Joe Cuslidge's Helmet Cam Videos from the April 2014 Kershaw Event

Hey B,
Some bad luck for Sam. Lost my drafting help ! I think she moved to the right to make room for faster karts. I noticed she would make that same manuever during practice.
Joe
 
Wow, I hope she sees that video, with the directive to hold your line and let the faster karts find their way past!
 
It may be time for us to consider a more formal driver training/qualification program.. before its too late.
 
There is a flag stand on drivers right at the inside of turn 8 the fast right hand corner but flaggers are usually watching racers entering the corner, not exiting so much. Certainly not that far away. They do watch the run out where most things happen.

That would have or should have been picked up by the next flag stand maybe, but it's a long distance away. However, video confirms that there wasn't a flagger at the next stand. There were about three flag stations that I recall that didn't have flaggers.
 
I also observe some of the passing moves by some 2 cycle sprint chassis are dangerous and unnecessary. I have driven both types of chassis and even with different lines there are moments when you just need to be patient and find the best time or place to pass. This can cause pretty nasty accidents IMO and I though I wasn't there this year I was last 2 years and observed same attitude on certain drivers too.
 
rainman said:
I also observe some of the passing moves by some 2 cycle sprint chassis are dangerous and unnecessary. I have driven both types of chassis and even with different lines there are moments when you just need to be patient and find the best time or place to pass. This can cause pretty nasty accidents IMO and I though I wasn't there this year I was last 2 years and observed same attitude on certain drivers too.
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During a practice session in Savannah years ago I got chop blocked by a couple of shifter karts, TOTALLY unnecessary, so close that I think another coat of paint on the nose of my kart and we'd have made contact. Told one of them afterwards that there's NO reason to do an ignorant move like that, for crying out loud it was PRACTICE. He told me tough, I was in his way. Sure enuff, only a lap or two into his race, coming on to the main straight, right in front of the pits he brought out a red flag. A Medivac chopper soon landed on the main straight to airlift him to the hospital. I wondered if anyone was in his way during THAT trip?
 
Vintagequest said:
During a practice session in Savannah years ago I got chop blocked by a couple of shifter karts, TOTALLY unnecessary, so close that I think another coat of paint on the nose of my kart and we'd have made contact. Told one of them afterwards that there's NO reason to do an ignorant move like that, for crying out loud it was PRACTICE. He told me tough, I was in his way. Sure enuff, only a lap or two into his race, coming on to the main straight, right in front of the pits he brought out a red flag. A Medivac chopper soon landed on the main straight to airlift him to the hospital. I wondered if anyone was in his way during THAT trip?
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Well unfortunately I know both sides and many, not all, of course, people who usually run sprint 2 cycle classes act with some kind of arrogance. feeling like if they are the next generation of untouchable F1 drivers. Once at CMP sprint track they allowed 4 cycles and some kids class practice together and one of the kids kept cutting straight in front of the rest coming out of the track to the scales instead of following the line, both unsafe and disrespectful for the rest of us. When I told his dad to let him know he just needed to do what he was told by track officials he ignored me and didn't tell the kid anything. Next practice round he did it again so in a nice mood I addressed the issue directly with the kid, and his father (if he deserves to be addressed like this) started talking junk to me, but from behind the scales, in case he needed some extra protection, lol. I said I don't come to the tracks to fight but you'd better close your mouth and teach your kid. He kept talking junk from behid the scales and scale official, of course, and my motor builder who is a pretty big guy was starting to be really p... off so I just grabbed him to leave before something worse happened. Then the dummy said: "You'd better stay at the dirt tracks where you belong". Little he knew from his arrogance that I had shared kart tracks with F1 World Champions, factory WRC team drivers, NASCAR drivers and more. He was probably that kind that think that investing money on his kid for a couple of years to pay a team that covered his ignorance would be more important than educating him. On most cases those are the kind that get tired after a couple of season when they discovered their kid is not the best.
 
Well then Vintagequest, seems like you experienced what us animals have a routine. Now it is unfair to label all, its just getting tiring to have to have the conversation after the fact.. and I have to say I have never had the attitude that you experienced, that would have gotten ugly real fast..

I say again, it is high time to have a more formal "new driver" training program - are you listening WKA?
 
I say again, it is high time to have a more formal "new driver" training program - are you listening WKA?
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Yes, I agree. Our first WKA event our team entered was at Daytona. So we trotted our happy selves to the drivers meeting with our temporary membership wrist bands and got the sage advice of "Now take care of each other". Somehow I was expecting a little further detail on how to go about accomplishing that. Luckily all went well......luckily. Since then we have been appraised by other competitors of the common courtesies of passing and being passed under race conditions and we are a lot safer on the track.
 
..hum, with all the videos out there you think some smart young person could come up with a "Racing etiquette" lesson.
 
Agree. Some real training would be useful. For my 1st RR even if I had a broad karting experience on both ovals and sprint tracks I was kind of lost on what you expected me to do if lapped or passed. And certainly RR high speeds are not the best situation to learn IMO. Imagine that on less experienced drivers or younger drivers who are usually more agressive.
 
It used to be that you were not even allowed to make the grid of an enduro race until you went on the track with an experienced driver used as an "observer". This was a mandated time during Saturday's practice events in the morning and if you didn't make it, you didn't race or even practice, simple as that. When those procedures changed, I do not know when or why. It DOES need to be reinstated and mandated with ANY organization that holds roadracing events.

Rainman, I think increased aggression exhibited by the less experienced and younger drivers can also largely be a contribution via video games. Pre-video game era experience was realistically earned with actual seat time. Nowadays they "think" they're gaining experience behind a game controller with no threat of injury. Unfortunately there is no "reset" button on a broken spine, neck, or fractured skull. Too many today just don't get it. Then, if they DO get hurt, they tend to point the finger at karting being unsafe when the truth is that they themselves are the danger to karting. JMHO -Alan-
 
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