24 Hours of Daytona live starting at 9AM

[Tim Comeau]

[pixrken]

Go Paul Newman & Team in the Pixar sponsored car #79!

 

http://www.emol.org/celebrities/newman/

[Chris Benbow]

Arguably the greatest road race on the continent with some of the best drivers from NASCAR, IRL, F1, and most other major racing series and our local newspaper doesn't have a SINGLE LINE about it!!!!

[Tim Comeau]

Yes, We'll have to do something about putting San Diego on the motorsports map, won't we?.................

Edited February 6, 2005 by Guest

[PeanutinCA]

Watch out for the Aussie boys in the GT3 too!!!! Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi.

 

P.Dilly.

[Tim Comeau]

Aussie guys did well..... drove the car hard.

It was nice to see the V8 Supercar drivers in there.

 

But my newest driving hero is Jan Lammers. He spun the car in the infield portion of the track. That's not unusual.

What was unusual is that he didn't fold up like a wuss man. He didn't just close his eyes, lock up the brakes, stall the car out and wait for it to come to a stop. NO!

No, my friends..........he kept driving the car like a manly-man!

He must have pushed the clutch pedal in because he kept the car running, he spun all the way around, corrected the last part of the spin, and hammer down....he kept on driving. Total time loss approximately 4 seconds. He probably stayed in the same gear.

Now that takes skill as well as presence of mind.

This reinforces a lesson learned in the past.

"Just because you're spinning, it doesn't mean you're done driving."

"Never stop driving the car until it has come to a stop."

You just might be able to continue on like this guy did.

You might be able to steer and keep the car from hitting a wall, if the brakes aren't locked up!

You might be able to steer and roll off the track backwards to keep from getting run into by oncoming traffic.

It seems like there's always something new to learn while watching this most prestigious of American races. And I'm a front row (couch) student every year, with eyes and ears wide open.

GO PORSCHE!

[944-Spec#94]

Tim,

I did not see the incidedent you mentioned. Too busy hooking up the motor on my spec car. But I have disagree with you about one thing.

 

When you first start to spin you need to attempt to save it. After a point where you know the car is gone. Go clutch and brake in and hold the steering. Let the car take one predictable path to a stop rather that continuiung to fight it and possibly dart back and forth along the track. This fighting often results in carnage either with solid objects or other cars.

 

The good drivers know when to throw in the towel and when to keep trying. Honestly in any 24 hr race better to slow and stop losing 20-30 seconds ranther than keep driving it only end up in a wall or another car.

 

 

That said for Lammers' incident he may have been doing perfectly right. For those of you who a reading this remember you are NOT Jan Lammers and may not be able to save it. Attempting to do so can cause more damage.

 

Being a good driver also means knowing when to give up and let the car go.

[Tim Comeau]

Nope. Can't give you that one my fast friend. Too many drivers have just locked up the brakes and slid into a wall or tire barrier when they could have simply come off the brakes and used the steering wheel, while going backwards, to avoid hitting the wall. All I can do is yell at them on the TV, "Get off the brakes and drive you puss-man!" Too late--BAM! into the tires. Game over.

Good drivers don't give up. They keep driving the car until it has stopped. They maintain their situational awareness as the spin unfolds and they are ready in an instant to resume driving and get back into the race. Certainly don't cause your car to come back across the track! And when you do re-enter, please do so at a very shallow angle.

This doesn't mean that a rookie who can't control his car, and is doing tank slappers for 100 yards, should keep doing tank slappers.

But keep your head up during a spin. Continue using your mirrors and guide the car to a safe stop. If you still have sufficient speed, crank the steering wheel and get the car to rotate the rest of the way around.

I found myself in that situation not too long ago.............

Willow Springs, exiting turn 2, 4th gear, in a 911. The car snap spun on me. I got the clutch in and when the initial rotation had stopped, found myself heading backwards off the outside of the course at about 50 mph and a 30 degree angle. Did I lock 'em up and ride it out?

%$#@&* NO!

I cranked the wheel to the left and MADE the car rotate the rest of the way around. Jammed it quickly into 3rd gear, floored it, and continued on with the lap (sorry, no video). If I had let myself go off, I might have gone all the way to the fence. I might have cut a slick on those sharp pink rocks that only Willow has.

Nope. Not this cat. I never stop driving the car until the car has stopped. And I better not have stalled the engine out or I'll hate myself for the rest of the day.

[944-Spec#94]

Tim,

Couple years back. In fact it was my first time at Willow. Well this guy in saturday qualfying in Spec Miata gets it wrong exiting turn 5. Starts to spin off one way. Then corrects and the car goes the other way. Then corrects again as it goes off the otherway. Well his ca does a few back and forth's across the track with driver "Driving it". Well along comes another spec miata over turn 5 approaching the spining car at the rise or turn 6. "Which way to go? Left or right. Well as the car in front goes on way the driver picks the other side. The the spinning car shoot back across the other way. Wham.. Carnage.

 

Luckily both drivers were not hurt, but myself helped Shawn Sampson push his miata back into his trailer. Who was the driver in the spining wildly out of control car shooting back and forth? Hmm... non other than Rennlist laughing stock Gettoracer.

 

If only the GR had just thrown in the towel rather than trying to save it over and over after the car was clearly gone. Result would have been GR in the dirt and nothing more. Instead Shawn Sampson came around turn 5 with a miata darting wildly all over the track being completely unpredictable. Result contact.

 

 

I have had plenty of cars spin in front of me and I only get worried if they quickly change direction. If they are predictable in their direction of off the solution is rather easy. If not I worry as anything I will do will probably not avoid a collision.

 

PS.. if you go off at Willow in turn 8 or 9 It is best to go straight. Don't turn too much as getting sideways to the dirt at high speed is very nice way to testout your roll cage.

 

I figure that you get 1 correction and if that does not work was an over correction, but the clamps down and slow the car down. Trying to save it after that gets very scary.

[Tim Comeau]

I saw that wreck at Willow too. That was the race that Gary Bumps-a-lot-o was tapping me in the rear because he thought his race was more important than mine.

You've got to be able to read the spinning car in front of you........

If not, just slow down more so that you can take evasive action.

[944-Spec#94]

Tim How can you read the car when it is faliling about aimlessly and unpredictably? That is the reason for both feet in. At least car becomes predictable.

 

PS... I am not going to budge on this either. I feel it is HUGE safety issue for DE and RACERS.

 

I believe it is especially important for us 944-spec guys. For 90% of us this is our first racing at any level and one of things we need to learn is once you have screwed the pooch... take you lumps rather than contine to do and just create a bigger mess for yourself and those around you.

For every one time you pull a Jan Lammer's "Save" there will be 10 Gettoracer crashs collecting multiple other drivers.

 

Nope I'd rather put my car in to the fence than to try to save it for too long and really stuff my car hard or take out a few other cars trying to be a hero.

[Tim Comeau]

I understand....but.......

Maybe I want to win more.....

 

"Screwed the pooch" was funny!

[PeanutinCA]

It's just club racing. No pro's out here.

 

P.Dilly.

[Tim Comeau]

Pro's come from a different planet?

Nope. They come from club racing.

[944-Spec#94]

Pro...

... either don't have to pay the bills

... or have so much money that bill for a new car is cheap.

 

None of those guys are us...

... except Berheim.... Last time I saw his spec car it had ... needed some fixing

[Tim Comeau]

Funny!.............................but true.

 

Actually, that chassis is back in the fight now with Johnny Pag at the wheel.

There he goes!........into the dirt again.