Helping out on practice days

john lilly

john lilly

PR Addict
I don't know if it is true or not but it seems that lately there have been a good number of crashes and obviously a number of serious injuries. I was talking to a friend of mine and we thought it would be a good idea to have a couple flaggers on practice days at the tracks. I am not trying to add expenses or have the number of flaggers that would be at a normal race but have 2 or 3 guys that would agree to flag, for free practice for there kid or something like that (insert idea's here). I would like to see if the track owners would be interested in doing this and if there would be interest from the riders, parents or friends and maybe we could make the tracks just a little safer for everyone.
 
GeorgiePorgie said:
Who doesn't....usually places got someOne on blind parts of tracks...
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Battlesburg, BC, Smith rd, Beans and MX213 are ones I can think of off the top of my head that I have been to without flaggers on practice days. Excluding the Battle Format practices.

They usually depend on the buddy system, the riders normally do a very good job of taking care of downed rider safety. IMO better than a lot of normal race day flaggers do. Riders stop in groups to divert traffic and help out the downed rider as needed.
 
We don't have flaggers on Wednesday practices. Wich were pretty limited last year and will more limited this coming year. We usually have 3 on key jumps for Saturday practices.
 
Volunteers are great, but a bad flagger is worse than no flagger.

I tend to depend on flaggers when they are there. When there is no flagger, I look a turn or two ahead to try and sneak a peek. ( if possible)
 
Not sure of the whole Barney Barnett situation, but sounds like he stopped to help. Then he got landed on or something. So there is a situation where he must have been over a blind jump or something. Like I said, I have no idea of details, just guessing.

I totally understand no flaggers on a practice day that has limited riders. On the other hand, a place like BC, that gets 150 to 200 riders on a practice day.....that place can be nuts sometimes. I totally think they should have flaggers if your getting that many riders on a practice day.
 
Not discounting Barney. But we gotta rememeber the first job is to protect the downed rider.

So that being said you gotta make sure you stop the bleeding. Aka stop the flow of motorcycles towards the downed rider. Until someone can relieve you, then go help the downed the rider.

Now Barney has been around the sport a long time. Im sure he didn't think he was at risk and he thought it was safe to help him.

As riders we got protect people on the track. Stop riders first. Then go tend to the rider once people ar aware of problems on the track. I know this is common sense but there are many on practice days that do not stop and keep riding. We gotta stop race day Norms on the practice day. We gotta save each other. Barney was trying to do just that and an accident occurred. We need to look at what happened and how we as riders can help each other better

At work after a code, we always go back and look at what we could of done differently that may have benefitted the patient. we should be having that discussion now after Barnes incident. A Flagger is definitely a GREAT suggestion. But again riders can't depend on flaggers, we have to rely on ourselves as well.
 
I watched the accident at Beans. The rider that jumped WAS being flagged there was trouble. The flagger was at the base of the jump. I could not believe he jumped it. It is an unfortunate accident that should have never happened.
 
527mx said:
I watched the accident at Beans. The rider that jumped WAS being flagged there was trouble. The flagger was at the base of the jump. I could not believe he jumped it. It is an unfortunate accident that should have never happened.
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If that's the case, it is the riders fault. I see it at the races all the time. Jack a***s have a flag out, and ride like it is not even there, and it even happens at practice. Guys need to start being DQ for the day immediately to stop it.
 
John250 said:
If that's the case, it is the riders fault. I see it at the races all the time. Jack a***s have a flag out, and ride like it is not even there, and it even happens at practice. Guys need to start being DQ for the day immediately to stop it.
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Nate threatens to do that in the riders meeting. Then the official ends up docking 3 positions instead.


All it takes is one time. I got DQ by Dave hand at oir when nick prendes and I were battling hard for the lead in superminis. We were going way to fast. That was a good life lesson. I don't think ive ever pushed through a yellow since.


But, like I said the rider that was being flagged. And by flagged you mean someone waving their hands crazily or what ? Could of been mistaken as just motivation to go faster.

Anyhow. Doesn't matter really, if you even think there might be trouble by gut feeling we gotta slow down. But how do we get that into new riders, and kids in the sport.

Track etiquette isn't innate, it's learned and we need to be teaching.
 
I can understand were this topic could have come from with the recent wreck. I was there, I rode up the face the same time as the guy that landed on Barney. It was probably the worst wreck I have ever witnessed, and it was a long drive home after that. With that said BJ was standing at the bottom right side of the face with another guy on a bike. Now not saying the other guy jumped it intentionally he might not have seen BJ since we were side by side. Not trying to piont fingers, because there is no one to blame. Now Flaggers play an important role but for beans to justify paying someone for 10-20 riders doesn't pencil out. That's where rider etiquette comes in play, as said before I am always looking ahead and remembering I have to work the next day. You have to look at it from a business and safety aspect as well, this isn't a cheap sport from rider to promoter stand point. Just my two cents
 
Regarding flagging. I used to occasionally flag at road races between racing myself. Most roadrace
organizations have pretty rigorous training and rules, even occasional dupes like me had to take the training.
We were taught we had three jobs, to be completed in order:
1. Protect yourself. An injured flagger is worse than no flagger at all
2. Protect the rider. Seems obvious and what we all want a flagger to be doing.
3. Clean up the bikes/parts/track. As possible only.

Georgie's idea about following up and figuring out what happened, why, and how to maybe prevent
it from happening again should be a requirement also.
 
My pops use to at briarcliff back in the day, he always flagged the blind jumps. There needs to be flaggers or us as riders need to step up and stop riding and flag when we come upon a downed rider, common courtesy
 
Interesting how you guys volunteer to flag. Next time my order is taking to long at Wendy's I am going to hop the counter and help out on the fry-o-later. Cause you know. They need help.
If you are paying $25 for an open practice there better be flaggers. It's a business if they want to open to the public then they need to provide staff for your protection. If not, leave and go to another trAck that does.
Merry Christmas
 
Dirtworld always paid a guy to sit on the big double. Perfect spot. Centrally located and he could see the whole track.
 
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