Quote:
Originally Posted by Woolley
Well, apart from the broken leg, that is. Tibia, I think.
Karl Scholar is still going strong in the Spectre, officially recognised as a Shelsley Special and while I admire him and his adventure with the vehicle, I can't say I like it very much. I'll forgive him because he's such a nice man. Other than that, as a marshal I really have no wish to see Karts on a hillclimb, and I'm no fan of bikes either for pretty much the same reason.
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ooops re Rob Turnbull, my statement was based on an 'eyewitness' comment that said they saw him walking about half an hour later!
From what I have now discovered (in another thread here at TT) he did indeed suffer an injury in the accident, a fractured ankle, although he did actually return to Wiscombe that evening, albeit with his ankle in plaster. Apologies for the error.
None the less I think that even Rob would agree that given the size ans speed of the impact that he was fortunate to not have been more seriously injured, and no doubt thankful for the obvious strength and integrity of the Gould tub / survival cell which did a brilliant job holding up to the impact and protecting Rob from further more serious injuries.
To be honest I really think that karts and certainly hills with minimal run off areas would be best not combined if only from the safety issue. The drivers are very exposed and with the karts now running sleek bodywork, meeting with a crash barrier at the wrong angle and perhaps the kart sliding underneath / between the barriers is a thought I would not like to contemplate. The video of Rob's Wiscombe crash should offer all explanations as to why not.
As for motor bikes I must admit that I always disliked running at meetings that cover both categories. No disrespect to our two and three wheeled (sidecar) compatriots but for the size of engine they seem to leave an awful lot of oil around on the track which obviously is a danger to all competitors and indeed marshalls.
The nature of motor bikes, their riders lack of restraint, not to mention being terribly exposed to barriers and the solid and unforgiving local scenery, and places such as Wiscombe although they do indeed already run bikes at combined events clearly are potential death traps and venue closers should serious injury result to competitor marshall or spectator. My two cents
Once more apologies to anyone misled by my incorrect statement as to Rob Turnbull's injury, or lack off. Glad nonetheless, to see that he did indeed make a speedy and full recovery from his fracture.
