Some 'And they walked away' moments from last weekend

You are NOT gonna pass me! http://youtu.be/tK9LAdUpLtk

Hmmm, I thought I had more straight before that corner... http://youtu.be/Q6s1nmJDe4Y

racerfink wrote: Hmmm, I thought I had more straight before that corner... http://youtu.be/Q6s1nmJDe4Y

If you read Randy's post under the video, you are reminded that the drivers carry the entire course in their memory banks. Or at least they try to. That has always impressed me when we speak of a course like Pikes Peak.

I see some shockingly bad decisions made in the single-make big $$ series. The 33 car's move would earn the driver some face time with the stewards at an SCCA club race, even if the action hadn't destroyed an expensive car while sparing the driver due to luck and good safety gear.

Here's a video of 2 Radical SR8s with the driver of the crashed Ferrari leading and a guy following who used to participate in the Ferrari series until he was asked not to come back.

His take on this race was that it was a good fight with lots of great saves. Eek.

Here's how not to get around VIR in a sports racer.

yea.. driver of 33 made a seriously dick move there...

mad_machine wrote: yea.. driver of 33 made a seriously dick move there...

I would not want to share a track with that guy. That was either intentional or the guy has no situational awareness.

You guys have seen Le Mans, right? The cause of almost every accident is a clueless GT Ferrari.

I meant the race, not the movie - but wasn't the crash in the movie due to a Ferrari?

T.J. wrote:

mad_machine wrote: yea.. driver of 33 made a seriously dick move there...

I would not want to share a track with that guy. That was either intentional or the guy has no situational awareness.

it seemed to me he tried to "shut the door" on the other car.. but timed it very very wrong.

I can't imagine how crappy the feeling of going airborne like that knowing it's going to end badly.

I'm just glad the drivers came out in good shape. I'm sure the driver of the #33 Ferrari is very glad he didn't kill his fellow competitor by pushing him off the track. That would be a hard one to live with.

Keith Tanner wrote: You guys have seen Le Mans, right? The cause of almost every accident is a clueless GT Ferrari. I meant the race, not the movie - but wasn't the crash in the movie due to a Ferrari?

That's only because very few people race Buicks...

mad_machine wrote:

T.J. wrote:

mad_machine wrote: yea.. driver of 33 made a seriously dick move there...

I would not want to share a track with that guy. That was either intentional or the guy has no situational awareness.

it seemed to me he tried to "shut the door" on the other car.. but timed it very very wrong.

You do that going into corners, not a decent way off the braking zone on a straight. His competition license probably should have been shredded before the end of the race.

Dick move and unneccesary. He would have had the position back before the next corner.

KyAllroad wrote: I can't imagine how crappy the feeling of going airborne like that knowing it's going to end badly.

Time slows down and there is that long moment of relative silence before you land that is kind of peaceful.

That first video noted that CCR, the series sanctioning body, does not allow car-to-car contact. Does anyone know if fault was determined and what the penalty was?

I know who I'd point a finger at and what his fate would be.

dean1484 wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: I can't imagine how crappy the feeling of going airborne like that knowing it's going to end badly.

Time slows down and there is that long moment of relative silence before you land that is kind of peaceful.

From the video it seemed like he was airborne for quite a long time.. must have seemed like an hour to the driver

I don't see him actually move over; he's going straight and the track is curved there heading towards turn 5 (about to go down hill). The red car got pinched by the track, not cut off. There is no reason to run it wide in a car that can brake like that; so he keeps his straight line heading into what will be his braking zone for turn 5.

PIT Manuver? Bigger dick move than blocking.

You do NOT move to the left at that point in the track, unless you're trying to block or pass. You need to set up for the braking for turn five by being on the right side of the track. Also, if you look at the in-car of the 430, he looks in his mirror and moves left, only he does it too late to block.

there is another video of him riding the fence - Kudos to all the safety features that allowed him to walk away.

I have some pictures of Paul Newman riding the guard rail in his 280ZX at that same corner from many years ago.

mad_machine wrote:

dean1484 wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: I can't imagine how crappy the feeling of going airborne like that knowing it's going to end badly.

Time slows down and there is that long moment of relative silence before you land that is kind of peaceful.

From the video it seemed like he was airborne for quite a long time.. must have seemed like an hour to the driver

One of the things I have noticed is in many interviews with drivers that have flipped cars is you always here them say

" I was waiting for it to land "

Don't know why but I always find that funny. But it is so true.

So Ferrari Challenge = Spec Miata for rich people?

racerfink wrote: Also, if you look at the in-car of the 430, he looks in his mirror and moves left, only he does it too late to block.

That struck me as "WTF just happened back there" after he was hit, but I could be wrong.

dean1484 wrote: One of the things I have noticed is in many interviews with drivers that have flipped cars is you always here them say " I was waiting for it to land " Don't know why but I always find that funny. But it is so true.

"Just get us on the ground."

"Oh that will be happening most definitely!"

Racerfink is dead on. If you want to carry any speed through five you need to be moving to the right as you enter the braking zone.