Kevin Schwantz Sounds Off, Colin Fraser Responds E-mail
Kevin Schwantz comments on the pace car debacle as Colin Fraser fields questions about the incident at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
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Dave2van  - Caution light on bike   |Registered |2009-07-06 18:42:50
When I raced dirt modifieds some tracks made us run a yellow light on the dash
that had a transponder. When they would throw a caution flag the light would
come on you could not miss it maybe they should look into something along that
line if they are going to use the safety car and if they are thinking about
going to a safety motorcycle instead of the car they really better consider it.
It is going to be much easier for the riders not to see the bike in blind areas
and when a rider is concentrating on racing you know something if they really
are considering a safety bike maybe they are out of their minds.
novadesigns   |Registered |2009-07-06 19:10:33
I think the idea of radio communication between pits and riders is ridiculous
and dangerous. This isn't a car where you can have distractions like that. It
simply wont work in motorcycle racing.

I think these DMG guys are so out of
touch with motorcycle racing, they just don't seem to understand how things need
to happen for safety and for the fans. Safety cars, rolling starts, and now
comms in your helmet? Yeah, all this smacks as completely out of touch.

And
Colin Fraser talks like a politician. Double talk, circular logic and rhetorical
non-committal answers. You walk away from the press conference with no answers
other than that these DMG bosses will never admit they are the cause of the
problems.
lyodbraun   |Registered |2009-07-06 21:31:41
yup they think they can run it like nascrap, last time I checked road racing is
not going around in circles, I think there wont be any big teams racing next
season if NASCRAP still is trying to run the show. we need a racing series like
WSBK has and them fools at the DMG/AMA/NASBIKE need to get a clue and go back to
the stupid car racing...
SnowR1  - No more DMG   |Registered |2009-07-06 22:52:27
I just have two words for everybody -

NEW SERIES!

DMG is obviously wrong
in every way. The latest pace car incident is just the final nail in the
coffin.

What were they thinking??? People could have been killed!
kamoto  - haha   |Registered |2009-07-06 23:20:05
that guy just got nailed in the pooper
The_Target  - Arrogance by DMG   |Registered |2009-07-06 23:22:27
I find it appalling that DMG refuses to admit what a stupid idea a safety CAR is
in a BIKE race. The last thing that a racer needs is to come through a corner
and see an SUV out for a sunday drive. The arrogance that DMG displays is
insulting to people that are passionate about the sport, be they fans, racers,
teams, sponsors, et al. Kevin Schwantz looks like he wants to kill Colin
Frazier (maybe he can run him over with the damn safety car) for his ignorance
to the safety of the riders.

Boss Rog and his idiot cronies pay empty lip
service to their concerns about the safety of the riders, and the product they
present. However, what they have contrived is a punchline series.
roxysdad  - DMG name change   |Registered |2009-07-06 23:45:15
DMG have officially changed their name to DKSAMR, short for Don't Know S*&%
About Motorcycle Racing. Who knew these guys would screw up American road
racing so bad? I am disgusted at these phonys. All they had to do was mirror
World SBK and all was well. Now they are making decisions that are going to get
riders killed. The arrogance they show is just mind boggling. Between them and
Speed I just want to puke as to what they have done to a great racing series.
downforce137   |Registered |2009-07-07 01:32:52
what a doofus. its amazing that throwing a red flag at any other series or event
in the world keeps motorcycles from riding into the back of safety
cars.

Laguna is probably the most technical track on the calender, and its no
surprise to me that multiple riders didnt see waving flags, while concentrating
on the track. He even stated that people have continued to race past the
checkered flag, because they are focused on the track and where they need to be.
vwken  - ???   |Registered |2009-07-07 15:59:49
I thought DMG was utilizing a Pace Bike now, the Buell, which would have been
less of a risk, but still potentially fatal in a collision in the turn 1
blindspot. Perhaps they thought it was underpowered to lead the Superbikes?
Anyway, with all the changes made by DMG and SPEED's delayed programming, I'm
losing interest in the series altogether. Too many bad decisions and this one
especially could have been disasterous.
novadesigns   |Registered |2009-07-07 16:02:53
BTW, Colin Fraser is either lying or misinformed about the flags he
"claimed" were out on track at the time of the incident. I re-watched
the race footage, and there were NO flags visible between turns 8-10. I saw ONE
visible single yellow (not double as he claimed) and a rather small safety car
placard at the start finish, not nearly early enough to miss a car PARKED over
thre crest of the hill.
There was only one other yellow flag right after turn
10, but it was so far off the circuit that I have no doubt most of the riders
missed it. Even so every flag was a SINGLE YELLOW, which only means no passing
in that corner, NOT to stop for the safety car.

Also, the fact that every
single rider in the field PASSED the safety car, shows that it wasn't just a few
guys at the front who had a problem with this, it was the entire field. If they
had simply had enough workers out there and red flagged the race this would've
alyinsf   |Registered |2009-07-08 09:53:26
A pace car is completely do-able. In BSB they do it - try watching a race to see
how it should be done. It's not perfect, but it works quite well and I'm not
aware of any dangerous situations created because of it's deployment. It's
usually out for about 3 laps, which are often tacked on the end quickly. I don't
know how it's done differently, but maybe DMG should ask a series organiser that
knows what it's doing. Last weekend at KnockHill it was brought out and it
worked just fine, without screwing up the running order.
bry1105   |Registered |2009-07-08 11:30:54
What a bunch of clowns. They'd do better running a circus than a professional
motorcycle racing series. It's depressing to see what they have done to a sport
we all love.
dealsgapdragon  - Marshalls are just cheap spectators   |Registered |2009-07-09 17:13:33
In Europe the pacecars are sportscars with racing mods, not SUVs, and a huge
fire extinguisher built in and flashing strobe lights. A doctor is passenger
with a racer driving. They never drive slow on the track, and only stop as a
rescue vehicle for severe injuries requiring red flag before an ambulance
arrives. It never pulls out on the track until the entire field has slowed down,
then it merges ahead of the leaders. Who was driving the pacer at Laguna, some
VIP nobody who never raced? Why do American marshalls not know how to wave flags
or rescue riders?
rotatingmass  - pace car fiasco(s)   |Registered |2009-07-09 23:10:27
Well, this is the second time this season the pace car on track has caused a
problem. The first time was Daytona. The Daytona incident, at night, was written
off as minor mistake in the integration of the pace car into the series. The
Laguna incident has been brushed under Speed TV’s video editing room carpet and
never shown and any discussion about it with the media has been shut down as
well. Kevin Schwantz, Kevin Cameron and Matt Mladin deserve a big thank you for
standing up for the racers’ safety. Unfortunately, too many racers in the series
don’t have the backbone to speak out for fear of retribution from Roger
Edmondson & DMG, or they or trying to hang on to their paid racing gig and don’t
want to “rock the boat.” This is a bit selfish and shortsighted. There isn’t
much of a future in getting paid to kill yourself. The flag system used for
decades works fine. A competent race control director is what is needed. All the
rotatingmass   |Registered |2009-07-09 23:15:13
All the flashing lights on the dash, corners etc. won’t help if the person in
the control tower does hit the switch to activate them. Yes, a performance
oriented pace car is used in WSB and MotoGP only to follow the riders on the
sighting (warm up) lap but is in the pit when the race starts and does not go on
the track again unless a red flag is throw and the racers have pitted in. Waving
yellow flags means there is a hazard in the general vicinity of the waving
yellow flag. Waving yellow flags do not stop the race. They are a warning and
under a yellow flag no passing is aloud. It doesn’t mean a car is parked on
track over the next hill. Apparently, the race director doesn’t understand the
meaning of the colors or maybe NASCAR has a different meaning for the colors. If
they MUST use a pace car it should not be aloud on track until a red flag is
thrown and the racers are back in the pit and accounted for. The only reason I
...
rotatingmass   |Registered |2009-07-09 23:20:08
The only reason I can see for this big push for a pace car is some financial
incentive from the pace car manufacturer to DMG, another revenue stream. I just
hope isn’t at the expense of someone’s life.
"There's no more conservative
group of people than motorcycle racers," said Edmondson when speaking of
changes to AMA racing, including adding different venues. "They have a
comfort zone the size of a gnat." – Roger Edmondson, June 12, 2008
It’s
nice to see how Roger feels about safety issues.
JLUnlimited  - Kevin Is the Man ! !   |Registered |2009-11-29 18:43:58
Out of all the "journalist" Kevin was teh only person asking the real
questions and trying to get to the bottom of the accident . .

LOL ! !
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