Corporate days and the rules

[Shireen]

Can anyone tell me what the rules are on a corporate/non timed event at a hillclimb? Are there restrictions on what clothing you can wear? What's the score on how fast you can drive?

These questions are as a result of being at an event on Sunday where one of the drivers wanted to drive up the hill in a Westfield type of car with his helmet on and was told he was not allowed to... He had driven to the event wearing it and preferred to wear it due to the fact that he doesn't have a windscreen so any debris flying up could be a safety issue no matter how fast he was driving... He was then told that he wouldn't be allowed to drive up if his arms were uncovered...

Then to top it all he was reported for exiting Rolt's with a little bit of a wheel spin and told he wouldn't be able to take any more runs if it happened again!

The guys and girls that were driving were being really sensible and it was just once or twice that any of them had any "moments" and this has left a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth of this person, who I might add has been coming to Prescott as a spectator for 32 years... This was a bit of a dream come true for him as he had always wanted to drive the hill...

I have attached a photo so you can see what he was reported for and I think it's a bluddy good job I didn't give in and pay for some runs as I would have had some serious bollocking's by the sounds of it!

[redturner37]

Hi Shireen, dont know the answer to your main query, but it sounds as if the event was organised by the Jobsworth Society. Any one who refuse to let any one wear any safety equipment of any type needs their bumps feeling. I can see whats on their minds, probably suggesting that if a driver goes up the hill without a helmet he might think twice about going fast, but we all know that you don't have to be going fast to get seriously injured or even dead. Maybe something in the conditions of the licence/insurance but you can never legislate against idiots who might turrn up.

[Goosey]

Harewood is really good with it's school days, full info is on their website :-)

[blackx]

It's usually down to the organisers and their insurers...

Not allowing someone to drive wearing a helmet is just plain ridiculous IMHO...

Lots of places insist on drivers and passengers being covered from wrists to ankles at the very least...

With regards exiting a corner with wheelspin it might have been better simply to ask the driver to curb his enthusiasm a little as opposed to threatening no more runs if it happens again...

How to make friends and influence people huh

[Shireen]

You can probably tell it annoyed me a little that it all seemed a tad silly IMHO and especially as having processed so many photo's I saw other people that had been allowed to drive the hill with bare arms...

Thank you for your input, it is appreciated

[grahamb]

I'm there for a similar event in August.
Untimed to me means treat it like a regularity section.

And if I can't wear my helmet, I'll wear my ear defenders as a minimum as it's a tad loud inside.

Was your event marshalled?

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by blackx

It's usually down to the organisers and their insurers...

Not allowing someone to drive wearing a helmet is just plain ridiculous IMHO...

Lots of places insist on drivers and passengers being covered from wrists to ankles at the very least...

With regards exiting a corner with wheelspin it might have been better simply to ask the driver to curb his enthusiasm a little as opposed to threatening no more runs if it happens again...

How to make friends and influence people huh

I would have thought that it is more akin to a Track-Day and as such most Track-Day Insurers insist that (a) drivers wear a crash helmet, (b) wear their seat belts, and (c) have their arms & legs covered. At Aintree all these are checked before cars are allowed out on the circuit during Track-Days.

I agree with BlackX that where a driver wishes to wear a crash helmet and then are told they cannot is plain stupid. Add to that the insistence that his arms are covered seems to be totally ridiculous!

One wonders what, if any, disclaimer the participants were asked to sign?

[pistonbroke]

FWIW, at the venue in question a Clerk of the Course once told me it was a stipulation of the insurers that drivers did not wear helmets.

[Shireen]

Originally Posted by pistonbroke

FWIW, at the venue in question a Clerk of the Course once told me it was a stipulation of the insurers that drivers did not wear helmets.

What an absolutely ridiculous clause! I wonder what the reasoning behind this is

Perhaps this is something that could have been explained in the briefing rather than waiting till the guy was driving up to take his run though.... He was completely at a loss as to why he couldn't wear it as he was just told to remove it as it wasn't allowed...

[Adam]

Originally Posted by grahamb

I'm there for a similar event in August.
Untimed to me means treat it like a regularity section.

And if I can't wear my helmet, I'll wear my ear defenders as a minimum as it's a tad loud inside.

Was your event marshalled?

Is that for the Retro-Rides show? I was invited to take the Locost up on a demo run but there's no way I'm driving that without a helmet. I took a fly to the eye just pootling to the start line with the visor up on Sunday!