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DRIVER INFORMATION ORCi NATIONAL BANGER PRESS RELEASE The ORCi Technical Sub Committees met last week to discuss any rules changes for 2011. These will be published in due course, however, there is an additional rule that will be implemented this year and will apply from 1st July 2010. This new rule was based on the findings of four cars that were presented for scrutineering at Crasharama and were ‘overbuilt’ to the current specifications. The ORCi does not wish to see Bangers with chassis strengthening and additional steel strengthening which goes well beyond the scope of the rule book. The new rule reads as follows : If a car is presented for PRE-RACE scrutineering and found to be armoured or strengthened and cannot be corrected on the day, the driver will receive an immediate 12 month ORCi ban. Please note, this includes engine or gearbox suspensions mounts that are over the top and also includes distributor and cam belt guards that cannot be corrected on the day and be re-presented for scrutineering. If the car is subject of POST-RACE scrutineering checks and fails in any of the above noted areas, the driver will receive an immediate 12 month ORCi ban, irrespective of whether the problem could have been corrected on the day. Please note that there will be no exceptions. This trend of the overbuilding of cars has to be stamped out immediately. ORCi National Banger Technical Committee Dated 30th June 2010
These are now available and to make it easier you may pay by credit card
/ debit card online, download the form and send that on to us
separately.
FULL ORCi License - National Bangers
A full license is priced at £65.00
- This permits a Licenced Driver plus one to all ORCi tracks.
PAY TO RACE License - Startrax Bangers [ formerly Rooki Bangers
]
An ORCi Pay to Race License is £15.00.
License holders will then only pay £10.00 entry fee on the day for
driver + 1
Day Licenses in 2010 will be £25.00 so the saving is
significant.
OVAL RACING COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL Competitor Health & Safety Guidance at Race Events The ORC is the governing body of British Oval Racing and sanctions all official UK tracks. Oval Racing is the most exciting motorsport around, and as with all motorsport it is important that Health and Safety issues are dealt with, so that we can go and enjoy the sport in safety. It's vital that you understand the Health and Safety requirements at an Oval Race meeting, for your own sake as well as those around you. This leaflet will take you through many of the important Health and Safety Issues associated with our sport. ARRIVE ON TIME To enjoy a good day of racing, you need to arrive in plenty of time. Set off early, in order to get to the track with sufficient time to park up, unload, and go through scrutineering. Pre-meeting preparations should never be rushed. Make sure you and your pit crew are at the top of your game! Don't come racing after a big night out, or if you're tired. If you or your crew are not up to it, others may get hurt. The start of the day is a very busy time at a race track. Different tracks run their pit parking in different ways. Some have designated areas for particular formulas, others work on a first come first served basis. Everyone is working to ensure that drivers get parked up efficiently and safely. You need to help with this. Follow all Pit Marshal’s instructions, and be very aware of pedestrians and other vehicles. Children should be supervised at all times and dogs must be kept on leads. No smoking is allowed in the Pit areas or any part of the Track. When reversing always ensure that a member of your crew or a Pit Marshal is watching the rear of your vehicle – to make sure that you are reversing safely. Always obey the 5 mph limit in the pit area. When unloading your car, you must ensure that there are no safety implications for your crew or members of the public. It is your responsibility to ensure that your actions do not impact on the Health and Safety of others. SIGNING IN At all Raceways, you must sign a disclaimer before racing – make sure you do this soon after you arrive and make sue you take you Log Book with you. KEY PERSONNEL There are two key personnel at every raceway, concerned with the safe running of an event. You need to know their titles and be aware of their roles. The Steward of the Meeting is generally found in Race Control, and has overall responsibility for the safe-running of an event. The Steward acts as “referee” on the racing, calls for flags to be displayed, and has overall responsibility for the racing related Health and Safety at an event. Decisions made by the Steward might involve you, and sometimes might be hard to understand as you may not have the benefit of an overview of the Health and Safety status of the event as a whole. You must follow directions given by the Steward, usually via flags, immediately, in order not to compromise your own or others, safety. The Clerk of the Course is usually found on the Raceway Infield. The Clerk controls the race marshals, and is in overall charge in the event of a racing incident, such as a crash. The Clerk is in constant contact with the Race Steward and has a key role in Health and Safety at an event both on the track and in the pits. Clerks are highly trained and experienced, and it's vital that you obey any instructions delivered directly from them or via a Race Marshal, immediately and without question. SCRUTINEERING Full details regarding construction rules will have been sent to you when you registered with your ORCi Promoter or Formula Association. It is your responsibility to build your car to the letter of these rules and to present it in a fully legal and safe state. Scrutineering takes place before the start of an event, either where you're parked in the pits or at a designated scrutineering bay. You should present your car as early as possible – so that in the event that there is an issue with your vehicle, you will have a chance to make changes and re-present your car. If driving to scrutineering please follow the 5 mph rule. Scrutineers look at both the Technical compliance of the car and at the safety features. Their role is to inspect, as far as is reasonably practicable, the general compliance of your car. However, the responsibility for both Safety and Technical compliance remains yours. During the meeting, you must ensure that you maintain an effective Health and Safety regime. All work on your car must be carried out safely. Pay particular attention to items such as fully tightening wheel nuts when replacing wheels, carefully securing bonnets after removal and repairs to critical parts like brakes and steering. Scrutineering in no way removes the responsibility of building a full legal and safe car from you, and if in doubt you should contact your promoter/formula organiser or the ORCi, and not race your car until you are certain. Attempting to hide illegal items on your car will incur severe disciplinary action - this could be dangerous to you and others on the track. ORCi tracks operate a zero tolerance to abusive behaviour towards members of staff, and this is particularly relevant at scrutineering. Scrutineers have a vital role in ensuring racing is safe and fair, and must be allowed to perform this job without hinderence. PIT SAFETY There is a good record of Pit Safety at UK Oval tracks. You have a role to play in ensuring that this remains the case. When working on your car in the Pits you should be aware at all times that members of the public may be in the pit area, as well as other competitors, mechanics and members of their families. You should make sure that a member of your crew is responsible for ensuring no-one is placed in danger by your work. Members of the pubic should be at least 2 metres away when carrying out any mechanical work. Normal Health and Safety rules apply within the Pit area. This particularly applies when mechanical equipment is being used like hiabs, stihl saws and welding equipment. You must ensure that the people who are operating this equipment are fully qualified to do so and have the appropriate personal protective equipment such as goggles and footwear. The actions of your crew remain your responsibility throughout the Raceday. Fuel should be stored in approved containers and well away from public areas. When re-fueling your vehicle, a second person must be present with a fire extinguisher. Extra care should be taken if the engine is still hot. Members of the public should be at least 2 metres back when re-fueling. Please remember that it is an ORCi rule in all formulas that a fully operational Fire Extinguisher is kept with all tow vehicles and its position is known to all your pit crew. When driving in the pits you must always obey the 5 mph limit. No smoking is allowed in the Pit areas or any part of the Track. PERSONAL SAFETY EQUIPMENT As well as racing a well built and fully legal car, you need the right protective gear to keep safe. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are wearing appropriate safety equipment when entering the racing arena. Your race suit must be fire retardant (Proban or better). Your Helmet must comply to the latest ORCi standards, and have the chin strap fully secured before entering the race arena. Waterproofs and gloves must also be fire retardant. Labels must be present on all these items, as evidence of their specification. For most formulas, a full race harness is required, 5 point or better. These must be fully tightened before entering the racing arena. All damaged safety items must be discarded. The Clerk of the Course reserves the right to confiscate any item deemed to be unfit, for the duration of the event. Oval Racing has achieved a good record of safety, and there is a good level of medical cover at all ORCi officially sanctioned events. Safety provision typically includes a medical centre, fully staffed ambulances, a paramedic or doctor. THE RACE Most races start with a rolling start. A pace car is sometimes used. During the rolling lap you must hold formation and not overtake other cars. During a race, the Steward of the Meeting will use a variety of Flags and Signals to communicate with you. The Starter is the primary flagman. You must try to look at the starter on every lap, keeping you informed about the status of the race. There are also Marshals located around the Raceway, who display flags as necessary. It is important that you understand these flags, and know how to respond to them. Flags/Lights that are relevant to health and safety include: Green means “Go”: it is important they you don’t Jump the green at the start of the Race Yellow (Stationary) warns that something is not ideal on the raceway, for example a car has spun out, but the race is continuing. Yellow (Waved) means race is under Caution: slow down to walking pace, fall into single file when safe to do so, (no overtaking). A Pace car may be used. Follow marshals instructions. Be aware of marshals, tractors and medics on the track. Red means stop: as quickly, but primarily AS SAFELY, as you can. In extremely dangerous situations a full race stoppage will be called straightaway. In this case you should immediately slow, and stop your vehicle as safely as possible. You should then follow the marshals instructions. This flag is more commonly used in full contact (Banger) racing. The red flag is also used to signal the end of the race following the chequered flag. Black means you must leave the race track, onto the Infield, quickly and safely Red Cross means there is a technical issue with your car, leave the raceway immediately and safely. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What should I do if I am stationary on track during a race? Firstly, look out for a marshal and signal that you are not injured with a “thumbs up”. If you are injured and need assistance give the thumbs down signal, if possible. If eye contact is made with the marshal, and no signal is given, then the marshal will assume that you're injured and this information will be relayed to race control. Don't give a thumbs down signal if you are not injured but feel that you're in a dangerous situation - this decision will be taken by the Steward in Race Control. Any driver who is the cause of a caution or stoppage through injury or suspected injury can't take part in the remainder of the meeting and must be passed fit to drive by a doctor or paramedic before competing at subsequent meetings. During a race, you shouldn't exit your car whilst on track, unless you feel it's absolutely safe to do so, or you are in extreme danger within the car, for example in the case of fire. Generally, keep your harness and helmet on, until the end of the race or until the race is cautioned or stopped. What should I do if I need to stop my car because of mechanical failure during a race? Retire to the Infield as soon and as safely as possible. If safe to do so, leave your car keeping your helmet on and go to a safe area as indicated by the marshals. If you do exit your car, never stay with the car once you've got out of it. If you are racing at an unfamiliar track it is important that you find out where the designated Infield safe areas are prior to racing. END OF RACE At the end of a race, it's important that you continue to race after the chequered flag has been shown. It's only when the Red Flag is shown that you should safely stop and follow marshals instructions. When going back into the pits you should take extra care as there'll be marshals and members of the public in the pit area. If your car has been damaged during racing, and you're not able to drive with the car fully under control, you should stand at the front of your car and wait for a breakdown vehicle to take you into the Pits. FIRE The hazard of fire is a very real one at Oval race meetings. This problem can happen at any time on track or in the pits. Fire Marshals are fully trained to deal with fires in the racing area. There are extinguishers positioned around the track and on the Infield. In the pits area there is a fire point and a marshal who is trained. However, because of the size of the pits area all drivers are required to have a fully operational fire extinguisher with their tow vehicle. It must be easily accessible and regularly checked and refilled if necessary. You must make all your race crew aware of the position of this extinguisher in case of an emergency. Please remember special care should be taken when re-fueling. In all instances, a second person, with an extinguisher, should stand next to you when you are carrying out the re-fueling. The pits are a non smoking area. ALCOHOLIC DRINKS It goes without saying that racing and alcohol do not mix. The ORCi has a zero tolerance to alcohol consumption by drivers, crew or staff before or during a race event. It's also an offense to take alcohol into a sports stadium. The dangers of consuming alcohol are obvious, not only for the person concerned but also other drivers, pit crews, officials and members of the public. LEAVING THE STADIUM At the end of the day, it's important that you leave the stadium carefully. This is a time when accidents can happen, with drivers tired after a big day of racing, and eager to get home. Loading the trailer at the end of the day must be done carefully. The car may be damaged, you and your crew may be tired and there may be spectators around. Therefore, special care should be taken when exiting the pits area especially at night when visibility may be restricted. SUMMARY Whilst all motorsport is dangerous, Oval racing has a good history of safe operation over 100s of 1000s of laps and more than 50 years of fantastic racing. You need to play your part to ensure that you, your family and those around you are not endangered by your actions at race events. The ORC is dedicated to the future of Oval racing, and a vital part of this is to ensure that the excellent safety record of the sport continues. If you require additional information regarding Health & Safety issues go to the ORCi website at www.orci.co.uk Have a great season of exciting and safe racing!
ORCi Driver Safety. Jan 2010
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