Orange Panels

[flying muppet]

Over the season several UK circuits seem to have installed large dayglo orange panels beside 'gaps' in tyre walls.

I have seen them at Brands Hatch, Donington, Silverstone and Anglesey, but strangely they don't seem to have got to Oulton yet.

Does anyone know who decreed that these should be used? What exactly are they meant to indicate, and for whom - drivers or marshals?

[JimW]

I understand that these markings replace the Green/white striped markings of previous years. Both are at the instigation (stipulation?) of the FIM (or some other International M/c body).

No markings - no major bike meetings - no money.

Regards

Jim

[bluebeard]

now i'm puzzled! :confused: oulton has british superbike meetings, are these not major bike meetings?

[jamo]

Perhaps then they will magically appear at Oulton in time for this weekends (?) meeting

[Flagman]

BSB probably runs under ACU rules not FIM.

Bit like Blue Book verses Yellow book for 4 wheel racing.

[diz]

It is an MSA car racing regulation to identify exit points from trackside to a place of safety. flying muppet is correct in spotting that Anglesey has kept abreast of the latest circuit requirements. I can't comment about the other circuits.

Orange panel one metre high and half a metre wide indicates there is an 'exit gap' for human exit [drivers / marshals etc].

Orange panel one metre square indicates there is an 'exit gap' for vehicular exit.

[G Tanner]

It applies to all circuits which have an International Licence and is used to indicate a pedestrian / vehicular gap in the armco.

[Elio]

Brands` orange panels appeared in the week leading up to the World Superbike meeting at the end of July......

[mark_l]

How long before Halfords sponsor these access gaps in the armco.

What was wrong with the old colour of green/white?

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by Flagman
BSB probably runs under ACU rules not FIM.

BSB runs under MCRCB rules; the ACU has delegated the running of British & National level bike racing on AMRCO circuits to the MCRCB.MCRCB also has the right to organise FIM or International meetings at AMRCO circuits.

(MCRCB = Motor Cycle Racing Control Board, AMRCO = Association of Motor Racing Circuit Owners)

Originally posted by diz
It is an MSA car racing regulation to identify exit points from trackside to a place of safety.

You'd think they'd tell the marshals, wouldn't you??

[EvilPumpkin]

Orange panel one metre square indicates there is an 'exit gap' for vehicular exit.

sorry did I get this wrong - they're now teaching the drivers to aim for anything orange if they want to get off the circuit?

Ok fair enough, even I'm not a metre wide - but at the same time, if a driver is in a hurry and equates "orange" with "exit".... can anyone else see a problem here?

[diz]

Originally posted by Dave Brand
You'd think they'd tell the marshals, wouldn't you??

No need.
Any marshal worth their salt knows that should they 'need to know anything at all' - on any subject under the sun - the man in the know is Dave 'Brittanica' Brand.

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by diz
the man in the know is Dave 'Brittanica' Brand.

I know nothing....but I know where to look!

[diz]

[sss]

Originally posted by Dave Brand
I know nothing....but I know where to look!

or more like a semi retired person with nothing better to do

[JimW]

Diz

You write abve as if you were quoting from something. Is it available on a website somewhere?

And does anyone know where the "Blue book" is alleged to be on-line? The MSA website navigation is as inpenetrable as ever.

Regards

Jim

[Woolley]

This is a brilliant notion. We dress in orange because a) it's highly visible, and b) it doesn't clash with anything else (flags, etc).

This seems to come from the same person who thought 'I know, we'll paint all the fire extinguishers red'

[diz]

Originally posted by JimW
Diz

You write abve as if you were quoting from something. Is it available on a website somewhere?

I saw the thread and rang Richard Peacock for an explanation, so I suppose I am quoting him.

[JimW]

Originally posted by diz
I saw the thread and rang Richard Peacock for an explanation, so I suppose I am quoting him.

Aah. Sounds like MSA instructions to Track licence holders but it not getting into Blue Book or bulletins (I'm sad enough to read most! )

Thanks

Jim

[Flagman]

And if its not in the Blue Book or MSA bulletins then how are competitors to know to aim for the gap?

Just a thought - will Oulton Park have to paint all its barriers orange before the next XR round - after all many of the drivers try to drive through non-existant gaps in the barrier every race

[JimW]

Surely the best way is to get a few of the usual suspects to paint the front of their car orange; wait for a few meeting and then cut holes where the tyre wall has orange marks?

Jim

[Woolley]

Sorry to drag this thread to the top again, but I was watching the highlights of FBMW on Motors last night, and from the on-board camera I round myself thinking 'What are all those marshals doing in the Druids gravel and there's no yellows out?'

Then they showed the outside shot and I realized it was the orange strips by the gaps. Then they went back to the onboard shot when there were marshals in the gravel, and frankly you couldn't tell the difference.

[Clive]

which just proves what a b silly idea it is to paint the gap marker orange, but then marshals have rarely been held in much esteem, let alone high, or regarded as worthwhile, at least that's what some circuits would have us believe by their attitudes.

[craig hope]

WHY NOT USE AN ORANGE ARROW, AS I HAVE HAD DRIVERS SEE THE SQUARES BUT CAN’T SEE WERE TO GO AS THE BARRIERS LOOK LIKE THEY DON’T HAVE A BIG ENOUGH GAP TO PULL A CAR THROUGH THEM AND THEY THEN PANIC AND TRY TO GET BACK ON THE TRACK..

PLUS A MARSHAL WILL HAVE TO BE VERY CLEVER TO LOOK LIKE AN ARROW HOPEFULLY


KEEP SAFE

[DougK]

Does seem a stupid idea to me! Just shows lots of these rules are decided without talking to people and running trials. If you want to point out an emergency escape route why not use green arrows, or maybe even use the standard emergency exit symbol, then maybe people will understand what its for! It seems silly to mark things as a square of colour, can't drivers read symbols or words......................
Who do we speak to to point out the errors of their ways???