Copyright 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Infineon Raceway spokesman John Cardinale told Roadracingworld.com Sunday morning that racetrack workers have installed over 100 haybales–covering 30 to 40 yards–in front of a wall that racer Jimm Groshong slid into Saturday, sustaining fatal injuries.

Cardinale said AFM officials had previously claimed the wall was not an impact zone, but ordered the haybales installed overnight, after Groshong’s fall. Cardinale also said that AFM officials told him that Groshong was alone when he fell and lowsided. Roadracingworld.com’s initial report on the incident, based on information obtained from racers at the event when track and AFM officials could not be reached, said that Groshong was trying to go around another rider on the out-lap of a practice session and highsided before hitting the bare wall.

AFM doesn’t run the chicane installed in the area of turns 8a-9-10, reducing speeds and increasing run-off in the area for AMA Pro Racing events.

AFM also runs a different turn 11 and a different turn 1 configuration at Infineon Raceway, instead of using the relocated AMA turn 11 and a chicane layout immediately approaching turn one, both developed in response to rider safety concerns at AMA Pro Racing events.

Up until this time AFM, like other sanctioning bodies, had determined which course layout it runs and where to place soft barriers and haybales when it rents Infineon Raceway.

“I think you’re going to see that the racetrack will be much more insistent on which course AFM runs in the future,” Cardinale said. “We’ll be attending their Board meeting that’s coming up.”

At post time, AFM President Joe Montoya had not yet returned a phone call seeking additional information and comment.


See related post:

8/7/2004 Black Day In California Continues: AFM Racer Hits Bare Wall And Dies At Infineon Raceway