THE Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) this week announced that it began preparatory works for its launch-pad and full quarter-mile drag strip at the South Dakota Circuit as it gets ready for the club’s King of the Strip 3 International Drag race set for August 26.

While it brings smiles to some, it brings many more questions, paramount of which is safety.

No one wants the conversation on safety. Most think it’s a waste of time because, well, “duh could neva bai!”

It cannot be overstated that motor racing is dangerous. Spectators, drivers and even officials know this very well; but it is the reduction of this degree of danger that can mean the difference between life and death.

There are a couple of things that I hope will be taken into consideration with the completion and installation of the new launch-pad and drag strip.

 Spectator fencing down the strip
This is a sore point. Many have raised it and, many have brushed it off. Earlier this year a competitor turned turtle after flipping his car several times and ending up chewing through one of the fences at the bottom end of the strip. It showed us how easy it is for a car to rip through the obsolete fencing along that stretch.

Something that should be more of an eye opener is the fact that during that incident that car, almost at rest, managed to tear down the fence, so imagine what could happen in full motion; I shudder at the thought.

Now I’m not one to criticise and not offer a fix. The recommendation for this is a two-tier fencing, featuring both inner and outer fences. While this may be tough for a cash-strapped committee, the short term alternative to this is a well-strapped tyre barrier along the full strip. If both could be done, then the safer the spectators will be; also ploughing of the sand along the strip (though I am informed this is usually done).

Spectator control on the start line
Another sore point, the dangers of which people don’t often understand is (I understand) fans want to be as close to the action as possible but it is also a point of real danger. While the earlier part of a drag meet is managed well, the ranks of the enforcement agency either wander off, become spectators or are ill-equipped to handle the task in the afternoon.

The real danger that people can’t seem to fathom is that should a car lose control on the start, or during its ‘warm-up’, then those around it become targets.

It must be said that no driver goes to the line with the intention of causing harm but straight commonsense will tell you that nothing is 100 percent guaranteed all the time.

In addition, many spectators when they crowd at the line tend to block the ambulance and other emergency vehicles and should anything happen, they tend to want to be first responders on the scene, directly impeding the qualified personnel.

Gated spectator areas could be a solution to this, in addition to the one mechanic and the driver rule. A stronger enforcement arm is also what is required here and maybe it’s time to go private instead of going public.

Car eligibility
This one is by far the sorest of the set. personal safety. While the club cannot control the build of a drag car, they can obviously enforce certain rules. I’ve seen cars barrelling down that strip at over 100mph with the driver using a pair of rubber slippers, a helmet with the buckle flapping in the wind and a regular seatbelt. I kid you not!

Millions of dollars’ worth of engine parts and modifications but the driver has on a regular seat belt. Mind you, I understand that a lot of the cars are daily drives (especially in the 15-11) second class but the lack of proper gear is inexcusable. In addition to that, many of those lower time bracket cars have little or no roll cages should things become even more disastrous.

Of the few that have, even fewer can pass an actual safety test, let alone a crash. But hey, they are allowed to race in the interest of letting the show go on. One of these days, it may be shorter than a few people expect.

I don’t think I need to state fixes for this particular issue as they are as plain as day. Still, the idea here is not to seem like the harbinger of issues that face drag racing, but rather to highlight some things that should be addressed  to enhance the sport locally.