Walls

[Crash Test]

I have no idea where to stick this, its not really technical, but im sure Sparky likes additional posts in his forum

What is the go with British race track what have those loose tyre walls? I heard at Snetterton a car hit the wall and sent the tyres into the crowd, hitting someone.

When ever someone hits them, they fly appart... how come no where else in the world race tracks have them? Are you lot stupid, or know something we don't?

[Peter Mallett]

They have tyre walls at most FIA curcuits.

[Crash Test]

Yes i know that, but in just about every other part of the world, the tyre walls are either partially filled with dirt, or are chained together. Why at the pommy tracks do they just pile them up, and when a car hits them, they fly into the crowd?

[Sparky]

You mention Snetterton in particular, CT.

This Sunday, while I was there supporting 'Our Pete', a red Capri of a certain fellow competitor backed into the tyre wall right in front of us, showering two unsuspecting photographers with stagnant water!! No-one was hurt, luckily, and it provided us with a good laugh. (But it could have been nasty, I guess.)

I have no idea why the tyres are stacked loose, and not tied together. Energy dissipation?

[Peter Mallett]

Perhaps Dan Freil can confirm this but I've only ever seen them banded together. I don't think they're just stacked loose.

Some circuits put a wide advertising band across the front of them but each stack of tyres is banded together.

[Crash Test]

Even Brands... If they are bound together, it must be the brown string from the kitchen...i know at the local tracks and at the gold coast indy, the tyres are chained together, and they never get loose, yet still do their job well.

[yelwoci]

Unless they're part of a dirt wall I've always seen them strapped together using a 10mm reinforced plastic ribbon bound by a metal clamp. Same thing as large carborad boxes with heavy things inside are tied up with.

I've had the opportunity to inspect these in detail immediately after an assault on their resilience and strength, recently. <vbg>
If there are enough bands they should stay together.


IanC

[SNH]

Almost all the ones Ive seen are banded together. I have seen some loose ones at Pembrey, but only a layer on top of the banded ones.

[THR]

all the ones ive seen are bolted together in groups of 4 long, 4 high.
this stops them flying about and hitting the driver (who is more important than the crowd.)
but energy dissapates cos only 4 long.

[Marshal]

Most are banded together as described previously. However, they can come apart when one of you racer types hit them hard enough. The best solution for this seems to be to put conveyer belt round the front (as done at Hockenhiem, where Fissi's onboard camera gave us a good close up, with Micheal's assistance). The only problem with this is it can mean that the car bounces off the tyre wall further, as energy isn't dissapated by flinging tyres everywhere, more of it is retained as elastic energy. This has to be prefereable to peppering the paying punters with tyres though.

[Crash Test]

Yes they are banded together, but it doesnt seem to do much...

Next time that im out at the local track i'll take some pics of the walls out there...they are very effective, yet dont fly into the crowd killing poeple...

[Slowcoach]

I seem to remember the ones at Lydden are filled with dirt - you might as well be driving into a brick wall ! I also remember hitting those new fangled big plastic blocks at the hairpin at Mallory park the year before last just after waving to some Bozo Ferrari driver who had been holding me up for 6 laps , as I slid towards them , I thought to myself 'thank goodness for these nice new foam filled pads , far less damage than tyres...' the impact shattered that illusion and the front of my Lotus Sunbeam - they were absolutely rock solid - no chance of crowd damage there!
Is there no standard requirement ?? It does seem a bit remiss of the racing fraternity , always trying to make cars safer , but neglecting the 'barrier method' of protection for everyone else !

[DAVID PATERSON]

Mark, i'm with slow Coach here, Earth filled tyre walls are highly undesirable, even a concrete wall would be better. Empty Tyres chained together however, work brilliantly.

[Crash Test]

That's true and correct, but what I'm getting at is when the tyres get loose they fly into the crowd. Have a look at some of those crashes in the UK, say Thompsons at Brands at the start of the season when all of the tyres got loose and landed on the other side of the fence. Its just a matter of time before they land on someones head, knocking it off. Surely there is a better way to retain them in some way, yet allow them to retain their energy absrobing abilities..right?

[Craig]

Thommo's shunt. Oh dear... Me and several others were stood on the outside of the Dingle Dell at the point he started his little off-track excursion - and, if you'd seen the speed he went in at, you'd not be surprised that he scattered a few tyres. How he walked away from that shunt is anyone's guess. In any case, in that instance at least, there was no crowd on that side of the circuit - just a TV cameraman, a VERY dead camera (!), and some rather shaken marshals - one of which was our own Dan Friel...

As for Snetterton, I seem to recall that many of the 10 Tenths guys were stood near that shunt in the Lotus Elise race, so they'll be more in a position to comment than me, as I was back at the campsite at that point having a beer...