For the track day guys

[handfulz28]

Stole the link from a post on that Freaks site. :)

I know a few of you guys participate in track days with street cars. Just remember what safety equipment you've got, compared to what this guy had.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f68/crash-mid-ohio-scca-t2-nissan-61500/

Pictures on page 1, 25sec of in-car on page 3.
Oh, and don't take this as me being alarmist, I'm a former SCCA T-1, T-2 and IT competitor and track day instructor. Just looking out for fellow enthusiasts.

[BlownCrewCab]

Holy Crap, he must have been truckin along pretty well to travel that far.

[zelatore]

Read all the posts - he wasn't going that fast. Only about 95 when he left the track. His telemitry recorded 1.2 g's braking for a second then .... nothing. In reality, all the rolling was probably a good thing instead of one big stop. And he had all the gear on, including a HANS.

Crikey...my stock 335 runs well past 95 on every straight. And I've got no added saftey gear since it's a daily driver. Hmmmmm.....

BTW - I've been off at Mid-Ohio too, just not in 7 or with those results! In the rain I took my Alfa GTV6 off in turn 1. Just lost an exaust boucing through the infield, so I got off light.

[handfulz28]

Read all the posts - he wasn't going that fast. Only about 95 when he left the track. His telemitry recorded 1.2 g's braking for a second then .... nothing. In reality, all the rolling was probably a good thing instead of one big stop. And he had all the gear on, including a HANS.

95mph isn't that fast...until you're going somewhere different than where you want to be. Hard to comprehend the momentum at that speed until you lose control of it.

The end over end definitely provided the disappation of energy. Says he never felt a hard hit. The only injury was a bump on the head...from the HANS. I don't like the HANS, prefer the ISAAC instead.

[McGary911]

Wow. That's a heck of a crash. Glad he only bumped his head. I've driven Mid Ohio, and that's the fastest place on that track.

I was running my 911 at Summit Point in WV a bunch of years ago, and lost my brakes at at about 110 going into the long front straight. Brakes probably slowed me a touch, but not much. I managed to get the car turned, slid it a bit sideways and hammered the throttle to keep it on the track. I scrubbed off just enough speed to get around the turn. Of course that point of the track is just after the pit entrance, so I did the rest of the track with no brakes for one more lap. Then I parked the car and almost puked.

It was 105 degrees out. I'm pretty sure I boiled the fluid.

Back then I had a nomex shirt, helmet, 5 point simpson harness and a roll bar. Glad I didn't have to test them.

[BigGrizzly]

McGary that right onto the that very long straight is not the best place, especially since is is almost off chamber, the other place is the down hill into the carousel. It is a lot scarier on a motorcycle. Wonderful memories.

[zelatore]

I've done the lost brakes thing on-track as well. My GTV6 was always having brake issues due to the rear in-board disks up against the transaxle. Made it tough to cool them. I eventually found a combination of pads, ducts, slotted rotors, and ATE blue fluid that held up for a full day although I usually gave them a quick bleed a couple times between sessions. My big fun was at Nelson Ledges, coming off the back straight somewhere north of 100 for a hard left followed by a 180-degree right. Came through the kink and set up for the left only to put my brake foot to the floor. That'll get your attention! Luckily for me pumping the peddle got some braking, but not before I exited the track backward. Didn't hit anything, but a friend with a camera was there to make sure I didn't live it down for a while.

[justleft]

Last time I was there the area where he ended up was woods !!!

Track Time weekend, a vet went straight on into the woods there.
Then it rained. I lapped the field !!!! But a new Z car hit the pit wall.
(Ouch, his girl friend came to see the event)

Great weekend for me ! :) Even better when the BuMWiper, that I was
giving pressure, went wide then came back across. Missed by inches !!!

Glad to see he walked away !! The aches and bruises will be next. :garfield:

[mphatc]

Street cars and track cars doing dual duty . . . be careful!

There are lots of new safety stuff that wasn't available just a few years ago.

I am a trained Schroth safety harness dealer, and can help anyone here with the proper stuff. Post me to my Donzi.net mailbox and I'll give you a discount!

sidebar, just back from 3 days of racing up Mt Washington Auto Road in a BMW M3 . . .WOW . .:):):yes:

you can read more here:
http://www.climbtotheclouds.com/welcome.html

Mario L.