No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

[Desertdawg]

With the RAR website finally get some updates, I noticed this statement this morning.

High G Ridge

**NOTE: DUE TO THE COST AND SAFETY REASONS, WE WILL NOT BE HAVING HIGH G RIDGE THIS YEAR. (2015)

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

Watch this video from 0:25 - 0:40 seconds & 8:10 and look how close the spectators are allowed to be to the cars when they attend a NASCAR Race. I wonder how NASCAR is allowed to sell these spectators seats that close to the track. It's also worth watching the entire video if you like to see 10-20 car crashes or cars going 200mph, 5 feet away from each other in a group of 20-30 cars.

[Big_Jim]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

Well, to NASCAR's credit they have catch fences to keep cars from going into the stands--and they've been pretty successful over the years. Kind of hard to do that with an airplane.

My guess is that this has to do with the GP-5 accident last year. Where Lee had the wing fail was rounding between 5 and 6 and the momentum carried the plane up the hill towards the High G Ridge chalet. We were out on 'the road' when it happened and all I remember thinking as I watched the wind carry the dust in that same direction was "well...that's the end of that." My guess is that between the FAA and the insurance underwriters the cost of having it wasn't worth the money they made having it.

[Ken from PG]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

It was a great idea before they moved the course in. Refer to why the course got moved in.

[Tim Jones]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

Well, to NASCAR's credit they have catch fences to keep cars from going into the stands--and they've been pretty successful over the years. Kind of hard to do that with an airplane.

My guess is that this has to do with the GP-5 accident last year. Where Lee had the wing fail was rounding between 5 and 6 and the momentum carried the plane up the hill towards the High G Ridge chalet. We were out on 'the road' when it happened and all I remember thinking as I watched the wind carry the dust in that same direction was "well...that's the end of that." My guess is that between the FAA and the insurance underwriters the cost of having it wasn't worth the money they made having it.

I watched it happen too, and felt the same way. Even watching at the time, I expected the High-G to be canceled for the weekend. Really, probably the better choice. TJ

[SkyvanDelta]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

Well, to NASCAR's credit they have catch fences to keep cars from going into the stands--and they've been pretty successful over the years. Kind of hard to do that with an airplane.

Regarding the NASCAR catch fence, I think when you get 10-20-30 cars at 200mph, 5-10 feet away from each other with drivers doing everything they can to get to the front, you're bound to have accidents. Those cars can bounce around like footballs, cars on top of each other, cartwheeling, pirouetting etc then go into the fence. Gas tanks can be torn open, sparks flying, and you have an instant fireball and or cars tumbling, spinning, cartwheeling and one of those cars could go over the fence into the spectators. It's safe, until there is an accident. I'd sit there, but would not feel safe.

My point is that I'm surprised their insurance companies allow spectators to sit that close to cars going that fast. Just seems dangerous to me. Like an accident waiting to happen.

[N22252]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

Regarding the NASCAR catch fence, I think when you get 10-20-30 cars at 200mph, 5-10 feet away from each other with drivers doing everything they can to get to the front, you're bound to have accidents. Those cars can bounce around like footballs, cars on top of each other, cartwheeling, pirouetting etc then go into the fence. Gas tanks can be torn open, sparks flying, and you have an instant fireball and or cars tumbling, spinning, cartwheeling and one of those cars could go over the fence into the spectators. It's safe, until there is an accident. I'd sit there, but would not feel safe.

My point is that I'm surprised their insurance companies allow spectators to sit that close to cars going that fast. Just seems dangerous to me. Like an accident waiting to happen.

I live near this road where the Eastbound cars are just 4 feet away from the Westbound cars and there are only 2 yellow paint stripe between them. Let's ban that first. I feel safe in the stands of a race track, and much safer in the stands at Reno. I think the Air Races have the best safety record of these three

[FuryFan]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

I think the chance of a sprint cup car going over the catch fence is less likely than the Ghost incident. Those fences are tall and more than one car has gotten into them at 190+ and not made it through. There were injuries due to smaller pieces getting through IIRC.

Kevin

If one were to get through the fence, then NASCAR's got another fence made of $$$$ that it has to get through.

[cheapskater]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

In retrospect, having Skip Holm and Lefty Gardner give us haircuts on Cheapskate Hill and the fence line was far safer than sitting in the reserved seats in front of the grandstands. For the real diehards, put on your camos and enjoy the show out there as usual.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

Ah yes more knee jerk reaction. At 750 feet per second one of these things can end up anywhere.

The math of 2011:

1/10th of a second earlier and GG would have killed one person.

1/10th of a second and it would have killed 100's.

Hell any airplane at any time can end up in a very bad place.

One 747 with a blown pressure bulkhead killed 524 people.

One crazy co-pilot killed 150.

Personally tired of lawyers trying to save us from ourselves.

[Air Boss]

Re: No High G Ridge In 2015 - Due To Cost & Safety????

Not speaking for RARA in any capacity...just a very interested and active participant. Don't believe this is knee-jerk. Weighing all the factors at play, I suspect RARA did the calculus and decided the cost/benefit analysis just didn't pencil out.

That said, I couldn't agree more re: insurance companies, government, et al deciding what's best for me.