Watertown-1989

[Dan Laverty]

****This thread is a continuation from the Hall of Fame thread***
Interesting part of racing history.

Watertown- New York State Championship Drill-August 26,1989.

The track had dirt and dust covering it from a ball game the previous night that grew from a minor nuisance to a major concern by the time of the C Hose contest. When running the C trucks, the dirt made for poor traction and kicked up into clouds of dust. The Long Island teams believed that to be both an unsafe condition and an unfair disadvantage to the teams running in the earlier slots. After a lengthy discussion focused on washing off the track, it was decided to rerun the C Hose contest. West Sayville was running in the first position and refused to compete on the unwashed track.
The Dutchmen's stand was supported by all but ten teams of the fifty plus teams in attendance. Controversy continued and eventually the drill's sanction was lifted. As a result, no state champion was crowned.

[Dan Laverty]

nozz31 said:

Article from 1989 State drill in Watertown

[Dan Laverty]

driver7789 said:

it wasn't kevin connell who started the push for track safety. it was me(ken Van Essendelft)
I was the driver for west sayville who stopped the drill in watertowm because the track was unsafe.

8675309 said:

driver7789 said:

it wasn't kevin connell who started the push for track safety. it was me(ken Van Essendelft)
I was the driver for west sayville who stopped the drill in watertowm because the track was unsafe.

Is this the reason you stopped driving? Would you also please be so kind and tell the story of what happened on that day in 1989?

jusmik said:

I remember that drill , snow fence right on the track protecting the the spectators . spectators less then two three feet from the track and the 1 inch of dust down the track.Thats just part of it. there is a picture of deerfield running ladders that shows what shitty track it was in FD racing memories 1989.

[Dan Laverty]

8675309 said:

Dees dee peec?

jusmik said:

Thats the pic yes and if I am right Westsayville sat on the line during c-hose and refused to move their rig . I believe that the police got involved also I am not totally sure.

[Circusmonkey]

Why did the officials ever give the sanction to that location in the first place?? I can see the dust being an unexpected hazard, but to not have any guard rail at that point on the course is just plain dumb.

[Alumni]

Go take a look at the pictures in this section from Watertown 1976 and 1983 ....no guardrail in sight there either. Amazing they got through those drills without incident. I guess the baseball team was on the road those weekends

[rick]

I don't believe that guardrails were a reqirement until some point after Watertown. There were none on the right side of the course at Islip Terrace for that accident!

[oldbastard]

It was quite an interesting day. There was a ballgame the night before the drill. Vehicles leaving the ballgame used the track as the exit road and they brought all the dirt and dust onto the track. I don't remember exactly when on that Saturday, they used a street sweeper to try and clean the track. All that did was basically "slick up" the track really good. We watched truck after truck slide.

[Old Fart]

This was indeed a sad day. The Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds had been the site of the 1959, 1970, 1976, and 1983 State Drills. The course was set up in the same place, as it was in the past.

It was unfortunate that the traffic from the minor league ballgame tracked all the dust onto the course, but the lack of resolve by the teams was dissapointing. First it was the dirty track, and then it became the stands were too close to the track, and then it was because the only separation from the stands was a snow fence.

Aside from the dirty track, the issues raised were already considered when the track was inspected and accepted by the Area Rep. It remains just the second time we could not crown a State Champion since WWII.

[SplatterLadder]

If you read the article, Pat Cooke was awaiting his first childs birth.

His son, (Pat Jr.) just ran in his first motorized drill this year.

[F-Man]

Thanks for helping us feel even older now.......

[shr85]

What team was the Baseball team affiliated with?

[GuardrailGeek]

There have been many semi-pro and minor league teams in that stadium, but in 1989
it was the first year for the Watertown Indians, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, in the NY-Penn League.

[limphose]

rick said:

I don't believe that guardrails were a requirement until some point after Watertown. There were none on the right side of the course at Islip Terrace for that accident!

Actually the guardrails were not installed on Beaverdam Rd. until very late sixties early seventies on the grandstand side from the looks of the pictures and dates of construction contracts in the department history room. Snow fence was first replaced with NASCAR like permanent chain link fencing and sockets in the ground across driveways to install chain link during tournaments. Theory was that the fencing would slow or hold back a B or C truck if an accident. The C in the accident ended up on someones lawn with a small group of guests in lawn chairs, we had some pretty supportive neighbors, but can't put a guardrail in front of someone's house. And hence, the Islip Town ordinance of no motorized competitions on Town highways. And many years later the notation in bold letters on the department's Certificate of occupancy for the new track,( completely on the property now), firematic drills, displays and tournaments will be allowed on the access road of subject parcel, however the use of motorized vehicles is strictly prohibited during such events".
Guess they may have made the right choice at Watertown, since I believe it was after the Terrace accident?

[GuardrailGeek]

The accident at Islip Terrace was on Labor Day 1986. Watertown was 3 years later.

Very interesting about the C.O. for the Terrace's property. Would that include any motorized practice?