Trackoholics bashes Dan Sheehan

The trackoholicsracing.com website has a lot of space dedicated to bashing Sheehan for the accident at Grattan during race 15 in turn 10. I think this is a little over the top. Go take a look and chime in. If Jim has a problem with what happened he should contact Wera, not trash someone personally on the web.

 

WERA has nothing to do with this. The action of the rider who caused the accident was a decision the rider made to enter the track and cause the accident.......WERA had nothing to do with the accident. WERA more over is completely not at fault for this being they host races for licences racers who, should each be taught at whatever school they attend not to take the action this rider took.

Any rider would (and others have on this board) expressed their grief and disgust with accidents caused by others, specially when its something that could of been avoided.

Jim is just showing his disgust for knowing this racer personally and the extent of injuries the racer sustained from an action that was completely avoidable. Jim is open minded and very professional from what I know of him and if this accident was caused by a "forseen" racing low slide, or bump or such i don't see him being so upset.....but something such as this seems to have tickled his fancy.......and as I feel, it should!

Do you really want to be racing with people who don't follow many of the simple rules of racing, become the one with closed head injuries??? I know I don't.

Jim was somewhat harsh, but .....ive seen much MUCH harsher critisism on this forum for lesser actions of people on the track.

 

atleast he did it on his own web site.

 

wtf.....i'll be right back.

 

just got done talking to jim sheldon.

i think he's just frustrated. he feels that the riders are getting a little out of control and feels that wera should be tougher on riders that cause incidents like this.

we both agreed that it would be best if dan called david and they work this out in private first.

i will pm scott....if anyone has their number or contact info....let me know - i will get them david's number.

 

Here is what they are talking about;

Trackoholics :

I have to give it to Dave for persevering after Bojan decided he'd had enough and retired. Dave stepped it up and his first year has been absolutely awesome. Whether he raced at tracks he knew or had never been to he managed to run on pace with the leaders all year long. Despite a real weight disadvantage Dave worked hard and raced clean all year long. Sadly that all came to an end on lap two of race 15 of the final WERA regional when Dan Sheehan plowed into him causing Dave to crash in a big way. See the report below for more.

I wanted to throw out a big thumbs up to some of our Trackoholic trackday/racer friends who did well over the weekend. Doug & Michele Shelfoon, Ryan Van Leewan, Larry Denning, Joe Gill, Eric Spector, Allan Pett, Ryan Van Leevwen, Gustav Hoffman, Devon O'Hara, Tom Christian, Scotty Van Scoik, and Chuck Bannon.


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Dave Theil

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CLASS FINISH FASTEST LAP

MW SOLO 20 2nd Transponder N/A

600 Superstock Novice 4th Transponder N/A
750 Superbike Novice 5th 1:24.345
600 Superbike Novice 5th 1:25.002
750 Superbike Novice DNF ---------

We started the weekend off with high hopes. Both JB and Dave were looking quite fast and finished 1-2 in the Solo 20 on Saturday. Sunday however ended with Dave in the hospital with a season ending injury.

Dave carded a pair of forth's and a fifth place into the final race. Our earlier strategy to sit back and work the last three laps did not pan out as we had planned and so it was decided in the last race to run as close to the front as possible. Dave had the speed to do it and ran as high as second hounding the leaders. While following Dan Sheehan on lap two Dave noted Dan's big slide in two and again in four he ran wide and so Dave settled in knowing that he had a lot of time on this track and decided to wait for another run on the front straight. It was clear to Dave that he was the faster of the two. However before they made it to the front straight for lap two Sheehan turned in early entering the right hand corner 10b where he ran off onto the grass. This may not have been a problem had he not turned back onto the track slamming into Dave at over 100 MPH.

This created a no win situation for Dave as he was thrown over the handlebars landing head first on the pavement as his bike cart wheeled end over end pretty much ending any chance we had of going to the Grand Nationals at Road Atlanta this year.

Dave and I along with some of the pursuing riders feel that this crash could have been avoided had Dan looked before turning back onto the track or better yet ridden the off track excursion out and up to the top of the track to avoid such an incident. Either way it had to be on par with the dumbest move of the year next to the Brett Bennett take out at Autobahn Raceway last month.

It's interesting how much trust you have to put in those you race with and it's times like this one that really make you question some of the racers you are racing with. This was not Dan's first race, in fact he has been at this a few years and he has won a few. It was however Dan's first time at Grattan and you'd assume as a seasoned racer and after racing the entire weekend he would have the track somewhat memorized, however because of his very early turn in at 10b you'd have to say he did not do a very good job of it.

As the owner of Trackoholics and having spent the last four years exclusively on this track running trackday events and working as an instructor over the past 6 years, I have never seen a rider turn in so early on 10b that they ran off into the grass. I'm not going to say that it can't happen, because in this case it did.

What is bothersome is the end result. To have this kind of sloppy riding at the last race, in the last regional race of the year and prior to the GNF races at Road Atlanta (A race we save and plan for all year) is totally un called for, un professional and un sportsman like.

Dan apologized but as far as we are concerned the reality is that Dan's garnered points from this race and will go onto the GNF if he chooses. Something Dave will not be able to do. Thousands of dollars will be required to fix Dan's lack of conduct and control as a racer and we still do not know the extent of Dave's physical injuries after suffering a very hard head slam into the pavement.

I'll say it again that this crash was so similar to the Brett Bennett crash at Autobahn which ruined Brett's season, not to mention the injuries he sustained. (CLICK HERE to view BRETTS CRASH). Stupidity, poor judgment and riding above your ability to compete fairly and having some control over your riding without hurting someone else especially during an amateur race where all you have to gain or win is a piece of wood is dumb and totally un-professional.

In Bretts's case he gave up two and maybe 3 championships and a chance to do well at the season ending GNF races. An entire season wasted because one rider could not control his actions or his bike.

For WERA to call this a racing incident is ludicrous. This rider as well as the rider who took out Brett Bennett need to be reprimanded in a big way. This could have been a major accident as there were riders following very closely behind Dave and should consider themselfs damm lucky they to were not involved.

First and foremost these riders/racers who create this kind of incident should be disqualified from the race, points removed as well as some sort of suspension from racing seeing that they have made it next to impossible for these two guys to ride for quite a while. Not to mention excluding them from this years GNF.

This isn't a thing about who is or is not friends, who works or races for who, who's trackdays you ride or anything else. Your life may depend upon someone else's actions and I think every rider whether it is a race or a trackday needs to use there head. I mean we aren't talking about a minor mishap here. This was a big crash.. And it wasn't just a "racing accident" as the WERA offical so aptly called it.

And one thing I'm not listening to is that we are sore losers. That is total BS. Dave has proven himself by running up front all year as a first year Novice without any kind of stupid "Im not using my head" riding. We support one Top 10 WERA National Endurance Team (Bell's/Anchu Racing) and 3 WERA National and Regional Sprint racers (Dave Thiel, Jonas McCluskey, Bojan Miljkovic along with a few others) and by we, I mean Trackoholics. We have bent over backwards to promote WERA racing in a good way while they sit around slamming trackdays. Pretty damm amazing really.

We don't bitch and complain about messy tech sheds and useless BS on the WERA forum. We run trackdays and we support and promote racing. And we do our best to do both as professionally as humanly possible.

And yes, we do intend to file an offical protest to WERA on this matter. From there it is up to them as to whether or not this kind of racing etiquette continues.

So here's to Dan Sheehan. We hope the third place you got, some 14 seconds behind the leaders was worth the grief you've caused Dave and our team. We will now spend October 15th at home and it's going to cost us a whole lot more to sit at home than it would have to gone down to the GNF and raced.

Thumbs down to a racer who was to damm selfish to admit he was not the fastest guy around the track on that given day and made someone else pay the price for his lack of speed.

 

not necessary to drag that over here.

he is considering pulling that report. please delete post? just a suggestion.

 

I have been racing with Dan for a couple years now and have had no problems on the track with him. Trackoholics has crossed the line though. Everyone makes mistakes. The fact that Dan already apologized is proof that he knows he made a bad decision. It should end right there. I could see suspensions and such if someone was intentionally trying to knock someone else off the track but I don't believe Dan would ever try to do something like that.

The race report is bad, but the captions put on the crash pictures are even worse. That is pretty low.

BTW, there have been people bashing other racers in the past for mistakes, but from what I have seen it has been because the racer in question had a history of making bad decisions. I don't think that is the case here. What we have is a single incident.

Sorry to hear Dave is hurt and I hope he heals up well, but this should just be chalked up to a racing incident, something to learn from, and move on.

 

BTW, Jig, if you want Scott's cell I have it along with his number at his shop. Just lemme know...

 

I think the word Jim is trying to explain here is negligence. Not that the guy meant to do harm, but his actions were negligent and caused great harm.

People who do something reckless or negligent while driving on the street may not mean to hurt another driver or property, but when they do they are held accountable with more than "im sorry" They are held to higher standards if someone is hurt even though they didn't mean to do it.

Obviously this accident was not on purpose, but the behavior was negligent and part of the rider who caused the accident.

Jim just feels a negligent act should be penalized in the racing schene........just as negligent acts are penalized pretty much in every other aspect of life one way or another, either by points deductions or whatever.

But regardless, Jim didn't drag this topic to the wera board.

 

yes. pm me with it, please.

 

no. we have brian van to thank for that.....

 

I am with Larry on this one. This is way over the line. Dan never meant to cause that, no one would ever intentionally do that. I don't feel this should just go unnoticed. I am sure anyone here would want to be aware of this if it was directed at us. That picture with the caption is seriously fucked up. There is no place for that in this sport. Dave is a good dude and what happened to him makes me sick for sure, however, that is the risk all of us take everytime we enter the track.

 

Brian you are apparantly the only one overly worked over this.

Jim presented this material on HIS race team web sight. A sight devoted to explaining what happens to HIS team. Its his page and he as more than every right to say anything he chooses, and nothing he said is slander or anything but really the truth.

Jim has said prob what lot of people think but do not say, being he has the perfect place to say it "his web sight".

Put the shoe on the other foot, if you were sitting at home with a bike in shambles and head throbbing like mad because of a careless act...........wouldn't you be pissed??!!!

Brian i think you are missing the main point Jim was attempting to make. This accident just set the stage and is the perfect reference point for Jims arguement............that racers who do negligent things while racing need to be held accountable. That is his entire point of his article.

 

quote:
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Originally posted by thiel51
your right that we all ride that same and crash the same. the other rider and I talked and there absolutely no hard feelings. he is a great guy and I know he ment no harm.
the bike is pretty messed up...total to repair every will be a good amout but thats racing and I understand that...we all understand that, thats why we choose to fix it and go back racin.
this was my first year racing and I had a great time with all you guys.
thanks for a great year.

dave
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have dave i thought this issue was dead .... why the change of heart.. between you and jim how many times can dan appologize that he's sorry..............


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Based on your remarks I would say your position is a little biased. I am not worked up over this. Just felt it was something others should see. I personally have no problem with Jim. Bottom line racing is dangerous, shit can happen at any point on the track. There was nothing neglegent about Dan's actions, he made a mistake it happens. Personally I try not to ride too close to anyone to avoid shit like that.

 

Im not bias over the specific accident, but i am bias over the basis for the arguement. That riders who make a mistake of this magnitude should be held accountable for their actions. If this was the precident and a penalty or such was implied for a mistake of this type, i feel there would be less of them over time.

Anything that relates to less accidents is a good thing, and if its a possible penalty or punishment of sorts to lessen the odds, then that is what needs to be in place.

I don't know the penalty system of any racing organization very good, but i do recall a few accidents a year or two back when Hopkins and a few other riders or such......can't recall the specifics but......they made some mistakes and had to pay.......had to sit out a few races.

 

quote:
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Originally posted by thiel51
your right that we all ride that same and crash the same. the other rider and I talked and there absolutely no hard feelings. he is a great guy and I know he ment no harm.
the bike is pretty messed up...total to repair every will be a good amout but thats racing and I understand that...we all understand that, thats why we choose to fix it and go back racin.
this was my first year racing and I had a great time with all you guys.
thanks for a great year.

dave
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it's a mistake shit happens and he was sorry.. what more do you want ... i'll call dan and tell him to give you his 1st kid for crist sakes.... i got hit at autobauhn it happened i'am ok bike can get
fixed aleast dan appologize dave atleast got that!!!! i got nothing....if your going to be that way don't race!!!!


i would ride and or race with either one of the sheehands....
no questions asked

 

I am trying to figure out what took place. This is what it sounds like to me.

Rider in the lead approaches right hand corner.
Throws it in too early.
Runs right, off the track in a right-hander.
Straightens up to avoid lowsiding in the grass, leading him right back onto the track slamming into the second rider.

Is this correct?

It sounds to me like the F'up was turning too early into the grass.
Coming back onto the track sounds like just the result of trying to keep the bike on two wheels.

Sounds like 'one of those those unfortunate racing things' too me.
But I wasn't there, and didn't see it....so I really dunno

 

that's it straight to the point and dan appologized for it too!