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Originally Posted by lucid
Urbo, there is a lot that can go wrong that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with you pushing the car, and the top speeds and run off areas do make a difference in that regard. Would you rather have a tire blow at 155 mph or 120 mph? And would you rather have something like that happen on a track with plenty of run off or not? And even if you take exactly the same amount of risk in terms of pushing yourself (say you drive at 90% of your limit on both tracks--whatever that means), would you still not rather be on a track with more run off area or not? (Not that the amount of run off area is the only factor that dictates damage/injury in a crash, but still...)
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Lucid, you're absolutely right. But it's not something I ever thought about when I was at the track/racing - a tire puncture, a loose nut, another car running into me, a small animal/bird running in front of me, etc. These are all things that can easily happen (and did), but if you think about this going in, you better be content with just going slow forever or losing. Because until you step over these thoughts, you'll stand in your own way towards making progress and getting faster/winning. These are things that can easily happen - we all know this. But we assume the risk and forget about them. How will you ever go faster than 120 if you are afraid of a tire puncture? 120/130/140/150/160/etc., you simply can't think about it, regardless of track. There is a certain amount of ignorance you need to have when you step into the car if that makes any sense.
To use your example, say you're coming out of T4 at WGI, going down the straight for the Busstop in T5. Are you thinking tire puncture? Are you slowing down from 140 or whatever down to 120 to be more comfortable? Are you thinking, "Man I wish there was more runoff area here in case my tire goes!"? I hope not! Are you even thinking anything BUT just preparing the car for T5? If you are, then you are over-thinking and THAT will eventually get you in trouble. Once you commit to tracking/racing, you need to have a goal/goals. In racing that goal is simple - to win. When tracking, as I said in my prior post, you need to make a goal before you get to the track and step in the car. And goals will depend on many things - track familiarity, driver skill level, car you are driving, the amount of risk you are willing to take, etc., etc., etc. My goal may be to better my time from the last time I was there. Or be faster in a certain sector, etc. Or try something new. For the first time, my goal may be simply to learn the track and be as smooth as I can, since speed will come later naturally.
No track is safe. Period. This is how one needs to think. Unexpected stuff can happen anywhere, and many such offs are not at high speeds either. But do all the thinking before getting into the car. The only thing you should ever think about in the car is what's up ahead.
The bottom line for me is that comparing tracks in terms of risk is a dangerous game. You may then be too slow at WGI and too fast at VIR. Both bad which can lead to bad things... See what I mean? Take each track on its own. Even if you've "mastered" a track like WGI or VIR, you should never feel "safe" or "safer". The risk is always there when we talk about the unexpected.
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Having said all this, one needs to review the track and know where to test your limits and where not to, and if you can hold yourself to that, one can at least manage the "driver" side of the risk, but there are issues that are beyond your control.
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Agreed again. The only thing you CAN manage is the driver's side of the risk. Nothing else. To me WGI is just as dangerous as VIR. You just need to know what to do as a driver. If everyone here says go to VIR - it's safer should the unexpected happen, then the OP may go to VIR with too much confidence and/or never end up going to WGI, or going with some fear. And both are bad.... And fear is the MOST dangerous thing to bring with you. Adrenaline and some anxiety is good/normal/expected. But not fear. That will get you in trouble.