In Memory of Bill Ritger

[lsf]

 A dedication of the new Soft Barriers purchased with a donation from Midwest Safety Crew was held at Blackhawk Farms Raceway on July 23rd. Some of us remember the days before Soft Barriers and Airbags when Armco and tire walls were lined with hay bales, injuries were common and often serious.
Thankfully, Soft Barriers were developed to protect riders from walls and reduce injuries but seemed unobtainable do high costs. Thanks to Roadracing World Action Fund and a number of groups holding fundraisers that raised major dollars BHF acquired Soft Barriers. MSC has some funds left over and is happy to continue supporting BHF Soft Barriers by donating the funds to purchase six Barriers.
MSC is dedicating these Soft Barriers in the memory of long time Race Control Bill Ritger. Bill was one of the leaders in developing procedures and expectations for motorcycle cornerworking in the Midwest and helped write the National CCS/ASRA cornerworking manual. Along with proper flagging, Bill developed radio standards so that when an incident happens, especially the spectacular ones, excited workers won't forget to relay important information such as which corner is calling or is the rider up or down. The standardized radio procedures improved safety by quickly allowing Race Control to make decisions and dispatch assistance.
In closing I would like to say that when looking at cornerworkers, staff, medical personnel, and CCS Bill made us all better and that is why these Soft Barriers are dedicated in the memory of Bill Ritger.

[barb_arah]

Thank you for this!