“I never lifted”….

so... I'm not gonna say who, when, or where, but I'm about to elucidate why and how. 
 

This happened. "Recently". A "person" showed up to an "event". This person did not lift. I know this because as safety steward I asked. The response was "I never lifted". I started laughing, thinking "fun joke, at least (shiny happy person) still has a sense of humor." "No, I really didn't lift off the throttle". My jaw dropped. 
 

This "maniac" actually thought there was more time to be had by not letting off the throttle, for a 180° turn around. Well an ND can do a lot of things, but it is not a magic carpet. There is one less ND among us. No questions at this time. Lol. 

Ouch 

In reply to Javelin :

It was painful to watch. This person is fine though, so not as bad as it could've been. Coming soon to FB marketplace: 2019 ND, slightly bent. 

It is the way. Now this person can find a hobby better suited for them.

you can see in the background the 180° in question. 

What a maroon.  

Friend was at a licensing school last weekend and one of the students stuck a 2 year old Lotus on its roof at the end of the day. Good move, rich boy.

The "oops I over cooked it" runoff area was a 6" curb? That seems like a bad idea.

In reply to MrJoshua :

As a safety steward I had multiple safety concerns. All of which came to fruition at some point in the weekend.  I was, sadly, vetoed on a few. Doesn't matter. The ass puckering moments proved what I pointed out. 

In reply to Definitely gone now :

It's not possible to write enough rules for some people, for they are as dumb as a box of rocks.

MrJoshua said:

The "oops I over cooked it" runoff area was a 6" curb? That seems like a bad idea.

Looks like it's riiiiight on the limit of the 25' to hard obstacle requirement. Our local region uses a super tiny lot bounded by curbs and we still try to give at least a few extra feet of clearance especially when there's any amount of speed involved.

I've had a few skilled friends ride along with me and yell at me to not lift while instructing me, but I never interpreted that as "don't lift for a 180 or hairpin." Some people clearly have no common sense... this person clearly had more money than common sense, given that they trashed a pretty new Miata on what appears to be some sticky tires.

He was probably thinking, "But I never lift when I play Mario Cart."

Frs into a pole backwards at a track night in America.  Car got light on a small rise to right hander.  On the last session the driver flipped off the driver aids to go faster. Whoops

It's on it's way the auto magic shop  ,Should buff out I'm guessing

Yes he's an idiot-but I feel for the guy. It's hard to learn what you are supposed to do to drive fast without proper instruction or lots of trial and error. As an early autocrosser you are scared to ask for help, and a few minutes of practice driving at the limit once every couple of months isn't an easy way to learn. You try to fix that by reading and watching videos-but that gets you advice like "Whatever you do, never lift!" Fortunately he is on a closed track trying to learn so his mistakes only bent his own stuff.

Definitely gone now said:

In reply to MrJoshua :

As a safety steward I had multiple safety concerns. All of which came to fruition at some point in the weekend.  I was, sadly, vetoed on a few. Doesn't matter. The ass puckering moments proved what I pointed out. 

Vetoed by who? I thought the safety steward had the last word. 

Remember that there are no human instincts for driving. Everything must be learned, and if you get in a crummy spot too early your human instincts may not help you. I've seen people hold the throttle down in a spin not because they logically think it's the best thing, but because they have no other "brain program" yet for that situation. 

Bummer all around. Bummer that ND got smashed. Bummer that your club has to go through this. Bummer that the driver will probably not learn the right things from this. Bummer that the sport and the club have probably lost a participant.

In reply to Javelin :

I'm new at it. So the the long time club members said "it'll be fine". I didn't have the nerve to speak up when I should've. But i didn't have to, as the events of this weekend proved in short order. I believe my words may carry more weight in the club now. 

Javelin said:

Definitely gone now said:

In reply to MrJoshua :

As a safety steward I had multiple safety concerns. All of which came to fruition at some point in the weekend.  I was, sadly, vetoed on a few. Doesn't matter. The ass puckering moments proved what I pointed out. 

Vetoed by who? I thought the safety steward had the last word. 

That may be true by rule, but when the safety steward play that card, ALL the other volunteers need to go a lot of work to change the course (or whatever). And there are a lot of real social pressures pushing against that. Autox clubs are usually run by experienced drivers and all the organizers are usually pressed for time. What is dangerous for a newbie usually is fine for an experienced autocrosser.

I'm not saying it's right but I am saying it's easy to let a dangerous element run. If your club doesn't have a culture of safety right now is the time to discuss it.

We can all use events like this to get better and safer for everyone.

Reminds me of a subaru driver who didn't lift until he hit a tree 60' off course. "I thought it would turn if I stayed on the throttle."

dps214 said:

MrJoshua said:

The "oops I over cooked it" runoff area was a 6" curb? That seems like a bad idea.

Looks like it's riiiiight on the limit of the 25' to hard obstacle requirement. Our local region uses a super tiny lot bounded by curbs and we still try to give at least a few extra feet of clearance especially when there's any amount of speed involved.

Should be 75' from the outside of a corner.  Our local lot is a tricky one to maintain clearance in. 

EvanB said:

Reminds me of a subaru driver who didn't lift until he hit a tree 60' off course. "I thought it would turn if I stayed on the throttle."

Was thinking this same thing.  Happened right in front of me.  Full power and he never lifted despite the car decidedly not turning.  

All cars, no matter the drive type, cannot rotate if the front tires have no grip due to low traction or rearward weight transfer.

GDs are tough chassis, imagine how hard you have to hit one at the A pillar to shove the strut tower into the engine...

Honestly, the worst incidents I've ever seen have been the result of skilled, experienced drivers not following the advice they spout about not trying to save a spin or loss of control.

I thought this thread would be about Parnelli Jones.  It was said that he "never lifted" and was consequently mostly unsuccessful at off-road racing.