Rider T-Bones Mercedes in T-Bolt Paddock...

[ScottLevy]

Not sure if this was posted somewhere, but last weekend I rode with another club (I know I suck ) and saw the most ridiculous accident I've ever seen. A rider comes out of the pit in gate and is doin close to 30 mph. A mercedes is rolling perpendicular to the rider, heading toward the exit and they come together at the intersection.

Mercedes = Whole right side needs to be replaced.
Bike = Front end destroyed :tothetrack:
Rider = Broken collarbone, broken wrist, ticket for wreckless driving + 2 points :banghead:
Car Passenger = Cut up from exploding glass, pretty annoyed
Sidenote = Both parties are suing each other :rtfm:

Everyone's SUPER lucky that further injury and death were avoided, but it could have easily been a human or a pet.


Moral of the story = SLOW DOWN IN THE PADDOCK! pass it on...

 

[lemondrop]

how does the rider get a ticket and not the driver? just wondering.

looks like an R6....maybe he will need to sell them pretty wave rotors to help pay for pending litigation

 

[HondaGalToo]

Stupid. Usually there's NJMP staff at the pit in gate, directing traffic that's coming out of the gate. Has been at every event I've been at with Nesba, anyway. Not the case at this org's day?

 

[dbarufaldi]

HondaGalToo;199745 wrote: Stupid. Usually there's NJMP staff at the pit in gate, directing traffic that's coming out of the gate. Has been at every event I've been at with Nesba, anyway. Not the case at this org's day?

I've been to NJMP T-Bolt twice this year - once with NESBA, once with TPM. Both times there was a NJMP person at that gate for every session, directing traffic. Guessing this has happened before.

Kind of curious who wrote the ticket? Isn't that private property? Can cop write a ticket for an incident he didn't see, on private property? If so, why aren't they writing speeding tickets...........kidding...................sort of.

Dan B

 

[rk97]

lemondrop;199744 wrote: how does the rider get a ticket and not the driver?

how does the driver get a ticket, period, while on private property? Points? In a parking lot?

Was this on a dedicated "street" within the facility? Otherwise we should all be getting speeding tickets for doing 140 on the track.

but I agree that it's all kinds of dumb to do more than 15 mph in the paddock. I basically let the bike idle in 1st gear...

 

[Rydell]

I'm willing to bet that wasn't a newbie rider... given he shouldn't have been going those speeds, but a 2 ton 4 wheeled steel cage that doesn't know how to look sure as hell shouldn't be driving across the pit out intersection while bikes are rolling off of a race track, either.


My first instinct is flashing to the idiot public road drivers ignorant to the motorcycle in the next lane they are pulling into. In my own opinion, I'd say, clearly someone is too stupid to handle paddock common sense and needs to be banned from ever setting foot in a motorsports sanctioned event again. Once that shit starts bleeding over into the track, my blood just boils because there's no excuse for that. I don't care who you are, race / track bikes coming off the track should have the right away at the pit out intersection. It's just common fucking sense.

 

[LOrtega]

JUST FYI all roads at NJMP are NJ State Roads, they are under the patrol of NJ State Police...
You can ride in the pit area with out a helmet and so forth but they have posted speed limits and you can get a ticket at any place in the facility except on the actual course....it is at the descretion of the officer on duty if he wishes to give you a summons...

This is another reason at this course more than any other, we ask people to keep kids off pit bikes through out the day while we are running the track day and plead with everyone to keep the pit speeds low..I have seen this almost happen several times when in the middle of the day people decide to cruise thru the paddock to see whats going on ...

 

[Bubba Zanetti]

If the rider exiting was really doing 30mph, well the responsibility for the accident is pretty clear.

The pits are not the track and is probably the most unpredicatable area I've ever putted through getting on the track. Kids playing, people working on bikes,, BBQ's, etc.

BZ

 

[avizpls]

thats why you PUT. Thats a good thing. No track is immune to this. BeaveRun I see about 5 (ok 3...maybe 2) a day go zipping by way too fast. Always at least 1 CR running late for the grid or something.

Its too easy to go too fast in the pits....whether going to the track or coming off hot. Dont do it! Now we all see why!

 

[Swodi]

Wow that sucks. I saw some bike-on-bike love a couple weeks ago at the track (different club). CR blows a stop sign in the pits, doesn't look, crosses traffic coming off the track. Rider coming off track locks up front, goes down.

Seems a lot of folks take their skills for granted and forget the fundamentals as soon as they get off the track, as if nothing bad can happen when they aren't on the track surface. Stay vigilant out there!

 

[Rydell]

Bubba Zanetti;199804 wrote: If the rider exiting was really doing 30mph, well the responsibility for the accident is pretty clear.

The pits are not the track and is probably the most unpredicatable area I've ever putted through getting on the track. Kids playing, people working on bikes,, BBQ's, etc.

BZ

Bubbs if you're going 30mph on the track it's no wonder you're a B group backmarker

 

[slowpoke]

Rydell;199762 wrote: I'm willing to bet that wasn't a newbie rider... .

it was actually one of their coaches, and it wasn't where the njmp "crossing guard" is stationed. it was at the next row. you don't cause damage like that at 5mph. Red flags in the parking lot.....wow!

generally speaking of MA events, i think pitspeeds are pretty well controlled. avizpls- your post is concerning and i hope you've spoken up to a director or to the CRs that you're suggesting are going too fast.

And Scott - where the F@** have you been????

 

[avizpls]

slowpoke;199811 wrote: avizpls- your post is concerning and i hope you've spoken up to a director or to the CRs that you're suggesting are going too fast.

I've mentioned it. Not this year, but last. I only recall one this year...too quick to make out who. Figured he was in a hurry for a good reason and ignored.

As you say, generally speaking, pit speeds are very reasonable. Theres no epidemic. Its just always an exception or two throughout the day.

 

[slowpoke]

driver of mercedes had already crashed her bike that morning and then her car in the afternoon. tough day:doh:

 

[rk97]

I actually appreciate when people put out the little "slow man." Just a good reminder.

Heck, put it in the middle of the paddock roads. the ambulance can run over "slow man" if they're in a hurry. Everyone else can slow down to dodge him.

 

[avizpls]

rk97;199828 wrote: I actually appreciate when people put out the little "slow man." Just a good reminder.

Heck, put it in the middle of the paddock roads. the ambulance can run over "slow man" if they're in a hurry. Everyone else can slow down to dodge him.

 

[HondaGalToo]

slowpoke;199811 wrote: it was actually one of their coaches, and it wasn't where the njmp "crossing guard" is stationed. it was at the next row. you don't cause damage like that at 5mph. Red flags in the parking lot.....wow!

I didn't realize there was another place to pit in...what did he do, ride down to pit in where we enter the course? If he was pitting in someplace he shouldn't have been....well...I can see why he got the ticket.

 

[slowpoke]

HondaGalToo;199835 wrote: I didn't realize there was another place to pit in...what did he do, ride down to pit in where we enter the course? If he was pitting in someplace he shouldn't have been....well...I can see why he got the ticket.

they said he pitted in normally w/ wave-by from guard and went straight (and fast) and next intersection in paddock he met the mercedes.....

 

[Bubba Zanetti]

Rydell;199809 wrote: Bubbs if you're going 30mph on the track it's no wonder you're a B group backmarker

You've seen me ride!

BZ

 

[HondaGalToo]

slowpoke;199839 wrote: they said he pitted in normally w/ wave-by from guard and went straight (and fast) and next intersection in paddock he met the mercedes.....

Ah, gotcha, a "block" or so past pit in, and going too fast. Unlike VIR, NJMP has no "stop" painted on the ground at intersections. It's a pain stopping all the time at VIR, but I'll bet it helps avoid situations like this.