"Social Distance" Track Days?! Happening Today at Willow Springs! Hopefully Buttonwillow 5/10 with OnGrid

[SavetheManuals]

Great news for those in SoCal going through track withdrawal - there is a track day successfully going on at Willow Springs right now through Speed District.
Although the Health Department heard about the track day and sent the police to shut the event down, the track organizers and even track owner showed up with all the correct paperwork, permits, and social distancing rules, so they are allowing the event to continue! Check out "bayareanady"'s story on Instagram for details.
Willow Springs and Speed District were very clear in communications with participants that they are taking social distancing seriously - virtual (Zoom) drivers meeting, and anyone who breaks the "6 foot rule" will be immediately sent home without refund. They also obviously had the right permits/paperwork to continue operating.

This gives me hope that future events (that aren't already cancelled) have a good chance of actually happening, especially since the Police and Health department were involved and the event was still allowed to run. There are a handful of track days that I haven't seen officially cancelled yet.
I'm optimistically signed up for Buttonwillow on 5/10 with OnGrid, it's a really cheap event ($125) for such a great track and organizer, along with the promise of refund if the event does get cancelled.

OnGrid - Buttonwillow 13CW - Sunday 05/10/2020

Open Track w/ OnGrid on Sunday, May 10, 2020 at Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA - OnGrid comes from a background of track enthusiasts and racers with a goal that allows their participants an enjoyable, well organized, and affordable driving events. OnG...

www.motorsportreg.com

Fingers crossed this starts some momentum for safe, socially distanced track days!

 

[Grant 302]

Awesome news and thanks for posting STM. Hopefully more organizers follow suit.

 

[PaddyPrix]

Soooooo jealous, and props to Josh and Speed District for doing their part in keep us all sane. Almost there with the stripper, waiting on parts that just can't get here fast enough.
Feel free to run that highlighter yellow Camaro off 9 for me

 

[67GTA]

I was wondering if the state would take a stance - Speed District ran there on April 3rd (sold out) with no outside attention, and it was so well received they added today’s date to the calendar. I would have been there today, but they were already sold out when I went to register on Monday. Props to track management and to Speed District for having their ducks in a line, and more importantly having the courage to push for a safe event amidst all the crazy.

 

[flyhalf]

ok.
As I mentioned in a different facebook post,
I think this is extremely wrong .especially cause this is happening in a Peak moment.
speed district is known to...let's say have a lot on participants. so even if they do 50% less is still a very high number.
all for what? not waiting 2 weeks?
it has been more than a month since we are in lock down here in Cali. Nullify the enormous effort and sacrifices everyone of us is doing is, IMO, not only egoist but irresponsible. and trust me I MISS THE TRACK SOOOO MUCH.
I really really hope the number of people that will go will be very minimal. We need to step up on this. we need to be responsible. I DON'T WANT TO SIT HERE FOR OTHER 2 MONTHS.
And yes, you could say 'but if we respect the 6 ft rule why not? first of all there is a clear rule saying not people meeting. we should learn to follow the rules and not trying to find every single excuses to go around them.
but more important THIS IS A MULTIPLIER OF POSSIBLE CONTAGION. Think about if every single organization ( not only for racing i mean everything) would do the same. suddenly the amount of people around will be massive.
to be specific for car events.
go to the restroom. passing in a area where someone cough 20 sec before . lay down on the ground to control if you have a leak ,maybe close to where someone else did 2 mins before you. and of course, all the possible human interactions.
and last, willow springs attires nor and south cal people. LA SITUATION IS TOUGH while here in the bay area is lighter. putting people from north and south together can increase the spread.
I don't want to be catastrophic
but I really want to go back doing what i was doing before in days, weeks. not months.
Please stay home.
Alessandro

 

[SavetheManuals]

@flyhalf you are absolutely right, it is too soon for this, I apologize for sharing it. You know better than most how serious things can get.
Let me clarify that I am not at this track day, and I completely agree that we need to be waiting longer since the situation is still very serious here.
My main purpose for sharing is that this makes me hopeful that in a few weeks (the track day I am considering going to is still over 3 weeks away) it will be safe enough to start going back to the track in smaller numbers and with very strict rules. Just having that hope and the potential light at the end of the tunnel is a huge mental relief.

If you still want me to delete my post I understand and I would be happy to, but I think it is also important for people to see your response to understand how serious this is.
Let me know what you think.

Ryan

 

[Ludachris]

Assuming nobody touches door handles or other things at the facility, or any other surfaces that can transmit the disease, should be fine right? Don't know how you'd be able to monitor all the ways it can be transmitted at an event like that though outside of making sure people stay spread apart. Talking to the people we know in the nursing field, this is pretty risky.

I'm excited to see track events, but I'm also a little concerned. I know there are strong opinions on both sides of this - as there usually are with anything these days. We'll see how it plays out. For those attending, be extra cautious and have fun!

 

[flyhalf]

Of course is not related to you Ryan and the desire and hope to start again is in me too.
We could have had the nice muscle cup first round in march but I'm glade we behaved and skip it.
I'm more upset with the organization. It is just not right.
Gov. Newsom said we need 6 things to re open. This happened 3 days ago. So I'm hoping. One is protect the most vulnerable categories. Let's behave amd getnout to normality soon!
Hope to see you soon out there
Ale

 

[Grant 302]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But I see this event as less risk than going out for groceries.

 

[Gotta.Track.It]

Great news for those in SoCal going through track withdrawal - there is a track day successfully going on at Willow Springs right now through Speed District.
Although the Health Department heard about the track day and sent the police to shut the event down, the track organizers and even track owner showed up with all the correct paperwork, permits, and social distancing rules, so they are allowing the event to continue! Check out "bayareanady"'s story on Instagram for details.
Willow Springs and Speed District were very clear in communications with participants that they are taking social distancing seriously - virtual (Zoom) drivers meeting, and anyone who breaks the "6 foot rule" will be immediately sent home without refund. They also obviously had the right permits/paperwork to continue operating.

This gives me hope that future events (that aren't already cancelled) have a good chance of actually happening, especially since the Police and Health department were involved and the event was still allowed to run. There are a handful of track days that I haven't seen officially cancelled yet.
I'm optimistically signed up for Buttonwillow on 5/10 with OnGrid, it's a really cheap event ($125) for such a great track and organizer, along with the promise of refund if the event does get cancelled.

OnGrid - Buttonwillow 13CW - Sunday 05/10/2020

Open Track w/ OnGrid on Sunday, May 10, 2020 at Buttonwillow Raceway, Buttonwillow, CA - OnGrid comes from a background of track enthusiasts and racers with a goal that allows their participants an enjoyable, well organized, and affordable driving events. OnG...

www.motorsportreg.com

Fingers crossed this starts some momentum for safe, socially distanced track days!

Wow thats great news! Looks like this means you’ll have get your car pieced together soon! If you need a hand I will even volunteer to go over and help out, that is standing 6 feet away and with a beer in my hand of course!
However, in all seriousness, it is important to be cautious and will probably wait for the state’s okay before acting on anything.

 

[flyhalf]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But I see this event as less risk than going out for groceries.

En fact at the groceries store we should go max 1 time every 10days. Amd even if we maitain distances , avoid contact with the other people we do have contagion.
The point is very simple.
Suspend as much as possible all the outside activivies limiting those to the ESSENTIAL ONES. and HPDE although fun is not essential.
Then we could discuss about the spreading as much as we want.
But having 50 people or more in the same place during peak of a pandemic is not smart.

 

[JDee]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But I see this event as less risk than going out for groceries.

Properly done, totally agree. Lots of space between cars in the paddock, paddock sites clearly marked out, stay in your assigned place, bring your own food and drink, maintain appropriate distance between people, hyper vigilant on the sanitation.
People in the grocery stores are mauling over the fruit and veg trying to find a nicer orange pepper. Now that bothers me yet I see nothing done about that.
If Big Bother knows about these events and has no concerns then I don't see a problem. Our season starts last week in April and none of those groups have cancelled yet. If they run, and I'm going to be surprised if they do, I'll be running one as long as they take some precautions regarding distancing.

 

[Grant 302]

En fact at the groceries store we should go max 1 time every 10days. Amd even if we maitain distances , avoid contact with the other people we do have contagion.
The point is very simple.
Suspend as much as possible all the outside activivies limiting those to the ESSENTIAL ONES. and HPDE although fun is not essential.
Then we could discuss about the spreading as much as we want.
But having 50 people or more in the same place during peak of a pandemic is not smart.

My household is has groceries delivered. I wish the rest of my family especially my parents would do the same. My father still goes out and stocks up for 3-4 weeks and has been out twice that I know of since his city was under orders. Going to the track is not his thing, but I would worry less about the track exposure as outlined than his trips for groceries.

There are a wide range of opinions out there. Lots of them wrong.

Like I have N95 respirators with the valve since before, but I still got another small box of 10 because I was concerned, and I use them anyway in normal life. News and CDC said not to and to reserve all N95 for medical personnel. But I am certain that I do not want medical personnel wearing masks with valves in them despite what was printed.

And look now at how quickly the opinions changed about wearing masks official or otherwise.

Do what you think is right. Don’t do anything illegal.

 

[Ludachris]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But I see this event as less risk than going out for groceries.

Probably less risky, but still a risk nonetheless. From what I've witnessed first hand, most people at the grocery store (and driving around) have no clue how to fight the spread, as they use their phones while shopping, wiping their noses, putting their phones up to their cheeks to talk with the other hand on a shopping cart. But hey, at least they're standing 6 feet apart!

We're doing what we can to do our part, making sacrifices that many aren't. That's just who we are though. I don't want to go around doing things that would be a disservice to all those people fighting on the front lines, risking their health and their lives, and their families' lives. Seems like going out to a track event right now would be wrong. I realize not everyone sees it that way though.

The tricky part about pandemics is, your actions have a direct impact on everyone. The more risks you take, the less precautions you take, the more you put others at risk with your decisions. We can be as careful as we want as a family, but if everyone else isn't doing the same, we're not all that much safer. That has me a bit concerned. Luckily we're still "only" seeing a couple thousand deaths per day (can't believe I'm actually typing that).

 

[Tonymustang302]

And here we have the problem

 

[Tonymustang302]

Im about to buy cones and setup an autocross course on my street or a Walmart parking lot......... just need a sponsor for bail money

 

[Ludachris]

Im about to buy cones and setup an autocross course on my street or a Walmart parking lot......... just need a sponsor for bail money

Me and the girls have been playing badminton almost daily. Though we started playing Kubb yesterday. We got turned on to that game at a camping trip with friends a few years ago.

Amazon.com : kubb yard game set

 

[Tonymustang302]

Me and the girls have been playing badminton almost daily. Though we started playing Kubb yesterday. We got turned on to that game at a camping trip with friends a few years ago.

View attachment 14870

Amazon.com : kubb yard game set

You’re lucky with your weather. It snowed here in the morning and now its 50. I dunno how theyre going to keep everyone inside in chicago when its 70-80mph. I’ll be making how to rotate tires and torque down wheel lugnuts properly Videos in daisy dukes to get likes.

 

[Ludachris]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. But I see this event as less risk than going out for groceries.

You’re lucky with your weather. It snowed here in the morning and now its 50. I dunno how theyre going to keep everyone inside in chicago when its 70-80mph. I’ll be making how to rotate tires and torque down wheel lugnuts properly Videos in daisy dukes to get likes.

Oh man, I seriously laughed out loud at that one.

It's been so nice outside here lately. I've taken some drives just to have the windows down. Just didn't stop anywhere.

 

[carver]

....and there's this guy