Daytona Flat Tow Damage

Timo

Timo

Member


Anyone else have problems with the flat tow crew ?
I had an electrical problem 2 laps into the race and ended up on the inside of the bus stop. (oval runoff area)
The flat tow worker had the bright idea to take me thru an unmowed field with a drainage ditch. Hence the damage. The front of the car was unscathed until the tow.
I was right at the beginning of pit lane entrance but that would have made too much sense.
The flat tow workers reply to the damage was the Steward told him to go that path. After breaking 2 laps into the race and then having this a@@ damage my car I thought seriously about pulling a Woody on him but we all know how that would have turned out.
Any recourse or is this par for Daytona ?


Tim Pitts
#11 VW Golf
 
What can we do as a club to prevent this in the future? I was flipped over by a flat tow in 2012, and then when righting the car, a pry bar with a hydraulic lift from a tow truck was used under the main hoop, thus putting a nice kink in the main hoop. Long story short, the car needed a new cage, a ton of body work and a full paint job. Luckily, I wasn't hurt and the SCCA insurance covered about half of the repair costs (thank you!). Even still, I was sidelined for 370 days while rebuilding an entire race car.

A year later, I was spectating at a Mid Ohio regional only to see the rope tow hauling a F500 down the back stretch at (what appeared to be) 40+ mph. The F500 driver hit a bump got sideways and was flipped on its roll bar. It then skidded and was dragged a good 500 feet on its top. Luckily the driver wasn't hurt. The car was a rental!!

And now this happens at the Runoffs. It is completely unacceptable in my opinion.

Ranting aside... What can we do constructively to educate/train the towing crews at our events so this doesn't happen again in the future? If these shenanigans continue, one of these times, a driver WILL be hurt.
 
Tim, sorry to hear about the problem but am glad to hear that you had pulled off at the stop because of an electrical issue.

Where you ended up stopping, there was a set of odd skid marks completely off line coming out of the bus stop, right up the track and into the wall right behind where you were sitting. I looked every lap I went by and really thought you had stuffed the car there coming out of the stop.

Sucks that you were out, but glad it wasn't crash related.

-M
 
Thanks Matt , I was parked in a good spot when I replaced the fuel system fuse. Got the car started only to stall again 100 yards further down the track in a spot that caused FCY. Sorry for the FCY .
I appreciate the info on SCCA insurance. Will file. Didn't realize flat tow incidents can go very wrong, mine was pretty trivial compared to being flipped over.



Tim Pitts
#11 HP Golf
 
Dumbass meth head tow truck drivers strike again. I hate that for you guys, I too have had dumbass corner workers, and tow drivers tear my stuff up too. I won't get flat towed anymore, you can't depend on these brain dead bostiches to do it correctly.
 
Agree with going to SCCA for compensation. Not sure where the flat tow guys came from but will try to find out. In the meantime I suggest going to Eric Prill with your stories. That way they can solve any poor procedures before getting to Ohio next year... or any other times like the '16 Majors. Give him enough details about the drivers/trucks etc. so he's got some facts to work with. Sounds like we need to instill some more proper procedures into the aforementioned grey matter. Also, send those pictures! Jason... Agree! Read the above.

Bob
CFR Paddock
 
Acme Speed Shop":36fuv9md said:
.......dumbass corner workers.....
Click to expand...

C'mon Hap....take a chill pill. Workers in general wanna help you (us) out. Don't paint SCCA workers with the same brush as the pro track folks who've never seen a prod car. And remember who's on the job when you're on fire or upside down.

Want better quality help from SCCA workers? Go out and work a weekend or two and spread some of your expertise around.

Dayle
 
Damn,

+1 to Dayle.

I usually mostly agree with Hap, but not this time.

Incidentally, I was towed once by Daytona crews last November, and roll backed once at runoffs, and had zero issue.
 
Someone smarter than all of us here said "it takes longer to complain about a problem than to solve it". Like Dayle said.. these are our folks in the trucks. A.J.s car hanging on a hook got me rolling too, but....

Bob
 
No damage on my flat tow. Unfortunately they were told to take me to tech. Where I sat for 4.5 hours telling them my engine was blown and I was going home, please just let me withdraw or anything to get released. No avail on that part. Jumping curbs at over a 100 can move your camber though. So I lost my times and still had a blown engine. All the cars in my group failed camber. Not repeatable measurement, but Joe A. brought his stuff down and checked the floor and then his car. It was .5 different from the SCCA measurement but still .1 over. We just said give me the paper and let me go home. Fall-Line tried to help fix my car but there was way too much metal in the filter. Lost the serpentine belt at 161 mph going into turn 1. First the power steering quit then it went to 268 degrees within 150 feet and BMW said shut me off, and did just that. Brown moment that was. No PS and then no PB. Coasted to turn 3 station and got my tow.

James
 
Dayle, when you have a corner worker take a crow bar to your new fuel cell, then you will know the way I feel. Oh than there was the time when I got wrecked in the Huffaker Bugeye, I am sitting in the middle of the track, flat tire and on fire, and they don't even throw a yellow, I have to run across a green track and get the fire extinguisher myself. Oh and then there was a time when I got called in for passing under yellow, for a driver pulling off course, and the yellow was for a slow moving car heading to pit in a quarter mile in fornt of me, last time I checked that is white flag, I had to appeal and won. No you're right not all corner workers are dumbasses, but it seems we have quite a few that are.

OH and the best one was when Matt W. went to driver school at Roebling in a rented Mustang AS car. It blew oil line, filled the cockpit up with smoke, he couldn't see shit in that car, I am in T2 station as a observing instructor, the two farging dipshits on that corner called him every name in the book because he didn't stop right in front of their station, hell he couldn't see anything. Then when he gets to the corner station, these two losers act real nice to Matt, then I tell Matt in front of them what they said, of course they lie their loser asses off.

Yeah I had more than a few corner workers do their job well around me, but I had more than a few prove to me they should have never been a corner worker, sorry I am not blowing smoke up these people's asses unless they do something to deserve it.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the flat-tow/tow-truck/roll-back drivers usually provided and/or hired by the track? I don't think they really have anything to do with the SCCA. And yes, if there's any way that I can avoid any of them ever touching my car, I will. I got the hood on my old ITS Prelude crushed in pretty bad by a clueless tow truck operator, and have had to completely take over the loading of both my ITA Integra and my FP Integra up onto roll backs before so they wouldn't completely destroy the front end.
 
Many tracks have their own staff to do safety equipment. We will leave it up to our renters as to the competency level of those contractors. We prefer to use professional fire/safety crews during competition events. They're experienced, quick, and efficient. Most importantly they'll hot tow. Tracks managed in association with professional series will not hot tow. Some will not enter the track if any cars are moving. How they behave depends on how in tune the management is to risk and the management thereof.

James -r
 
James Rogerson":18xdf9co said:
Many tracks have their own staff to do safety equipment. We will leave it up to our renters as to the competency level of those contractors. We prefer to use professional fire/safety crews during competition events. They're experienced, quick, and efficient. Most importantly they'll hot tow. Tracks managed in association with professional series will not hot tow. Some will not enter the track if any cars are moving. How they behave depends on how in tune the management is to risk and the management thereof.

James -r
Click to expand...

... And then there's Hallett.. I've been passed by Tow Mater going through the dirt. airborne. 1.9 mile track with 1:30 lap times, and it is rare that I see a car disabled more than about 2 laps. before it's cleared and we're back under green.
 
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