NHRA Auxiliary Pit Vehicle Policy - Is this new?

[Ed Fernandez]

Same here on the East coast.And they have an attitude about it too.The lead vehicle is usually an NHRA official also.

[Byron Worner]

I want to apply for the job: Paul Blart Track Cop!!!

[Jim Wahl]

Originally Posted by Rollins_2241

Pit vehicle accidents are by far the most common cause of claims against NHRA's liability insurance, their underwriters have noticed, and their premiums have gone up and they have probably been threatened with non-renewal unless the risk is addressed. No insurance, no drag racing - it's that simple.

I bring a bicycle to divisional and national events and it does not count as a pit vehicle. It looks like an ATV convention at most races and an underwriter walking in from the parking lot would see all the zipping around close to walking spectators and crewmembers and run screaming into the night...right after he dropped off the cancellation notice at the tower. Those are the facts from an insurance guy's perspective. Racers refuse to downsize their pit vehicles or get control of their underage drivers, so NHRA's insurers are doing it for you.

All that is great reading, but there is one problem, NHRA is self-insured! Jim

[Rollins_2241]

Nobody is totally self-insured for the tens of millions in liability potential from a single quadriplegic pit accident (or whatever) victim. There is an excess policy somewhere, I'm sure, probably through Lloyd's or possibly a U.S. surplus lines carrier.

[david ring]

Originally Posted by Rollins_2241

Nobody is totally self-insured for the tens of millions in liability potential from a single quadriplegic pit accident (or whatever) victim. There is an excess policy somewhere, I'm sure, probably through Lloyd's or possibly a U.S. surplus lines carrier.

Rollins,

This is the second time you've tried to confuse us with the facts-those damn facts get in the way of our biases, so quit it!

[63corvette]

Since we were just enhanced with a increase in insurance costs for the national events you would think that would cover the pit bikes.
OH, I forgot this is NHRA.
No Happy Racers Allowed is what it stands for.
My 2 Cents
Rick Cates

[Jason Oldfield]

Originally Posted by Rollins_2241

I bring a bicycle to divisional and national events and it does not count as a pit vehicle. It looks like an ATV convention at most races and an underwriter walking in from the parking lot would see all the zipping around close to walking spectators and crewmembers and run screaming into the night...right after he dropped off the cancellation notice at the tower. Those are the facts from an insurance guy's perspective. Racers refuse to downsize their pit vehicles or get control of their underage drivers, so NHRA's insurers are doing it for you.

I'm at the races for 2 reason:

1. To enjoy myself. I don't enjoy riding a bicycle, and if I did, I wouldn't be at the races...I'd be somewhere else riding my bike.

2. To race my car (see #1).

That's it. IMHO, NHRA is the one who caused this problem. As somebody else mentioned, they park us sometimes LITERALLY more than a mile away from the starting line and where all the vendors / utilities / officials, etc. are located. Maybe instead of restricting what the RACERS can do, maybe we could restrict what the FANS do. There's a novel idea, huh?

Rather than making the pits one big freaking free-for-all, how about painting some lines on the freaking ground telling fans, "Walk here", and "No admittance", like on the return road. I'm not saying you need to remove fans from the pits completely, but how about just a few restrictions for them? I realize that one of the draws for fans to NHRA races is the unrestricted access to the pits, but maybe the other racing bodies (i.e. NASCAR, IndyCar, etc.) got it right. Their competitors don't have to deal with the clusterfornicate that we do that is called trying to get around the pit areas without killing somebody.

Plus, I ask you, how am I supposed to go get 5 gallons of fuel or water for my race car on a bicycle? I would have to guess that riding my ATV responsibly with a 5 gallon jug of liquid is safer than trying to ride a bike doing the same thing.

Put some signs up, paint some lines on the ground, and put a rent-a-cop or two in strategic locations to keep fans from going in those dangerous areas (e.g. the return road where the fuelers are returning from their run at 50 mph), and we can probably avoid this situation altogether. My guess is that even the pros would appreciate this.

NHRA can suck it.

[John Dinkel]

I got hasseled at the Summit Nationals in Norwalk last year. I was riding my bike with my sticker. If I would have had a scooter the cops said I could ride it as long as I had my sticker. Who knows what is going on?

[63corvette]

In years past I have been to lots of NHRA nationals and there are tracks (more than one) who do not allow bicycles to be ridden into the staging lanes. Not sure about where you can not take a bike now but there are restrictions by track.
Scooters and golf carts and all kinds of utility 4 wheelers but not a bike.
Go Figure.
Rick Cates

[Daran Summerton]

So is it 1500$ per incident? If your caught cruising with a Bud Light is it 3000?