I went out to Miller for a trackday and to help a customer get a new racebike sorted out. 3rd session I jump on the bike and head out to see how she feels. About the 5th lap a guy passes me, I pass him back.... back and forth a few times until he starts pushing it in the wrong places so I fit in behind him and ride. We are coming out of Release (last corner onto the straight) and he's 10 feet in front of me. His back tire gives a wiggle then breaks loose for a second and catches again. Too late. It knocked his feet off the pegs and he is heading right at the concrete wall along pit road. Theres a bunch of gravel trap so I'm thinking he'll dump it or get slowed down. Nope, no brakes just him hanging off the bike with the throttle pinned. They had airfence out and it was 2 sections deep where he hit. The bike had to have been at 70+ when it hit the wall and flipped, chucked him up into the chainlink about 12 feet high. Dropped him on his head into the tire wall. He was moving and talking when I went to pit but was still laying in the tire wall. I can honsetly say he would have been dead had it not been for the airfence. I'm just damn glad it's there for us.
I have a good friend who is still here today because of airfence. He still ended up with a broken neck, but it could have been much worse.
It's not gonna amount to much but I'm donating 5% of my SRAD 750 part out to Air-fence fund. I don't even race....yet, but I do like the idea of a "comfortable" landing.
I love stories like that! They confirm that what we do to deploy Airfence, is worth the effort! But they also make me more pissed off that our bodywork auction got scammed!
That's why everyone should go buy a raffle ticket for the KTM rc8 bob's giving away.. more money for the fund! Plus you never know when you'll need it.. I was standing on the wall when that happened.. scary scary stuff..
I've watched Airfence cushion many a crash, and I've become a regular contributor to the airfence fund. I hope I never get to inspect it at speed, but If I lose it in bad place, I hope there's a section of airfence to cushion my impact.
Momma always said I could tear up an iron wedge! I've donated directly and bought raffle tickets that benefit the fund! I was gonna help you guys set it up at Road A this last time but the issue with my wallet kept me busy.... I try and mind my manners through the esses now....
Swarts actually did a story on me after Road Atlanta/GNF's. He even made me sound good cause I know I was rambling off babbling bullshit!
Never seen an air fence at the track but they sound like there pretty awesome. Seen a few riders go head to head with the wall and lost, would have been alot better if we had an air fence for them to hit
Every single track out there has to have a barrier at some point. Those barriers is possible need to be covered with something that is safer than the plain barrier. Miller was good enough to immediately use Airfence for their barriers. I don't care where the runoff ends or where a barrier is, sooner or later someone will screw up and hit it. Doesn't matter what track anywhere in the entire world no matter how safe - someone will hit something if it exists. The description by the OP is proof of that. The rider had a number chances to avoid the barrier, yet he still hit it.
Yep. I hate it when I'm screaming "dump it" at the top of my lungs and riders just don't listen to me....
Yeah, for some reason I never had any problem bailing out when appropriate. "Yo, bike, you're on your own, I'm outta here! Have a nice flight!"
I can think of a certain place or 2 at inde that could use some air fence. I almost kissed the wall coming on to the straight.
Exactly what i was thinking. That place is nice but if you mess up your getting hurt bad... There's no tires (because it doesn't look good around the track i was told...) No air fence... Probably for the same reason. And pit wall is stupid... Why would you build the flag stand 5 feet off the track in the middle of a turn like that? I want to ride a track that has its shit together so bad, inde is a death trap rapped in a pretty bow
I screwed up the entrance, basically thought i was going too fast for my noob skills, stood it ip, jumped the curbing and kinda pulled a cameron beubier as i was head towards the wall, just not as graceful. And yeah, start finish is fucking retarded. I dont even understand why they put the start/fin in that place. Just makes no sense. Still fun, but scary. Every where else on the track is pretty safe though. Just cactus