What a messy up & down weekend for everyone.
Thanks for the many phone calls from all concerned.
Just to let you all know Ross was first diagnosed with fractured foot, some minor dislocations and a very stiff neck. After another check up this afternoon the new diagnosis is no fracture of the foot but still a stiff neck. The foot is very swollen, bruised and sore and he is probably on crutches for quite a few days yet. No karting for the next few weeks unfortunately so AMC Round 2 is out for us.
Good to see the clothing requirements and the track safety requirements work. Tyre walls did a great job and left a mark on Ross' helmet instread of his head! Decent (ankle length) boots also helped to lessen the foot injury and the neck brace worked well considering the first impact was backwards at the fastest point on the track.
Doctor and Marshalls - thanks for your quick intervention and ambulance driver - thanks for a very speedy and tuneful trip!
Ross is already desperate to get back in the seat practicing again soon and is looking forward to seeing you all in RMC Round 3.

It was a big relief to see Ross on sunday after the prize giving. Let's hope for a quick recovery and see you for round 3

I am really glad to note that Ross is OK. I knew that when we implemented the safety requirements for helmets, overalls and shoes, many drivers were unhappy with it. They have spent large amount of money buying those equipment but now finds out that they have to re-buy the stuff again. Sometime, it is not style that you should look at but the safety aspect. Make sure when you buy protective gear that it is approved.

I have given a one year grace on the overalls. 2010 we will enforce the level 2 HOMOLOGATED overalls for use. Any of those overalls especially "Made in Bandung" will not be allowed. They can be use for practice but not for actual racing days.

Helmets that are allowed now will be Snell 2000 and above. Anything below this level will not be allowed. Helmets homologated to BS standards are also allowed.

Racing shoes NOT COVERING THE ANKLE will not be allowed from now. We will police this rule strictly considering that it has helped Ross from further injury to his leg. Those drivers having car racing shoes have to get a new pair. Sorry for this but it has to be done considering the safety aspect.

James Leong

Geoff,

Good to know Ross well on way to recovery......btw, was it you who jumped/stumbled thru all the tyre barriers to get to the scene? For a moment, I thought you would collapse from over-exertion, having reach the scene in quite a jiffy! But of course, as parents - we would all do the very same thing in that heat of moment.

Ross should get plenty of rest tho kids bounce back mighty fast...


On word on the rescue work - I could say it was done well and the crew did not attempt to manhandle anyone out of the kart when the injuries were suspect.....for risk of more permanent injuries! ( I was on the hill, watching the whole episode...)

I support James's insistence of using the proper race gear and there should never be any compromise on that. In fact, I would even suggest the compulsory use of neck brace for cadets and juniors. A rear end crash into the barriers can do funny things to your spinal cord/neck and only a brace can help prevent serious injury.

On shoes, I dun know of anything other than booties ( mid and high cut ) which covers ankles.....so again, they must be worn. Not sure about the refusal for nomex shoes ( car racing ) but as long as they are the mid to high cut - they should be ok.

We spend >RM20K for karts, much more for racing and how much for safety gear?


James n all,

Now, to further enhance the track safety at Elite - especially on on-off-on rainy days...like what we had on Sunday, can I suggest :
1) Marshalls at this fast downhill bend to report immediately of any hint of rain cos it seems this part of the track always get the 1st trace of it!
2) COC to be extra vigilant and LIBERAL to request marshals to wave the stripped red/yellow flag BEFORE this downhill section. ( turn 2 onwards )
3) COC to decide fast if the race is to be stopped due to heavier rain. ( marshals to advise COC/race control constantly for their sections )

A more drastic course is to alter the alignment of this section.....but of course, that's not easy in view of the land available and existing infrastructures around this bend - but do have a thought and discuss with the track owners if possible. James?

Thanks Jules for your insight. I am not saying that car racing shoes are not totally disallowed. We will allow them to use it if the shoes cover the ankle. That's that! Most of the racing shoes for cars come not covering the ankle and this will not be allowed.

We have already enforced the rule of neck brace on Cadets which is compulsory. For others to use the neck brace, it is entirely up to them.

One of the important contributing factor to accidents is that some drivers are not able to adjust to changing conditions of the track. This could be due to lack of driving experience or lack of caution. In Malaysia most races are run in dry weather so many drivers have very little or no experience of driving a race in rain. They have to adjust to this condition and be able to read the situation if the track is slippery or not and also when to back off. I normally do not want drivers who have not attain the age limit to move to the next class. This is to allow them to gain more experience in a lower class albeit they can move up due to other reasons than of age.

I have noticed that drivers go for practice spending hours driving round the circuit without any aim or objective. They should have a purpose for the practice like doing setup of the chassis or gaining experience in rain driving. All this help to give the driver more confidence in himself and his machine.

James Leong

Yeah great that the drivers weren't badly injured!

It's a bit of a shame that we rarely have wet races. Even when it rains often it rains too hard and the track is almost dry by the time racing resumes .

If you do get a practice day of non-stop light rain it's great to learn driving and setup in the rain - if you have a good idea on setup then to really learn how to drive you should head out on slicks.

Btw was the track wet when Ross had his crash (which was caused by someone spinning in front of him?) - or only the two drivers later on?

To answer Mikko's question, the track was damp and greasy according to Ross and the only reason a driver spun in front of him was because he hit a hidden puddle at the second apex of the sweeping downhill corner.

Thanks for the explanation... I know that puddle.

We had the Johor kart race on Sunday as well but the restriction is to use slicks even in the wet.

My Dad aqua-planed on the warm-up lap into a brick lap and subsequently demolished a whole part of it. 205kg of driver, chassis and weights into a wall is ugly. It thrashed the Arrow chassis.

Photos tell the story better than words.







http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video ... 5212103499

205kg driver still needed weights ?? what class is this. or was he driving your kart.
hope your dads ok from the looks of the wall.

nice side mirrors btw..

ps. why Johor have a race on the same weekend with the Malaysian AMC round? i dont get it..

Looking at the amount of standing water on track ( where you can see the aquaplanning in pix ) - I dun get it even more, why only slicks are to be used. Johorians are a tough lot...this I can say!

Rock, thanks for your kind concerns. He is ok but has an aching back.

On the mirrors, he gets a lot of good natured sniggers on that but he seems to like them.

This year, Aixro's and shifters have been assigned a min weight of 205kg so my dad is carrying another 40kg in weights which make manuevouring the kart more like driving a truck. But even so, on a long config of the circuit he went fast enough to take pole. I would have to say though that we had a couple of fast karters not around in Johor on that day.

Not sure on why dates were scheduled as such.

oh i miss reading that. yea why? was it a fear factor sponsor event??


its a no brainer.

So far the track management has resisted the idea of wet tires during rain sessions.

there are several reasons they have given but I wont really go into them.

within the driver camp, I believe many people are for wet tires but there are still several against it.

I think/hope we will reach a decision soon.

The track at Johor is scary enough in the dry, let alone in the rain with slicks. Surely there's a crossover point where having fun with a small risk becomes just plain dangerous. In my opinion. the Johor track is on the wrong side of that line for anything other than fun karts irrespective of the conditions and in the wet......

Anyway, I'll glad Alan is OK - please wish him the best for me Mark.