ndvalium
Rescue Director
I know its long, but felt the need to share a little thing about this weekend that many would never have the opportunity to know……
Wednesday last week, my real job that supports my habit of working as a volunteer for many racing groups as a medic asked if I would be willing to work on an ambulance for all 3 days of the CORR Primm race. I jumped at the chance and headed out bright and early Friday morning.
We arrived and parked our ambulance right next to the CORR Tech trailer on the north side of the monster course that had been constructed and set out to look over the area. For those that didn’t not see the race or pictures, it was an incredible layout that had a nice wide track easily capable of 3 wide racing, big turns and a tabletop jump that a guesstimate of 200’ long. I think the course itself was nearly a mile long. Right past that table top jump and before the last turn “Turn 4” was the area that all the vehicles were staged for their practices and racing. Numerous vehicles of various classes were already in staging when we arrived getting ready to go through the tech line. My partner and I retreated back to our ambulance to wait for days practices to start.
About an hour later, the staging area started to clear out and an area caught my attention. A makeshift cross made of wood lathe, flower vases at the base and marked with other wood lathe and flagging around it.
Amazing…..
Nearly 2 months had passed since the SCORE Primm race. The construction crew had transformed the entire area into a monster stadium infield that I am sure many other race promoters will benefit from. At one point I saw about 30 vehicles working this area with scrapers, graders, loaders, bull dozers and water trucks. All of this and not one time was the cross accidentally hit, or the glass flower vases broken. The dried flowers were still there in their vase.
Sunday morning….3rd and final day. Fresh roses in a new vase had been placed overnight. Easily 1000 vehicles had moved through the area of the cross and still it remained. Big Pro 2 / 4 trucks with zero visibility being backed into place by crew members that made sure to avoid it over and over. About 2 pm, the head of the construction crew pulled up and inspected the area. He immediately grabbed additional wood lathe and flagging from his truck noticing that some vehicles had gotten to close. I had to meet this man.
I walked over and told him how impressed I was that this area had been left alone. He said that when he arrived many weeks ago and it was a vacant lot that he had no idea who / what it was for, but he knew he could not disturb it. He said that they actually altered some of their track designs to make sure the memorial was safe.
I told him that I was one of the many that tried to save this person about 2 months ago and that I appreciated his efforts. I told him, that the area he protected was where Erik Morales, 33 years old, husband and father of 3 passed away racing. I shook his hand in thanks knowing that Erik and his family would be appreciative of their efforts to protect the memorial.
I am sure many never noticed it and even more that saw it and had no idea who it was for however to me and I am sure many others, it was appreciated and really meant something.
In the hundreds of races I have covered this unfortunately was not the first death I had dealt with however, seeing the crash and being their a minute later from a crash that most often would have a car back on it wheels and back in the race and this time there being a much different outcome, Erik’s death affected me greatly.
Thank you CORR, the construction crews and all the teams and drivers that went above and beyond to protect his memory.
Wednesday last week, my real job that supports my habit of working as a volunteer for many racing groups as a medic asked if I would be willing to work on an ambulance for all 3 days of the CORR Primm race. I jumped at the chance and headed out bright and early Friday morning.
We arrived and parked our ambulance right next to the CORR Tech trailer on the north side of the monster course that had been constructed and set out to look over the area. For those that didn’t not see the race or pictures, it was an incredible layout that had a nice wide track easily capable of 3 wide racing, big turns and a tabletop jump that a guesstimate of 200’ long. I think the course itself was nearly a mile long. Right past that table top jump and before the last turn “Turn 4” was the area that all the vehicles were staged for their practices and racing. Numerous vehicles of various classes were already in staging when we arrived getting ready to go through the tech line. My partner and I retreated back to our ambulance to wait for days practices to start.
About an hour later, the staging area started to clear out and an area caught my attention. A makeshift cross made of wood lathe, flower vases at the base and marked with other wood lathe and flagging around it.
Amazing…..
Nearly 2 months had passed since the SCORE Primm race. The construction crew had transformed the entire area into a monster stadium infield that I am sure many other race promoters will benefit from. At one point I saw about 30 vehicles working this area with scrapers, graders, loaders, bull dozers and water trucks. All of this and not one time was the cross accidentally hit, or the glass flower vases broken. The dried flowers were still there in their vase.
Sunday morning….3rd and final day. Fresh roses in a new vase had been placed overnight. Easily 1000 vehicles had moved through the area of the cross and still it remained. Big Pro 2 / 4 trucks with zero visibility being backed into place by crew members that made sure to avoid it over and over. About 2 pm, the head of the construction crew pulled up and inspected the area. He immediately grabbed additional wood lathe and flagging from his truck noticing that some vehicles had gotten to close. I had to meet this man.
I walked over and told him how impressed I was that this area had been left alone. He said that when he arrived many weeks ago and it was a vacant lot that he had no idea who / what it was for, but he knew he could not disturb it. He said that they actually altered some of their track designs to make sure the memorial was safe.
I told him that I was one of the many that tried to save this person about 2 months ago and that I appreciated his efforts. I told him, that the area he protected was where Erik Morales, 33 years old, husband and father of 3 passed away racing. I shook his hand in thanks knowing that Erik and his family would be appreciative of their efforts to protect the memorial.
I am sure many never noticed it and even more that saw it and had no idea who it was for however to me and I am sure many others, it was appreciated and really meant something.
In the hundreds of races I have covered this unfortunately was not the first death I had dealt with however, seeing the crash and being their a minute later from a crash that most often would have a car back on it wheels and back in the race and this time there being a much different outcome, Erik’s death affected me greatly.
Thank you CORR, the construction crews and all the teams and drivers that went above and beyond to protect his memory.
