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Stay in the car, or get out?


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#1 GMACKIE

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 04:57

The incident at Eastern Creek, involving Steve Pitman and David Wheatley's 'parked' Mini, last Saturday raises a serious question........in my mind at least.

If you have run off the race track, and cannot proceed.....should you stay in the car, or [when it looks safe to do so], get out and go somewhere safe? I have been to drivers' meetings where the instructions were to 'stay in the car'. :confused: Thank goodness David took the 'get out' option.



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#2 GMACKIE

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 05:10

There was a problem loading this, and there is now two un-wanted duplicate posts. Would someone kindly remove the two 'extras' please, as my efforts to do so failed.

Cheers, Greg



#3 brucemoxon

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 07:13

Depends. There's long been a suggestion that Mark Porter was on his way out of his car at Bathurst when hit (despite yellow flags being waved) by a car that was continuing at a great rate of knots.

Mark had allegedly undone his belts when he was hit - if you can stomach to watch the footage again, you'll see the marshal that's first on the scene is looking in the back of the car.

Yes, good thing that David got out.

But if your car is in the middle of the track, staying put is not usually wise. You have to rely on following drivers to obey yellow flags, don't you?



Bruce Moxon

#4 Dick Willis

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 07:46

I'll take the get out option every time, especially if you are sitting in a little open wheeler made of fibreglass and aluminium which affords little protection.

#5 eldougo

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 08:06

It.s a (No Brainer) as they say get out if you can.
You just do not know what will happen ,i have always found that if a car is at rest it like a magnet to another.

#6 Lola5000

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 08:26

Get out everytime.

#7 CoulthardD

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 09:48

In my expereince, if the driver doesn't get out of the car then the race will be stopped, as there is clearly something very wrong with him/her.

DC

#8 Peter Leversedge

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 10:30

I would say if you stay in the car don't undo your belts or take your hat off

#9 arttidesco

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 10:48

I was at Castle Combe twenty years ago when a friend of mine had to pull off the circuit with no power on his fully caged Alfa 33, despite the fact he was well off the circuit on a straight part of the circuit, no sooner had he got out than another competitor buried his Alfa Sud into the front passenger door turning the 33 into a banana. My friend had a lucky escape, if your well off the track it seems prudent to get out and head for safety PDQ.

If your stuck on the circuit seems prudent to brace brace brace and wait for the pace car and marshals to tell you when it is safe to get out.

Over the weekend I'll see if I can unearth the photo's of the 33 in the paddock afterwards.

Edited by arttidesco, 01 December 2011 - 10:48.


#10 alansart

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 11:08

I always got out and behind the barriers as soon as possible. There are times when you have to be careful though. In a race at Donington I spun off during a sudden rain shower and was stuck in the sand. I was about to get out when another car did the same thing ending up parked against my back wheel. I was a lot more cautious after that.

I think it was Ronnie Grant who'd crashed his F3 Ralt at Silverstone. He'd climbed out but another competitor did the same thing hitting the Ralt and knocking Ronnie over which I believe broke his leg.

#11 Bill Becketts

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Posted 01 December 2011 - 20:25

Having 30+ years experience as a Marshal mainly at Silverstone (Other Circuits are available..) I have always worked on these lines..

If the Car is immoble (In the Gravel, damaged, inverted etc) and the Driver is lucid (No, I can't define that!) then get him to a place of safety asap.

If a Car/Driver is in a situation where that car might be hit......let the traffic pass and only then approach and get him out.

In other words, where there is an incident where there might be further impact, the Driver (Assuming they remain fully strapped in!) is in a far safer place than any marshal approaching on foot.

One time I do remember was at a greasy Donington when a car spun as it negotiated the Craner Curves and stopped in the postage stamp sized gravel on the outfield. I ran to the driver and encouraged him to vacate the car as soon as he could. He did so and as he joined me behind the barrier, a car cleared the afore mentioned gravel at speed (Missing my new found friend's Maestro by inches) and did a passable impression of a plane crashing into the tyres in front of us. My new mate said he could now see why I was so animated.

F1 on the other hand...well they do what they want. They stay in the car and talk to their Team/Girlfriend and vacate only when they see fit :mad:



#12 ringers23q

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Posted 05 December 2011 - 04:29

If you're Nigel Mansell:

- Crash
- Fake an injury
- Wait for marshalls to arrive
- Fake injury some more
- Be removed from car by said marshalls
- Walk around fine 30 mins later

#13 seldo

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Posted 05 December 2011 - 06:50

I've always followed the GTFOOT policy. (get out of there really fast)