treypal
Lord of the Raptors
Guys,
BRT and I have been working hard to produce a top notch event for Raptor enthusiast across the US. In doing so, some safety precautions have to be taken. Safety gear, helmets, driver awareness are just a few things that we came up with to keep everyone safe on the run. We decided on group speed limits to keep everyone driving within their skill limits. Everything was presented to our insurance company, and their response was tepid at best. They did not understand the concept of running a stock truck on a race track.
After much battling we were able to get them to insure the event on the stipulation that the track had a 45 mph speed limit for non caged trucks.
Safety is precedent at BRT events, and the same culture is going to be carried over to this event. We talked about the speed limit for a long while, and feel that it won’t be a bad thing. 50 Raptors on course together, with varying skill levels and modifications that allow faster driving could be a recipe for disaster without some sort of controls. Just remember this. Jesse James won the Chupacabra 300 at Texana last October. His fastest lap (and the fastest of anyone that day) was 1 hr 5 min. That is an average speed of 39 MPH, and his truck has triple the travel and double the HP of yours. The track has some fast sections (about 10%), but for the most part it is technical. I can promise you that it is just as much, if not more fun, pitching the truck through corners at 30-45 mph, than running down a fence line at 70.
Everyone will be responsible for policing themselves on this, we will not be setting up with radar guns or anything crazy like that. I know how shocked I was when I got the news, so I know how upset everyone reading this is. I was going to post this yesterday, but I figured everyone would take it as an April Fools joke. It isn’t a joke, but it shouldn’t be a deal breaker either. I can promise you that the fun factor for this event will be extremely high.
As you all know, this is the first event of this type on private land ever, but it won’t be the last. We are already looking at dates for a second one in 2012, and more in 2013. One bad accident and that will all be out the window. Our hope is that, once insurance realizes that we are running a safe event, they will allow us to increase the speed limits. This all depends on everyone staying safe and ensuring the safety of those around them.
If you are having second thoughts about the event, don’t. I promise that it will still be a Raptor-load of fun. If you have any questions, or want to yell, please call me. I would much rather explain everything over the phone. I don’t mind if everyone that is going calls. I want everyone to be assured that the event is going to be great, and that the speed limit isn’t going to affect your fun.
Thanks
Trey Palreiro
361-522-3520
BRT and I have been working hard to produce a top notch event for Raptor enthusiast across the US. In doing so, some safety precautions have to be taken. Safety gear, helmets, driver awareness are just a few things that we came up with to keep everyone safe on the run. We decided on group speed limits to keep everyone driving within their skill limits. Everything was presented to our insurance company, and their response was tepid at best. They did not understand the concept of running a stock truck on a race track.
After much battling we were able to get them to insure the event on the stipulation that the track had a 45 mph speed limit for non caged trucks.
Safety is precedent at BRT events, and the same culture is going to be carried over to this event. We talked about the speed limit for a long while, and feel that it won’t be a bad thing. 50 Raptors on course together, with varying skill levels and modifications that allow faster driving could be a recipe for disaster without some sort of controls. Just remember this. Jesse James won the Chupacabra 300 at Texana last October. His fastest lap (and the fastest of anyone that day) was 1 hr 5 min. That is an average speed of 39 MPH, and his truck has triple the travel and double the HP of yours. The track has some fast sections (about 10%), but for the most part it is technical. I can promise you that it is just as much, if not more fun, pitching the truck through corners at 30-45 mph, than running down a fence line at 70.
Everyone will be responsible for policing themselves on this, we will not be setting up with radar guns or anything crazy like that. I know how shocked I was when I got the news, so I know how upset everyone reading this is. I was going to post this yesterday, but I figured everyone would take it as an April Fools joke. It isn’t a joke, but it shouldn’t be a deal breaker either. I can promise you that the fun factor for this event will be extremely high.
As you all know, this is the first event of this type on private land ever, but it won’t be the last. We are already looking at dates for a second one in 2012, and more in 2013. One bad accident and that will all be out the window. Our hope is that, once insurance realizes that we are running a safe event, they will allow us to increase the speed limits. This all depends on everyone staying safe and ensuring the safety of those around them.
If you are having second thoughts about the event, don’t. I promise that it will still be a Raptor-load of fun. If you have any questions, or want to yell, please call me. I would much rather explain everything over the phone. I don’t mind if everyone that is going calls. I want everyone to be assured that the event is going to be great, and that the speed limit isn’t going to affect your fun.
Thanks
Trey Palreiro
361-522-3520
