday I stopped by NHIS to watch Tim track his CBR 954RR at an HPDE run by MotoMarket, a local bike shop that mostly sells riding gear. I know I would never feel comfortable participating after seeing the dangerously thin safety staff on hand, .
As far as I could tell, there were only 3 flaggers: One on the main straight, one in the treehouse, and one at 3/10. Take a look at the track map, courtesy of Trackpedia, for reference. I can’t say for sure that the stations in 1 and 2 were empty (these corners comprise the south chicane, which is to the right on the map, but I am sure that corner 3 (a dangerous low-speed corner with weird bumps) and corner 10, a dangerous downhill right that requires you to thread the car through two concrete walls, were covered by one person. Corner 3 probably features more spins than any other at NHIS. Corner 10 has fewer, but the ones it does have usually end with someone in the tire wall. At the track days I attend (run by the excellent Sports Car Driving Association), 3-4 people cover that area: Usually 2 in 10 and 1-2 in 3. The very safety-conscious SCCA puts 2-3 people at each corner and another at corner 4, which is just beyond the wall in the map.
For those of you who haven’t worked corner or watched a road race, the most important thing to do when you’re flagging is to look up the course at all times. If each station is manned, and each flagger is looking up course (meaning that if you are working corner 1 you are looking at the stretch of track for corner 2, if you are in 2, you are watching the stretch from 2 to 3, and so on), the entire track is covered. No one should be able to spin, stall, go off course, break down, do something illegal, or do anything else without a flagger seeing. This is absolutely essential for drivers on the track. Other drivers need to know that someone has had a problem; they look to the flaggers to alert them. And the driver who has had a problem depends on the flaggers to tell them if it’s safe to resume.
The flagger at the MotoMarket track day was standing in the escape road between 3 and 10. It is a narrow opening between the tire walls for out of control cars that cannot make the turn uphill at 3. Not only was the flagger standing in a very dangerous spot, she couldn’t cover one corner without turning her back to another. (She was also taking photographs while bikes were on track. I won’t even begin to say how irresponsible that is.) At one point a novice rider early apexed corner 3 and went off-course onto the gravel. a minor mistake, but one that riders coming into the corner needed to know about. The flagger, watching 10 and ignoring 3, had no chance to display a flag.
We spoke to a rider from the Intermediate group about lines and passing rules. He explained that passing was allowed in all groups so long as “you are nice about it.” Most crashes are the result of passing on the inside, and (as he explained) so long as you make a clean pass on the outside, you’re withing the track day regulations. That’s fine, I suppose, for very experienced drivers, but unacceptable for novices. At SCDA track days passing is restricted to straightaways and point-bys are required. You may not pass unless the driver in front has signaled that he knows you’re there and overtaking him. There’s no need to have crazy passing; an HPDE is for fun and friendly competition, not for points or money or anything like that. Further, very inexperienced drivers in the novice group can be unpredictable: braking early or at awkward moments, going way offline, spinning, and making a host of other mistakes that even someone with moderate track time would not. Permitting novices to pass in corners and letting them decide which passes are “nice” is as irresponsible as flaggers taking pictures.
The photographers taking pictures weren’t much better. Like most other track days, the MotoMarket HPDE on Monday featured a photography team selling shots of you on your bike (or flying off, as the case might have been). The photographers were crossing the track in the middle of sessions. For the record, this is unwise and unsafe. Sure, you can make sure no one is coming and make a quick dash, but as a matter of track etiquitte and respect the track should be kept clear when vehicles are out lapping.
NHIS is dangerous enough with a full complement of safety personnel. I’ve driven it, I’ve worked it. I’ve seen cars hit the tire tire wall on my watch and I’ve gone flying into the grass backwards. And, as I said at the start, I’m not overly paranoid about safety. After seeing the skeleton crew manning the course on Monday, I would never recommend that a motorcyclist participate in a Motomarket track day. Simply unsafe. Rumor has it Penguin racing track days are even more lax, but I’ll won’t judge it until I see it.
on February 25, 2008 at 4:20 pm Jack wrote:
I was one of the photographers at this track day, and I have been a driver at other MotoMarket and Penguin track days. I personally take responsibility for my own actions and safety, and I accept the risks of my chosen activities. I do not expect others to protect me from myself. This is the attitude everyone is expected to assume at these events. Everyone is told to leave their lawyers at the door.
As a photographer, well, I learned how to cross a road a few decades ago.
As a rider at street rider track days such as these, flags, while important, are not near the top of the list of factors in my safety. My own awareness, skill, caution, and responsibility are.
That said, I have felt that MotoMarket’s flagging was adequate. The time it would take for a corner worker watching 2 corners to hear an accident, turn around and wave a flag would be insignificant.
You are distorting facts. You spoke with a rider from the intermediate group and then projected his answers on the novice group. Novices are not allowed to pass in corners period.
Also the rumor you are irresponsibly propagating about Penguin is false.
I found this aptly named blog by doing a Google search for Motomarket track day. Congratulations on your top result listing. That was obviously the goal of this exaggerated slander piece.
on February 25, 2008 at 4:24 pm Jack wrote:
PS - Motomarket has at least 3 riding instructors on the track during every session. This helps to offset the reduced number of corner workers.
on February 25, 2008 at 4:41 pm Clint wrote:
Jack,
Thanks for your comments. It’s always good to have alternate opinions.
Of course personal awareness is critical to safety at a race or HPDE, but let’s remember that the purpose of a flagger is to alert drivers/riders to obstacles or compromised track conditions that cannot be seen. At NHIS, for example, the worker at station five can alert you to a spin at the bottom of the bowl long before you crest the hill. Similar circumstances exist at the downhill at Lime Rock. This is valuable information, especially on a high-powered motorcycle or car that drops into the bowl very fast.
Regarding our conversation with the intermediate rider: We asked specifically about corner passing in the novice group and were told it was allowed. We also witnessed some passes ourselves. I’m happy to hear we might be mistaken, and that the passes we saw in the novice group were not approved.
I still must disagree with you about the adequacy of the flagging. As I wrote, the 3/10 worker missed a rider going off-course up the hill. That situation calls for a standing yellow until the rider is back on course. Further, the proper position for the worker in corner 3 is behind the retaining wall, not in the escape road.
Finally, as I said in the article, I will pass no judgment on Penguin days until I see them. Riders have told me that Penguin events are more lax. This summer I should have an opportunity to see one myself. As with the novice corner passing matter, I’m happy to hear we may have gotten incorrect information.
Clint