Tim Rosche
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My 3 cents worth. I happened to be one of only 3 people who have posted on this topic, who have actually competed at the Knox Mountain Hill climb ( KMHC). That does not give me any special right or privilege to comment, but just an inside perspective, at speed if you will, of the course etc. I have only competed once in the KMHC, the other 2 on here, have competed many times. First it is an awesome event, and I hope it can continue. If you ever get a chance to compete on the Mountain, I highly recommend it. Put it on your racing BUCKET list.
All events, especially high RISK ones like auto racing, need to be continuously reviewed for safety’s sake. That is why we now have safety devices such as roll cages, restraint harness’s, helmets, and HANS devices. And the all important turn workers as well. I examined all the cars that crashed at this years KMHC, and listened to witnesses and drivers involved. The fact that no one was seriously injured is a testament to how far the safety has come in our sport, everywhere. Years ago, half of those same drivers would have suffered from serious injuries or worse. . Now as most of you know, if you push your car beyond its limits, and/or your driving limits, there is a pretty good chance you are going to crash at some point. That can happen at any race circuit, at anytime.
Yes KMHC takes place on a public road and inherently there is some extra added element of risk associated with that fact, but most of the crashes were due to simple driver error. The drivers involved, were for the most part not rookies, but experienced racers, most of which have competed at the KMHC, many times before, and even in the same cars as they had used in the past . To my understanding, none of the crashes occurred due to the road conditions, or course layout or anything like that. It was simply a race w/e where the odds were not in some drivers favour. Next year there may only be one or two such incidents.
The hardwork of all the people who volunteer to make such a great event happen each year, need to be acknowledged. I have got to know some of the key members, and even raced with them at other tracks. This event means a lot to them, and I am sure they will do whatever it takes to continue the tradition.
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