[paradocs98]

Originally Posted by Brosef

close call! thank God you didn't hit that wall. thanks for posting

I know--thanks!

Originally Posted by M3 Esq.

Scary, but very nice recovery. That retaining wall was coming up quick. Even more scary is sitting on the side of the track while the other cars whiz by.

This kind of thing usually happens when you are "trying something". I was "trying something" (heel-toe shifting coming into big bend at Lime Rock) when I put four wheels off in my last event. I was too concentrated on bringing up the revs that I didn't break hard enough. Luckily there was plenty of grass so I did not crash but it's still pretty unnerving nonetheless. Thanks for sharing.

And the grass is like skating, even when it's dry. What you're describing is exactly why I chose the DCT for this car. I knew it would see a lot of track time, and I knew I wasn't ready yet to bang off two perfect rapid-fire heel-toe downshifts (5-->4, then 4-->3) under threshold braking coming into Big Bend (or any other track's turn 1), with a Z06 breathing down my neck.

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

woah, that must have been scary. Glad you did not hit the wall.

Me too. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Purple Derple

I'm still trying to figure out how this happened. Maybe you put your rear tires in the dirt as well? Did you pinch it as you were running out of road maybe? It just doesn't seem to me that hitting the track out curbing with your front tire would cause a spin. Something more happened is my guess.

In any case, great save and lucky too. Last time I was at lightning I was not so lucky.

I might have very well been pinching it off a bit, in anticipation of running out of room. I know--a no-no, but sometimes it's still hard to resist. It might have just been the natural curve of the track, though, because as you know, Lightning gradually sweeps to the right as it flows from turn 5 to the bridge before the left-hander. So I think you always have a bit of steering input to the right as you accelerate out.

What happened to you at Lightning?

Originally Posted by The HACK

I'm glad you captured and posted the in-car footage as well. You can infer a lot from the actual action of the hands compared to what's going on outside.

So, I have a question. What was going on with the hands just prior to the spin? At the 1:02 mark, AFTER you've crested the hill.

Do you mean the little corrections I'm making as I crest the hill? If you don't go over the hill completely straight, the back of the car will want to step out to the left as you get light and then recompress. Because I was taking a tighter line through this turn, I was having to turn a bit as I crested the hill, and had to make corrections as a result. That was ok--it was track out and clipping the step-up of the curb that got me. Is that what you meant?

I think having the camera on me is helpful, too, so I can review my reactions and see what I'm doing right and wrong.

Originally Posted by PeterM1

close call, glad you saved it.

Hitting the start of the rumble strip will truly upset the car. I think there's dirt there instead of grass, lots of people go off that way (for missing the apex rumble strip on the hill top).

When I try new lines I always make a mental note of runoff spaces and quite often decide to go straight off rather than try to pinch it and maybe save it or end up on the opposite side. There's plenty of runoff space on the left side (and zero runoff on the right all the way to the left hander) but it's a split second decision.

Really good idea. I've been getting better about just driving straight off if I need to, but I still occasionally find myself trying to pinch it when I apex too early and overcook the track-out. It's a self-preservation mechanism that you have to learn to override. Good plan to be aware of runoff areas everywhere so you don't have to decide at that critical moment. I should work on that more.

Originally Posted by 6spdg37s

glad u caught it nice save glad your ok ... looked like fun minus that

Yes, entertaining to look at now, but while it was happening I was thinking "Oh, man, I'm gonna hit the wall. How am I going to get home? etc. etc."

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

Nice reaction. Here's my analysis...please consider that I've never been to the track before.

I think you could have used more of the track on entry going over the hill. Looks like you turned in about a half car width from the edge. Maybe adjust your turn in reference point?

Was the racer trying to tell you to use the compression on the far side to turn the car? That would make sense if you are trying to early apex that turn...might need to some more steering input and throttle once the suspension loads up to rotate the car more.

But that approach does have risks.

I welcome analysis--suggestions appreciated. When you say using more of the track on entry, do you mean setting up for the turn by driving far over to the left side of the track on approach under braking, then turning sharp to the right and accelerating over the hill in a straight line, just clipping the inside curbing at the crest of the hill? That's the classic HPDE/school line taught at Lightning, because it's the safest. I was trying a tighter line through the corner this time, hugging the inside more, doing what a club racer had shown me as a more defensive/racing line. He's probably done it 1000 more times than I have, though.

Originally Posted by OC3

Holy sh*t, close call!


+1

+1

Originally Posted by Porschefile

Damn that was close! Nice save and thanks for sharing the footage.

Thanks. It was another lesson learned.

Originally Posted by schnell325

Oh my!! Thank goodness it worked out!!

Yep--thanks!

Originally Posted by Car54

Wow that was close. It appears as if you drove to the edge of the track...or perhaps let the car take you there without sliding to track out....because you were well into the power.

It looks like the video's are really sync'd up but it took for you to travel across the whole track before you dialed in enough countersteer. Gotta work to get that quicker...and anticipate the hook when you drop a wheel.

Glad you made it unharmed.

Getting better, but definitely need to work on reaction/hand speed. Should have started this when I was 20, not 40. But I am going to an advanced car control clinic next week using Lime Rock's wet skid pad and autocross course. Should be educational. And fun.