tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1613730764772268788.post3859801612199631492..comments2011-02-23T07:26:29.410-08:00Comments on Metroneige - Half the strokes, twice the car: Karting = Life Lessons (part 2)Eric Gibersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06471086789188604621noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1613730764772268788.post-68392153621043557072010-10-07T10:41:46.058-07:002010-10-07T10:41:46.058-07:00And for some info on the race positions of our two...And for some info on the race positions of our two teams:<br /><br />Team Lee/Greg started in 5th on the grid. Team Eric/Jim/Burger started 6th.<br /><br />Eric was running in 14th out of 25 when his spindle bolt broke. According to Eric, the steering felt as if it was wobbling and was nearly impossible to turn. The bolt was most likely failing during the entire race.<br /><br />Lee was holding his own in 5th place for the first 15 or so min. In turn 5 he suddenly lost control and spun into the grass, dropping him into 8th. From that point on, he struggled with front end grip but managed to get himself back into 6th place when the race was called. Upon inspection of his front tires, the cords were starting to poke through on the outside front tire. This explains both the spin in turn 5 and the lack of grip. Lee still had 20 min to go before our driver change however the tire would have lasted only another 5-10 before it would have burst. Pitting to change tires would have dropped us near to the back of the field.Greg Jewellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04709008255880478089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1613730764772268788.post-85509261844644581352010-10-07T10:36:58.000-07:002010-10-07T10:36:58.000-07:00Just some info on the race ending crash. Along th...Just some info on the race ending crash. Along the front straight is a line of 1 foot tall hay bails that are wrapped together in plastic like a tube. These hay bails separate the karters from the race marshal and the main timing/weigh scale building. One of the "out of town" drivers who was unfamiliar with the track accidentally touched the bails with a rear tire. This caused his kart to spin around (hitting more bails) and started it flipping through the air. While in the air the kart collided with the track marshal and hit a wooden pole about 5 feet up. The kart landed upside down and was completely destroyed.<br /><br />The race marshal was knocked unconscious and suffered a cut to his forehead. An ambulance and 2 police cars rushed to the scene and the marshal was taken to hospital where he received 13 stitches. He was released the next day and is doing well. The driver of the kart was unharmed, but was surely sore for the next few days.<br /><br />Because the police cars were parked on the track and there were mountains of paperwork to fill out due to the incident, the race was called at the 25 min mark. <br /><br />The club is now in discussion with the track owners about preventing this type of accident from occurring in the future.Greg Jewellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04709008255880478089noreply@blogger.com