Paddock bikes

[Lola]

I am sorry to hear that Alan Pike had an accident at Oulton Park a couple of weeks ago. This I found out reading last weeks autosport.
Is it about time Paddock bikes/ scooters are banned!
They are annoying, dangerous and unnecessary. Many are only use them as playthings.
They should be banned before someone is seriously injured or killed.

[TimD]

Amen to this one, Lola.

I am not a competitor, but I do spend much of a race morning in the paddock indulging in photography. I have on several occasions been lucky to duck out of the way of some bike or scooter, motorised or otherwise, which has been recklessly charging around amongst the working teams.

Some are ridden by adults, but most are usually piloted by the under-twelves, who have little conception of the extreme dangers of a racing paddock.

I have actually seen a Formula Ford team being instructed to pack up and leave after their kids caused havoc in the Brands Hatch paddock, despite several PA warnings. More sanctions like that would only benefit the racing fraternity in my book.

It's not just bikes, though. The closest I ever came to being mown down in a paddock was at Silverstone, by one of the hooligans employed by the circuit to tow wheelie bins behind a quad. These quad jockeys serve no useful purpose in my opinion. I have seen Alan Minshaw forced to lock up his Lister Jag coming out of pitlane to miss one that was racing its mate, and I've seen one put a huge tyre mark in the flank of a Birdcage Maserati.

[Lola]

If that incedent was on the 23rd of June I was there.
Why do people need them. It is sometimes more of a race track in the paddock. I can understand the need of trucks that tow spare wheels/tires at places such as Pembrey. But at Mallory .....................No

[DAVID PATERSON]

It annoys me as much as anyone else when i see idiots doing something stupid on bike in the paddock, but my team mate has recently started bringing a bicycle to the circuit for us all to use in the paddock and at QR it is very helpful. QR has excellent facilities, the paddock is dead flat and fully sealed, but it is also rather spread out and riding the bike aorund sure saves the legs.

I believe that banning all paddock bikes because some of them are ridden foolishly equates to banning all cars on the motorway because some of them are driven by idiots.

Two meetings ago, a saloon car crew across the way from our pit had a motor scooter which had been in the shop and was now severely over powered. A few of them had been showing off a bit and then one of them got on, gave it a big rev and let the clutch go, only to fly backwards and land on the pavement as the bike shot out from under him and hit a rubbish bin 10 feet away. Oh how we laughed. They didn't of course.

[Vandas]

Although the bikes and scooters can be fairly handy, they are too dangerous to have around.

The number of times I have been coming back off the track and nearly knocked over kids and adults flying around corners without even looking.

It won't be long before someone gets some significant damage done to themselves.

But then again, I would love one to use myself, to save my legs.

[AndyF]

The problem is that the spectators in the Paddock are not aware of the dangers, and it becomes very dangerous. It's not just the scooters though - I have seen people diving out of the way as driver race through the Paddock in their cars to get to the Assembley Area on time.....

[marcus]

they are very handy to have in case you break down way out the back the team can send someone around to pick you up ..and the amenities at some tracks are nowwhere near the pits so it is handy to have a quick machine to get there in time.

last year I was almost knocked down by V8 supercar driver Russell ingall as he raced along back to the pits ..I jumped out of the way and so did a few other people when i thought something but the sound came from someone else...."A HOLE !!!!"
Ingall went on his merry way laughing to himself.


get rid of them before someone is hurt .

[Truckosaurus]

Most paddock scooters etc are definitely used for posing not for 'essential' transport. I've been at Snetterton when they've reminded people over the tannoy that motorised scooters are only to be ridden by people holding driving licences which obviously stops kids messing around.

The worst misbehaviour I've seen is a youth riding a quad on 2-wheels around a busy Brands Hatch paddock...

[Invincible]

I mean going back to the kid discussion for a mo, I saw a kid about 5 or 6 standing underneath the loader on the truck as it was LOWERING fortunately his parents moved him quick and I don't what the parents were doing when the kid was under that loader but they should always keep control of their children. The simple matter is in 6 words:
THE PADDOCK IS NOT AN ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND

It is a dangerous place, pratting about is lethal I mean again I saw an unsupervised kid (4 or 5) walk in front of car coming through, and agian the parents just saved him in time!, either kids under 12 should be barred from the paddock or better yet let their parents take control of them more properly

And the bikes I think are slightly dangerous but why don't they have like someone else to ride them to wherever they want to go, i've seen it on the box watching F1, so why not around the paddock?

[Craig]

That's seven words...

It's perfectly simple really... remind the entrant that they are responsible for all of the team and their pit crew. If any one of them - whether that be the race driver as he drives the car across the paddock or a mechanic on a quad - does anything to endanger a member of public then they should be told to load up and go home.

The matter of kids running loose in the paddock is a seperare issue but the same applies. Anyone who messes around in a live paddock should be removed from the circuit. Simple.

Take responsibility for yourself and all will be fine.

[Lola]

As for racers driving too fast around the paddock, it is difficult to judge speed when returning from the track. A bit like slowing down after leaving the motorway from 70mph to 30mph. It feels like your not moving.
An F3 car or single seater are very difficult to drive at low speeds, the clutch mechanism makes it very hard.
I know from experience that some people do not make it very easy to drive through the paddock. You can be trying to get past as they are walking but they dont move. Very frustrating.
It dosnt help when go peds and scooters are trying to plaster themselves across your car. And you are right as they are used an object for posing or plaything.

[Rocket Racer]

just a little reply to your post about pit bikes/scooters,
well being a racer and an owner of a pitbike that is used everytime i race i must admit some people do abuse the use of these thing's.but the the must of the real racers use them in the right way.(to get to where your not asap.) my pitbike is road legal and insured for my pitcrew to use.(mot&taxed). but the one who uses it most is my dad who's in his 50's to go around the track to watch me race, instead of watching from the pitlane and not seeing every much at most track around the uk.
p.s sorry to anyone who has not liked my honda express whizzing past at 20mph on it's way to the far side of the track.

gary

[Crash Test]

I personally don't have a problem with them, it's just that some people are natural born idiots. I must admit to prefer using my legs though...

One of the best scooters I've ever seen was a normal foot one, and a fairly large one at that, fitted with a smallish go-kart or bike motor, and a fat go-kart tyre on the rear...luckily it was only misused when everyone went home, rather late in the evening....god that was funny

[woodyracing]

i was nearly hit by a quad bike before

[Invincible]

Originally posted by woodyracing
i was nearly hit by a quad bike before

Ditto woody, today at Donington I was talking to Jean-Marc Gounon when suddenly two three-year olds controlling a quad bike and with an adult who's quite clearly got no control veer along and almost hit me and Gounon, Jean-Marc and me were not very impressed even worse J-M had came second or third in the race and his trophy was slightly damaged due to the quad bike running over it, even worse I saw 5-year olds (three of them) at the wheel of a quad bike which is probably very fast and in unsafe hands it can be lethal, I have never seen such lunacy to allow three five year old boys alone (with no adults about!) to control such powerful machinery, surely this can't happen!, the paddock is such a dangerous place and with unqualified infants driving highly powerful Honda quads is surely not on and without protection as well could surely not carry on!