BMW CCA CLUB RACING
		Safety Steward's Report -- Ron Sullivan

  2002 Safety Report 

As the keeper of the safety-related information for Club Racing, I am pleased to report that the 2002 season was the safest yet. As our Chairman stated in his article, the number of incidents per miles raced improved again in 2002. Miles raced per incident is the key indicator we currently use to measure our progress from year to year, and with the exception of a slight dip in 2001, has improved every year since 1997. Another measurement we have tracked is the damage to cars involved in incidents -- from this year forward, we will be more consistent in our measurement and tracking of car damage -- Jim Fluckey, our National Tech Steward, is developing a set of standard definitions for the terms used in the Incident Reports by the Race Stewards.

Driver error continues to be the number one cause of incidents, averaging between 80 and 90 percent of all incidents each year. In 2002, 53% of driver error incidents resulted in a track object (tire barrier, wall, etc.) being struck, while 27% resulted in another car being hit. The 53% was an increase from previous years, and is a cause for concern, as car to car incidents usually result in relatively lower impact speeds, while hitting track objects often result in higher impact speeds with the resultant higher deceleration rates. I have asked Jeff Lutes, our National Competition Steward to ensure that the Event Competition Stewards cover this in Drivers Meetings -- more black flags will be used for what they believe to be unsafe driving; examples I have used at events are: spinning twice in one lap, excessive two wheels off course, causing other cars to take evasive action because of poor passing techniques, etc.

In 2002, we had two mechanical incidents- one where a power steering hose broke, causing a car to spin in the oil; the other where a throttle stuck wide open. The good news is we have moved on from the spate of brake and suspension failures we experienced in previous years, our cars are being better prepared each year.

Rookies and Provisionals were involved in 8% of the incidents in 2002, down from an average of 12% in previous years. We will continue our Racing School and Rookie Mentoring programs in 2003 to continue to drive this number down.

In conclusion, we had a better safety record in 2002 than in previous years, but we have a lot of room for improvement. I understand that a race season without an incident is not going to happen, but I expect all of us--competitors, crew, and Race Officials--to do our best to continue to make our Club Racing Series even safer.

Ron Sullivan National Safety Steward

  on to: Races