Topic: Hay bales around the track

[Old Goat]

I'm just wanting to complain a little bit. I don't like hay bales around the track. I think they are dangerous. In the years that I've been racing I think I've seen more wrecks from mowers hitting hay bales than from any other reason. I agree that sometimes they are needed in certain places to protect the driver from obstacles around the track, or to protect the spectators from a runaway mower, BUT I think they should be as far away from the race track as possible, instead of right around the edge of the track. On Sunday I was racing in Maryland. I was wide open, just a gettin' it, about half way down the back stretch. I didn't think I was as close to the bales as I was and clipped one with the right rear tire. They sucked me right in and spun me around. I went from wide open to a dead stop in about 10 feet. The bales were tightly packed and pretty heavy (I know, cause I helped put them there!) I stayed on the mower and it stayed on its wheels, but any other mower, other than a Super Mod, and I would have been tumbling and flipping out through the weeds. So, what I'm trying to say is, if you need to have hay bales, or any other type of barrier around your track, try to keep them as far away as possible. It will make it a lot safer for everybody.

[leadslead]

I second  that

[Tom Price]

I don't like them either but aren't they required for insurance through the sanctioning body (US/ARMA)?

[Andrew Horniman]

There are other items that are available.  They are used in Supercross, there not hay bales but they work just as good and will stop about anything.

[more4les]

We use them BUT not end to end. We leave about 1-2 bale length spaces between them (closer together in corners on inside but still about 3ft apart). If you hit one it moves while slowing you down. End to end its like a concrete wall (maybe a bit softer but still solid).

Lester

[supermod]

Been there done that once your right rear hits suck front end in and spin u to the right  when u run low air psi and over u go been there done that not fun I rather hit the wall.

[Darkviper]

i rather hit hay bales rather then tires thats for sure.

[more4les]

i rather hit hay bales rather then tires thats for sure.

Indeed. Tire contact on tire is a recipe for disaster every time. The danger I've seen and we seemed to have remedied it to space out the bales. We originally had end to end bales. They don't move. With spacing a mower will push one bale into another safely stopping the machine. Hay bales I feel are the safest barriers mowers can get if set up with a little space between.

Lester

[Jeff McKelroy]

Hey what about those bumpers they use for guarding the bowling lane gutters?  It'd be like slot cars?  I might actually be able to stay in a lane...

[cycloneracer]

My goal is to not hit stuff. 

No matter what it is or where it is on the track. 

[more4les]

The pictures I posted about our wreck in Moose Mountain were in part caused by the DIRT Modified tires used as barriers. Had they had hay bales the mower most likely would not have flipped. Dirt tires are great for carts who have their tires covered by the bodies. We run open wheels.

Lester

[Tim Toleson]

Lester, I watched that video and that mower was gonna flip whether there was anything there or not.  However i dont like the tires there, they are worse then the hay bales. At the ARMA finals last year it sounds like i did the same exact thing as you Old Goat, and i did end up on my lid

[more4les]

I disagree Tim. If you use hay bales (Not water sogged ones that have been out all season) and not stacked end to end he would have been in the infield stopped with a couple hay bales in front of him. Plus there would have been a line (of bales) going into the corner where the "hole" would have been more noticeably closing. Those tires didn't move an inch. The karts move them but again they are not open wheel. I would rather Rusty go back to his plastic Jersey barriers. Tracks lined with tires are dangerous for mower racing.

Lester

[tgames64]

Hay bales suck... Tires suck....

They should only be used to block obsticles inside the driving arena such as posts, flagger stand, and anything that could cause more damage to a flying driver then the bales and tires themselves.
The key to a safer track are small cones, and ample run-off area around the track. The infield should not be lipped as I see so much of from these tracks that are, "dug-in".

Bottom line... you hit a bale or a tire, mower stops and the driver keeps going... think about that one insurance companies.  

My goal is to not hit stuff. 

No matter what it is or where it is on the track.
 

I'm pretty sure that's everyone's goal Paul,but stuff happens to put it polite like...

[carolinablue]

We have an organization here nc some tracks they put haybale's around the inside corners well you know someone always hit's them and sprews hay all over the track then its like racing on ice. I dont like bales or tires like tgames64 said run off area is the best way hands down.