Puke trackday safety issue

[Hoon]

This has all been discussed before in another thread. The problem is the bales belong to AMCC, not the track. We would need their permission to use them. If we did, we can't leave them out while cars are on the track because one car could totally destroy a whole row of bales.

Also putting bales out and fetching them in between sessions is not an option. It takes a team of 10+ people a good 15-30 mins each time and is hard work - definately not something you'd want to do before/after hopping on your bike everytime not to mention the delays it would cause other groups.

The only options for a safer Pukekohe that I can see is dedicated bike only track days or to charge more to cover the manpower and lost time. We all want safer track days but how many of us are prepared to pay say $180 for it?

Bring on Hampton Downs!!

[curious george]

Why do the bales have to in when the cars go out? I cant see any reason why they cant stay.
any issue the cars would have with bales out would pale into insignificance with the reason why the bikes need them out.

What Hoon said really....
Gary's got them there, but it's a big job to set up properly.
That and when a car hits them, they would be a gonna.
Gary's only one man, who's gonna help him?
I know what you are saying, and I agree, but this has been argued before....
The only solution I can see is a bike only day, and the AMCC helps set the things up PROPERLY, so nobody slides underneath them.
I'm all willing to lend a hand if that day ever arrives, but untill then, I can't be arsed with Puke

[Quasievil]

Yeah I know what your saying about , what if a car hits the bales the bale will be stuffed'but common get real, whata old woolsack worth stuffed with hay ?

at the prices they charge they should be prepared to run that risk. I dont accept that arguement , nor do I accept poor ole gary having to put them out himself, these guys will be pulling quite a few $K out of these days and they should not be comprimising saftey over some shitty bags full of hay

[chris]

at the prices they charge

these guys will be pulling quite a few $K out of these days

I'm not condoning anything regarding safety, but, to hire Puke for a mid week date is about $3000 I think. Add in $600 for St Johns to be there with an ambulance for the day, the cost of public liability plus the staff wages and all of a sudden they don't look to be pulling in a few $K. Everyone has overheads you know.

[Quasievil]

I'm not condoning anything regarding safety, but, to hire Puke for a mid week date is about $3000 I think. Add in $600 for St Johns to be there with an ambulance for the day, the cost of public liability plus the staff wages and all of a sudden they don't look to be pulling in a few $K. Everyone has overheads you know.

I understand people have overheads.
I wont accept costs and money being more important than safety especially when it can be greatly enhanced by low cost bags of hay

[chris]

I understand people have overheads.
I wont accept costs and money being more important than safety especially when it can be greatly enhanced by low cost bags of hay

As I said, my comments were nothing to do with safety. I was just replying to your comment that they will be making $$$$ out of a Puke track day.

[FzerozeroT]

mebbe we should con the AMCC into buying some second hand gym mats (the thick ones) and a way to winch them up the wall, that way you just run along and lift them 3m off the ground when the cars come out?

[FzerozeroT]

I'm just trying to think of something that would have enough weight at the bottom to stop people from going underneath them, as both crashes I have seen there this is what has happened (yes stephens included) thats why I think bales of anything are shit as they end up being round, maybe somehing like the inflatable barriers used for paintball? maybe some stuffed ones and then milk bottles / coke bottles? I think that the triangle shape would help them slide up to the middle of the barrier.

[FzerozeroT]

hmm, I suppose thats called an air-fence ay jim another idea could be some way of recycling old tyres, do something like hokey pokey where you melt the rubber then just as it is about to set fill it with bubbles?

[FROSTY:Me]

Guys --beating our chests aint gonna fix anything.
quazi-as Hoon said --the bales DONT belong to The track --they are the property of AMCC. Now hands up how many of you KB racers put ya hands up to fill the bales with bottles??
Why would AMCC let an uncontrolled track day use their limited supply of bales
In no way am I disagreeing with your sentiment quazi--You've seen my left shoulder--Thanks to "the hill"
Personally I feel that the answer is move the armco back, ditch the grass and have a sand trap and have air fencing
Mind you Speedie --the comment about gym mats has me thinking--
what about 3 layers of old conveyer belting over the armco.
No it wont help in a direct impact but it would make a hell of a difference to the armco on the right of the track--that way youde hit then slide--not get hooked up on pretruding bolts etc like Gary?? the cbr rider did
god news is theres probably miles of old conveyer rubber around the place

[FzerozeroT]

Like most other people, I know him he doesn't know me. (sorry for getting off track)

Has anyone ever done a plotting/map type thing of all the impacts, from what I can gather it's only a small stretch of wall?

I don't thing Pukekohe would be keen to do any earthworks for dirty old bikers, and spectators can stand on the wall close to the V8's when they go past, thats more important!

[R6_kid:Me]

maybe we could organise to assist in putting the bales out ourselves...

say 5 of us go down an hour or two before the track day starts.

in return they give those that help a discount for that day?

of course, you'd have to go and help put them away again.

- on a side note, who do the bales belong to? if its pukekohe raceway then it should be too much of a hassle to arrange such a deal. and that way we are improvign safety for everyone at the track.

[SlowHand]

Gareth - did ur pillion squeeze you too hard on sat? (forgot her name). They belong to AMCC. and from what I gather, its prolly best that we had our own?

[cowpoos]

That could be easily fixed with several sizable tent pegs per bale well banged in,cant people think ?

the bales really need to be large squares...[5ft by 3ft] as apossed to those little idiot bales...and if they are laid about a metre away from the wall...the impact will alow the bale to move further cushoning the rider...

I've slide of a mxer at about 100-110kmph....and hit one...and it was sweet...I had no gear on at all was just catching up to the baler as he was leaving the padk...didn't hurt at all....I know it will be different at high speeds...but it won't be a concrete wall...and large squares are a little heavyer than smalls...so won't be able to slide underneath them...

[cowpoos]

ps: and at 35-45 dollars a bale [5ft by 3ft]....thats cheap protection