Safety first for crash crew

Safety first

FOR CRASH CREW

Justin Hansen has been part of the team at Masterton Motorplex since he first started capturing images and writing meeting reports and features for motoring magazines in the early 2000s. That soon developed into looking after a broad range of MMP media. But these days Justin has a completely different role as he’s taken on the responsibility of looking after the crash crew and end-of-track crew. “We previously had a private firm providing the crash crew but they stepped away from drag racing meaning we had to set up our very own crew. “We’ve been constantly improving the equipment we use, the training we do, and the way we do things. We now have 13 on the team, plus a couple of extra volunteers waiting to join as well.” The crash crew members are each assigned to specific roles at meetings. The first of these are the members who are suited up all day, ready for any incidents that might take place. “They are the guys who are the first at the scene. They put out the fire if there is one, get the driver out of the car, and make sure they’re kept safe.” Then there are the “track spotters” whose task is to visually scan the track after vehicles have gone down it for anything that has been left behind such as a piece of chrome trim or bolt etc. “Over a season we end up with an eye-opening collection of bits and pieces!” They also check the start of the track after cars have done their burn out to heat up their tyres and then reversed back to the starting line, to see if anything has fallen off or any fluid or oil has been spilled. Some of the crash crew team are also located at the emergency gate midway down the track. This is where junior drivers pull off the track after their shorter distance, but also where the crew can quickly enter the track with an emergency vehicle, or remove broken-down vehicles from the track. The “chute packers” pack up the parachutes at the end of the track before the cars are towed back to the pit. And there is a specially modified quad-bike down there to help cars get off the track and around to the chute-packing area. “This has to be done reasonably carefully as you don’t want the chute to get tangled up, and any debris needs to be cleared out of the chutes before they’re rolled up,” says Justin. “They also look after the drivers down there, and there’s a massive amount of adrenalin. “There are a lot of highs and lows - there’s excitement when racers win and disappointment when they lose, but they always have smiles on their faces and it’s always a very exciting (and busy) place to be.” There is always the risk of an oil

Left: The chute-packing lanes during ‘rush-hour’. Above: A start-line fuel mishap from last season. Photo/Graham Meiklejohn

leak on the track which is a regular occurrence, and more serious oildowns can run for long distances down the track. It is a part of the job of all the track crew to clean up the track, under the watchful eye of the Track Prep man Paul Rose, and the NZ Drag Racing Association Area Steward, Tony van Helmond, Justin says. “We put a compound on the spill and then sweep and clean it off. Then the tractor re-rubbers the track.” At the beginning of each meeting, all of the crew are involved in the safety preparations such as making sure all the fire extinguishers and other equipment are where they should be. Justin is immensely proud of his dedicated crew of 13 hard-working volunteers; Owen, James, Simon, Jake, Mike, Debz, Marc, Higgy, Brandon, Tam, Grant, Ryan, and Pete. “I’ve got a really great bunch of people helping me and we’ve become a tight-knit group, keeping in touch even during the off-season. “They do whatever they’re asked to do, and are a hard-case crew who all volunteer their valuable time. “They don’t do it for money, they do it for the love of the sport, the fun we all have as a team, and want to make the facility as safe as possible for everyone. Like all of the racers, I’m really grateful to each of them for their involvement and commitment.”

Above: Justin Hansen helps a Junior Dragster following its run down the strip. Photo/Graham Meiklejohn Right: Track-spotters collection of parts from one season.

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