Many of you are aware that two VSRG members were injured at the season opener at Willow Springs and have asked us for information on what happened and the condition of the drivers. Both drivers are ok however they both face some amount of healing. Jon Peterson sustained a broken foot and the expected bruises. Eric Roberts had more injuries and sustained a broken nose, facial cuts and facial fractures and as of today he is still hospitalized at the Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, CA. however it is hoped that he will be transferred to a hospital nearer his home this week. We ask each VSRG member to send our fellow racers best wishes on a get well card. Their addresses are:

Jon Peterson
21481 Aquilar
Mission Viejo, CA 92691

Eric Roberts
2302-A Huntington Lane
Redondo Beach, CA 90278

Neither Eric or Jon's car is repairable.

The accounts of the eyewitnesses vary somewhat so we will stick to what seems to be the commonly agreed upon facts.

1. One car spun at the exit of turn 9 and went into the dirt raising a dust cloud over that section of the track. This is a very high speed turn that has very little room for error.

2. Jon indicated that he felt the spinning car was going to come back across the track in his path and he maneuvered to avoid the car but lost control and spun into the dirt and came to a stop back on the track some distance from turn 9. His spin created a second, much denser dust cloud directly over that part of the front straight.

3. The first spinning car came to rest in the dirt on drivers right, just beyond turn 9. A second car pulled off the track on the left side just in front of the dust cloud created by Peterson on the front straight.

4. Eric Roberts came out of turn 9 at speed and entered the dust cloud on the front straight and contacted Peterson's car at approximately 45 degrees on the right front of the car (near head on).

5. Peterson's safety equipment functioned properly.

6 . Robert's safety equipment (installation) appears to have failed which caused Eric to hit the windshield.

Safety investigators and paramedics indicate that it appears that Eric was not restrained by his shoulder harness upon impact. Apparently his harness installation did not go though the back of his seat rather it went around the outside due to seat design. This placed the shoulder harness across his shoulder/arm joints rather that his collar bone and formed a "V" shape. This allowed his upper body to be ejected out of the shoulder harness on impact. He was also wearing an open face helmet which contributed greatly to his injuries. When we started this series our goal was to provide an opportunity for vintage sedan racers to race together and enjoy our chosen hobby. While we know that incidents such as this are always a possibility in motorsports we feel that there are steps that can, and must be taken to reduce the risk of injury to drivers. The installation and proper use of driver safety equipment is the responsibility of the driver however we feel compelled to add two safety related requirements for this series:

1. Only SA rated (95 or later), full face helmets with the shatter proof face shield will be allowed.

2. Window nets or arm restraints are mandatory and must be in position prior to leaving the grid.

In addition we strongly urge drivers to inspect their cars for the following items:

1 Seat belt and shoulder harness must be properly installed according to manufacturers specifications. If you do not have such specifications refer to those published by Simpson in their catalog. A minimum 5-point system is required. Belts must be securely anchored to the frame (or floor pan with spreader plates or large safety washers) and/or the roll cage.

Seat belts are dated, check the date tag as they should be re-webbed after 5 years. We have all heard that belts will stretch, this is normal as they are designed to stretch a little on impact. However with age they tend to become brittle which leads to failure which is why they should be replaced every five years.

2. A full roll cage, using the materials specified in the current SCCA GCR's is strongly recommended. We cannot over emphasize the value of a full cage.

Even with a full cage in the cars involved in the current incident, we noted buckling within the caged area on both cars. Had these cars had only a simple hoop it is very likely the drivers would have sustained greater injuries.

3. Fire suppression system. We recommend that you release the cable mechanism from the bottle and then verify that the system could be activated when the handle is pulled. We have noted more than one system where the handle could not be moved due to kinks and or rust in the cable mechanism.

We all feel that something like this will never happen to us but the difference between pulling into the pits after the race or going to the hospital is often measured in millimeters on the track. Your best protection is heads up driving and properly functioning safety equipment.

Jim McAdory
Kevin McKee
Fred Schueddekopp
VSRG Founders

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