28 replies to this topic

[Todd#43]

Heard about this post on another board....

http://localriders.c...31&postcount=16

Shit like this is why I don't race Fasttrax any more....

Anybody else shocked by what this guy did?

[rockybalboa]

todd I only see you post. Are you pissed about the guy crossing the track during a race? If so you are right, that is completely unsafe.

[Todd#43]

todd I only see you post. Are you pissed about the guy crossing the track during a race? If so you are right, that is completely unsafe.

Sorry...here's the dude's post:

Re: Endurance Action at Nelson Ledges (5/30/2009)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Bannister
thanks once again Jeff

here is a link to Marty's photo's and I'm sure he may chime in to show some examples of what he shot! ( I saw him inside turn 4 shooting away)

http://www.photosbym...com/gallery.php

Thanks guys, I'm working on the pics whenever I can. Four was fun as when I crossed the track, yes hot track, Aaron Barry (Empty Pockets # 16) had closed the gap on the guy in front of him. Thankfully I still had time and I did talk to Aaron afterwords. He saw me and told me I had plenty of time to get across.
__________________
Martin A. Matuszak
check out my photos@
www.photos_by_marty.fototime.com
www.photosbymartyllc.com

Yeah...crossing a hot track? Are you fucking kidding me???

[justin0469]

yeah...it took me a few reads to get what he was saying. he ran across a hot track to get some good pics? idiot....

[Casper]

Wow....

What an idiot.

[Chrome]

took me a minute, but now i understand. what a jackass. should have been taken out of the track.

[fusion]

Definitely a fuggin' idiot. From the other side it's why I hate dealing with photographers that don't really understand what they are involved in shooting. Sometimes they don't even care to understand and learn as long as they can take some pretty pictures and sell some prints or business. Dicks....

[JRMMiii]

...but, did he get the shot!?

[RVTPilot]

...but, did he get the shot!?

Always the glass half full with you young'uns.

This guy should be banned from future events. What a complete tool.

[e-flores]

Wow effing moron!!! Way to put others lives in danger...

[Todd#43]

Apparently, this isn't the first time he did it....

>Re: Endurance Action at Nelson Ledges (5/30/2009)
RBlack, I have a great working relationship with the corner workers who really watch my back when I need them to which is about twice in two and half years of doing this. It wasn't as close as it sounded in my post. My guestimate is that Aaron didn't get to where I crossed the track until 10 seconds after I crossed.
__________________
Martin A. Matuszak
check out my photos@
www.photos_by_marty.fototime.com
www.photosbymartyllc.com

I mean really....is taking pics at a Fasttrax race really that important that you'd cross a hot track TWICE????

[gixxie750]

I am mixed about this subject. Hot tracks are not for ANYONE but riders. It could be done safe,but if the cam guy wants the good angle he needs to get there b4 the race/session starts and then stay sorta still. Its bullshit,but i still trust the people running the event(fasttrax). Racing gets so crazy that even the camera guy got too pumped up and crossed the track. I have not been to nelson so i dont know where he crossed,but i bet he could see down track far?????

[Desmo-Brian]

I am mixed about this subject. Hot tracks are not for ANYONE but riders. It could be done safe,but if the cam guy wants the good angle he needs to get there b4 the race/session starts and then stay sorta still. Its bullshit,but i still trust the people running the event(fasttrax). Racing gets so crazy that even the camera guy got too pumped up and crossed the track. I have not been to nelson so i dont know where he crossed,but i bet he could see down track far?????

Doesn't matter. The only personnel that crosses a hot track is the safety crew. Not camera guys. The issue is that these street riders are chiming in and saying stuff they have no clue on. They make up BS excuses like "You don't see them because they are professional", etc. Really? I have been to more races and more tracks than I suspect all of them combined. I have NEVER seen a professional photographer cross a hot track surface.

What these guys don't get is that there are access points all around a track. Want a shot from a corner on the infield side and you are currently across from that on the outside of the track? They jump on a scooter and drive to the infield and gain access to where they want w/o crossing.

One, they don't carry radios. Two, there are more than one photographer out there and if one gets to cross, why not the others. These idiots think it was a one time thing. It only takes one time to fuck it up and get someone killed.

Instead, a slap of the hand and a verbal apology is allowed and it goes forward. Until someone dies, I guess or gets really hurt will it be taken care of. That's BS. I don't care who the organization is or who the camera guy is... It only takes once and the result can be as such that a LOT of people are effected. The safety crew that allowed him out, the organization putting on the event and the track. $5million or so can easily be asked for in a gross negligence situation. If a camera guy is allowed to cross a hot track, slips and kills a rider... Bad news. I call it preventative measures that would be implemented by the racing org. NO ALLOWANCE of crossing a hot track by anyone other than the safety crew. No exceptions...

Plus, what constitutes a professional photographer? Is he paid and earning a living solely off this? Is he paying proper taxes and submitting income and expenses like a business does? Doubtful. I'd say he is as much a hobbyist as the racers he is shooting.

In the end, he did something wrong. It's how they learn from it that matters. If FT makes it known that it will not happen again and they set a policy that prevents it from happening again, I am cool with that. If they don't and they know it happens, well... Hope they have a good lawyer if it ever goes wrong. May never and maybe they have YEARS of it being allowed and never happening, but what happened at Barber is something that shouldn't ever happen. Shouldn't is a tough word... Prevention is a great word to know, however...

[Todd#43]

Doesn't matter. The only personnel that crosses a hot track is the safety crew. Not camera guys. The issue is that these street riders are chiming in and saying stuff they have no clue on. They make up BS excuses like "You don't see them because they are professional", etc. Really? I have been to more races and more tracks than I suspect all of them combined. I have NEVER seen a professional photographer cross a hot track surface.

What these guys don't get is that there are access points all around a track. Want a shot from a corner on the infield side and you are currently across from that on the outside of the track? They jump on a scooter and drive to the infield and gain access to where they want w/o crossing.

One, they don't carry radios. Two, there are more than one photographer out there and if one gets to cross, why not the others. These idiots think it was a one time thing. It only takes one time to fuck it up and get someone killed.

Instead, a slap of the hand and a verbal apology is allowed and it goes forward. Until someone dies, I guess or gets really hurt will it be taken care of. That's BS. I don't care who the organization is or who the camera guy is... It only takes once and the result can be as such that a LOT of people are effected. The safety crew that allowed him out, the organization putting on the event and the track. $5million or so can easily be asked for in a gross negligence situation. If a camera guy is allowed to cross a hot track, slips and kills a rider... Bad news. I call it preventative measures that would be implemented by the racing org. NO ALLOWANCE of crossing a hot track by anyone other than the safety crew. No exceptions...

Plus, what constitutes a professional photographer? Is he paid and earning a living solely off this? Is he paying proper taxes and submitting income and expenses like a business does? Doubtful. I'd say he is as much a hobbyist as the racers he is shooting.

In the end, he did something wrong. It's how they learn from it that matters. If FT makes it known that it will not happen again and they set a policy that prevents it from happening again, I am cool with that. If they don't and they know it happens, well... Hope they have a good lawyer if it ever goes wrong. May never and maybe they have YEARS of it being allowed and never happening, but what happened at Barber is something that shouldn't ever happen. Shouldn't is a tough word... Prevention is a great word to know, however...

Damn dude...that was a long one, but true - very true.

[Desmo-Brian]

Apparently, this isn't the first time he did it....

>Re: Endurance Action at Nelson Ledges (5/30/2009)
RBlack, I have a great working relationship with the corner workers who really watch my back when I need them to which is about twice in two and half years of doing this. It wasn't as close as it sounded in my post. My guestimate is that Aaron didn't get to where I crossed the track until 10 seconds after I crossed.
__________________
Martin A. Matuszak
check out my photos@
www.photos_by_marty.fototime.com
www.photosbymartyllc.com

I mean really....is taking pics at a Fasttrax race really that important that you'd cross a hot track TWICE????

I am sure the guy is a nice enough guy. Actually, I think he's sent me some info when I did a few FT events... Cannot remember... But, it isn't his personality, his social skills, nor his friendliness that we are referring to here. His comments are damaging to FT and the safety crew being used. Typically, the safety crew is organized and ran under a company or separate organization other than the racing group holding the event. It may be part of the track or hell, it could be done through FT since they are smaller. Whatever the case, the above comment is damaging IF anything ever goes wrong. Even a hiccup and a crash with no injuries. If I crashed due to avoiding a camera guy... Look out. I get a new race bike for sure. Again, negligence on the part of multiple parties... You sign a waiver for doing something inherently dangerous. Anyone who has raced knows these are pretty much useless at times. Especially useless when what you technically agree on by signing never states anything about accepting of negligence on the part of people other than yourself...

I understand the guy defending himself, but the idea here is to look beyond himself and ask the question "what if?" What if he did cause a kid to crash and get killed? What if he did slip and dropped all his camera stuff and tried to pick it up and got in the path of a rider? What if...?

It is safety and in this case, it isn't about pot holes, ruts in the grass, tire walls. It isn't about something that is tough to afford and implement in improving safety. It is something that can EASILY be done and improve safety and avoid a possible tragedy...

[Desmo-Brian]

Damn dude...that was a long one, but true - very true.

Dude, you know as well as I do... Racing is dangerous enough as it is. Having an ignorant person adding to that danger makes me pissed. If I race at FT this year with Agnes, I will bring it up in rider's meeting. 100% for sure... People need to know. Racers if thinking outside their personal feelings towards the guy will say what is truth - shouldn't be allowed...

[Todd#43]

Dude, you know as well as I do... Racing is dangerous enough as it is. Having an ignorant person adding to that danger makes me pissed. If I race at FT this year with Agnes, I will bring it up in rider's meeting. 100% for sure... People need to know. Racers if thinking outside their personal feelings towards the guy will say what is truth - shouldn't be allowed...

I raced with Agnes a few years ago when we through together an endurance team to run a FT event.

Anyway, I'm going to take exception to part of your comment. Ignorance is doing it once because you didnt know the rules. This guy appears to have done it more than once, AND others in the organization seem to think it's perfectly acceptable. Those facts tell me all I need to know - it's happened before and it will happen again. That's enough for me to say that I won't be on the track at a Fasttrax organized event. Period.

Oh....one more thing...the corner workers are employed by the track and contracted to FT (at least that's the way it used to be). I remember more than once getting a good whiff of weed as I passed the station at the carousel more than once. I wouldn't trust those fuckers with my front, let alone my back.

[Isaac's Papa]

I'm not saying Marty is not in the wrong but the blame needs to be placed on the organization running the event.

photog: "Dude, can I cross the track to get some better shots?"

worker: "What? Are you fucking nuts? NO!"

Should have been the end of the story. Marty made a bad call but FT is ultimately responsible for allowing him to cross. Another example of why corner workers should go through rigorous mental testing before handed a box of flags and a radio.

[Desmo-Brian]

I'm not saying Marty is not in the wrong but the blame needs to be placed on the organization running the event.

photog: "Dude, can I cross the track to get some better shots?"

worker: "What? Are you fucking nuts? NO!"

Should have been the end of the story. Marty made a bad call but FT is ultimately responsible for allowing him to cross. Another example of why corner workers should go through rigorous mental testing before handed a box of flags and a radio.

Oh, I agree. It would be a great court debate - for about 2 seconds... The cornerworkers whether through the track or FT allowed a non-safety crew member across a hot track. IF a rider were injured or killed as a result, it is gross negligence and would fall on the track or FT. Probably both, but the track has insurance and I would HOPE FT does, as well...

[Todd#43]

I'm not saying Marty is not in the wrong but the blame needs to be placed on the organization running the event.

photog: "Dude, can I cross the track to get some better shots?"

worker: "What? Are you fucking nuts? NO!"

Should have been the end of the story. Marty made a bad call but FT is ultimately responsible for allowing him to cross. Another example of why corner workers should go through rigorous mental testing before handed a box of flags and a radio.

Fuck the mental testing. Just check their pockets for the sack-o-weed.