sprintsrule Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 I am not positive who puts on the kid's rides during intermission. If I have it wrong, I apologize ahead of time. I think it is a good thing the JRA kid's club is doing during intermission with the kid's rides. HOWEVER, I was shocked at how it was done. Kids sitting in the cars and not buckled in at the speeds the cars were going is as DANGEROUS as anything I have ever seen at a race track. Also having two cars going side by side does not seem like the best move either. What if a ball joint broke or something came loose in the steering? I would strongly suggest reconsidering how it is being done. If my kids were picked, I would not let them ride in those cars at those speeds even if I was driving. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I think the kid's club is great and the rides in the cars is great. I just hope it is done in a much safer manner in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrungot Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 (Aaron's PC response) You bring up valid points, I will review our process with Mary Ann.... Participant's are required to have parent waver's signed, As well, both kids were in the car with a Parent or guardian this weekend. Normally Younger children ride with & adult, and older one's ride alone. A parent or child has the right to refuse the ride at any time. I don't just put "any" car or "any" driver on the track for those rides I take a lot of heat for playing fav's in selecting drivers for intermission. Truth is, the Picks are really around responsibity & trust. I know i risk my personal finances & Sole putting kids in the cars, every night. But do it because watching my brother's reaction when i was 12 & he 6 was priceless. at 26 My Brother still shows of the Trophy & Picture To all that are in the know, there is already a safety change that is happening after this weeks event. Aaron Brungot JRA Kids Club Founder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandersracing Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 My kid was picked that night and i had no concerns, they have ben doing this for severl years now the speeds may of looked great but they where not going that fast.the 2 kids that where both picked that night where verry young and the 2 driver where told to keep it verry clean. the two kids where also escorted by 2 adults. At no time do i think the kid where in danger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprintsrule Posted April 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 sandersracing, The fact it has been done for several years and nobody has been injured does not justify continuing to do something that is not safe. I am not saying they were out there going 100 miles per hour. How fast would you guess they were going? Would you drive your car into a wall at that speed without a seat belt and with solid metal bars around your head? The adults in the car would not be a lot of help because once they get thrown around they would not be able to secure the children. It is hard to brace yourself without the use of your arms. Have you ever seen a throttle stick in a race car? My concern was not with the driver's ability or anything they were doing wrong except the speed they were going. The best driver in the world could not have prevented an accident when the cars were side by side if they lost their steering or broke a ball joint. abrungot, My concern is strictly for the safety. I would guess all of the papers you could ever get signed would not help you in court if one of the kids was seriously injured. You are the professional and understand the dangers and they did not fully understand what they were getting into. Put a child in a wheelchair with a head injury in front of a jury and I would guess you would prefer that a jury of soft hearts not determine your outcome. As far as having great memories, my sisters and I used to ride in cars at Pan American Speedway at a much slower speed and we have just as fond of memories. Please continue what you are doing because it is a great thing you are doing for the kids. Please consider slowing it down some because I would hate to have this great thing you are doing turn into a nightmare for you and a family. Good luck to you and thank you for everything you are doing to make racing better. You are a great asset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrungot Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 Understand I see your view.... & its not ignored I am in a rock & a hard place.. no matter what i do, if I put a kid in a car Period its has a risk.. and trust me don't want to see any kid in a wheelchair.. none the less because of something i did. When we identify things we can change to continue to provide a Show & Experience While making them safer, we do. I have had kids get hurt in bike races, does that mean I promote kids not riding bikes? No.. it means i increase awareness of safety. We have had drivers get hurt & some loose thier life with all the right safety percautions taken. Your willingness to hold me & others accountable is appreciated, & expected.. hopefully i can change your mind about allowing your children to participate. Just like to understand why you felt you needed to post here, instead of confront us personally. The response would have been the same.. Just feel a face to face or phone call with me is much more respectfull then Internet clean up.. .(I know starting to sound like many others, I will shut up) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandersracing Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 i can only guess 20 0r 30 at tops the car that we were in was never over 2500 rpms or so. you are kinda making it sound like it was out of control . ever put a kid on a school bus. where are the seat belts sandersracing, The fact it has been done for several years and nobody has been injured does not justify continuing to do something that is not safe. I am not saying they were out there going 100 miles per hour. How fast would you guess they were going? Would you drive your car into a wall at that speed without a seat belt and with solid metal bars around your head? The adults in the car would not be a lot of help because once they get thrown around they would not be able to secure the children. It is hard to brace yourself without the use of your arms. Have you ever seen a throttle stick in a race car? My concern was not with the driver's ability or anything they were doing wrong except the speed they were going. The best driver in the world could not have prevented an accident when the cars were side by side if they lost their steering or broke a ball joint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickHolt Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 Actually, depersonalize this thread (take the THR track and Aaron out of this discussion) and it becomes a valid, timely topic. I am certain there are folks who read this forum who have managed tracks in the past or manage them presently. And I imagine they probably had to face these very same "kiddie rides" issues in the past or will have to face them at some point in the future. I'd be very interested to get their point of view as well as thoughts from parents, competitors, sponsors etc. I'd also be very interested to hear from the legal community regarding liability issues. Something we all need to think about is that the odds are that at some point a kid will get hurt at any given track, whether it be sliding down the very fun incline at THR or coming down with a bad case of ashma at a dirt track on a dusty night... Most lawyers are decent folks, but there are some out there who are just looking for a chance to make a fast buck from well-intentioned, good-hearted folks like Aaron... And I'm all for kiddie rides. Ricci Ware used to have a kiddie ride line a mile long at Pan American back in the day... And I don't know a driver in the world who would tell a kid that he can't sit in their race car for a picture after the races. Nothing costs less and promotes the sport more than face-to-face contact between fans and race teams. So don't get me wrong, please. But Aaron is a good guy and I'd hate to see him in the Food Stamp line after a smart (?) lawyer takes everything he owns just because he's trying so very hard to promote the sport we all love. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 It is a fine line. If you go out there and just idle around some kids would be fine with that and others wouldn't. I used to do kids rides at Texas thunder and they would send cars one at a time or a straight away behind the other. Every kid in my car would want to go faster but I didn't. I stopped not because I had a kid get hurt but because after one race one of my crew guys wanted to drive the car in so I got in the back were all the kids had been setting. When I got out a piece of the deck lid had a sharp piece of metal and cut my leg. The next time they had kids rides I bowed out and after the end of the night I had a bunch of kids ask why I didn't do the kids rides because they were looking for my car because it was there favorite. After that night I took every possible precaution to make sure my car was safe for the kids. I realized after then that it was my responsibility to be safe while the kids where in my car not the tracks or the kids or their parents. So you have to ask yourself if you trust the driver and car that you are putting your kid in. There would be alot of unhappy children if there were no kids rides and maybe some that would possibly look away from racing due to it. I have a three year old and I would not hesitate to put her in a car for a kids ride especially if it was a driver that I trusted and there are very few drivers that I would not trust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprintsrule Posted April 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 sandersracing, I am not interested in arguing with you. Aaron, I apologize if I offended you by bringing this up on the interenet. That was not my intention. Your point about the bike races is exactly my point about the "kiddie rides". I am not suggesting you stop. I am only suggesting you slow them down which is the same as promoting safety. The kids do not need to go fast to make it a memorable experience. The noise and smell is enough to get them hooked. If that is not enough then maybe they are too old for "kiddie rides". I would be glad to allow my kids to participate if the cars are slowed down. They have ridden in cars at I-37 before and they loved it. Again, I apologize if I offended you. Please keep up the good work you are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandersracing Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 sandersracing, I am not interested in arguing with you. I am not arguing with you, you brought this up and i thought i would put in my $.02 worth then you came back with a reply so i answered. just a lil chit chat. no hard fellings here hope i have not made you mad. I am sure the Jra kids club and thr will think about what you have brought up. I am not involved with the JRA kidds club, altho my son is a member and I have told the club i would help out in any way i can. so what ever i say is just my opinion and not of THR or the JRA kids club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckLicata Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Aaron, I apologize if I offended you by bringing this up on the interenet. Good.. Let's hope IN THE FUTURE, people realize they need to bring things up IN PRIVATE, 1-on-1, instead of using the forums/Internet for deals like this that put good people in bad light.. No offense to you, sprintsrule..but I hope everyone starts using common sense - bring up personal and sensitive topics IN PRIVATE..Quit using the Internet/public forums..if in doubt, do it in private... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyT66 Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 SPRINTSRULE...I think you brought up a gret topic of safety... i did not see you bash anyone. just brought up a subject that needed addressing by not just one track, but by all..Since you have not only played the game, but been on both ends, i am sure you get the worries also when you see things are not as they should be, perhaps a turn worker so many feet? who knows?. but you brought to light something that i bet will be monitored more closely.. Drivers do get carried away at times.. And one to be there to say ,SLOW DOWN is not a bad thing. because we dont want to wait till a child is hurt.. so jumping the gun on this one i think was a good thing on your part.. for in private, it probably would have gone unnoticed......frank t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 I was gonna shut up on this, but aw ya'll know me I just can't. Please stop getting mad that Sprintrules has given his thoughts on this. He did not BASH anyone. He brought up his concerns. It is a safety thing. Things can (and usually do) happen in a split second and then it to late. Remember the guy doing the burn out in the drag car at the show raising money I think for kids and he lost control of his car and now he is in a heap of trouble. I would sure hate to see THR, Aaron and some of our drivers in that sort of trouble for something that is so preventable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrungot Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 All Understand, I am not mad at sprintsrule.. I just wish he would have addressed me before the World Wide Web... I think that is the least i would have deserved... Reguardless JRA is stopping intermission activities. Not at a sole cause to Sprints post, but untill further notice, All JRA on-track activities, Kiddie Riddes, Bike Races & Jr. VIP are cancelled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprintsrule Posted April 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Chuck, As I stated in my first post I was not sure who put the rides on so I would not have even known Aaron was the one I needed to get in touch with. I am not sure how I put him in a bad light since I did not bash him or say anything negative about him at all. He was not driving the cars. I am also not sure how this is a personal and sensitive issue. It involves the safety of children which I did not realize was personal or sensitive. If I would have ever thought he would be offended, I would not have posted anything at all because my kids would have never been in danger. They would not be allowed in the cars at that speed. I was trying to HELP Aaron stay out of a bad situation and I did not even know it was him I was trying to HELP. As far as the internet being used in a manner you do not like, you had nothing to say about the subject at hand but want to tell me on the open internet instead of a PM that I did not use common sense. Isn't that the use you do not like? Kathy and Frank, Thank you. Aaron, Once again I think what you are doing with JRA is great. You are a great asset to racing and thank you for your work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RodneyRodriguez Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 that sucks for the kids but I understand the concern. Keep up the good work Aaron , it is appreciated and you should be commended for your on-going efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckLicata Posted April 29, 2008 Report Share Posted April 29, 2008 Chuck, As I stated in my first post I was not sure who put the rides on so I would not have even known Aaron was the one I needed to get in touch with. And I, my friend, was not bashing you at all..you bring up an EXCELLENT point.. My point is this: people should consider taking up some matters in private - behind the scenes, off the Internet - before putting something out in public. If anyone has any questions about who/whom to contact, there are several people with their hands in different areas - myself, Nick, Deb Wil, Jay Hallas, Mary Ann, Kathy, Mike Haag, Dawn Murphy and MANY others - who can gladfully point you in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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